Joshua 22:24-29

22:24 We swear we have done this because we were worried that ¹  in the future your descendants would say to our descendants, ‘What relationship do you have with the Lord God of Israel? ²  22:25 The Lord made the Jordan a boundary between us and you Reubenites and Gadites. You have no right to worship the Lord.’ ³  In this way your descendants might cause our descendants to stop obeying ⁴  the Lord. 22:26 So we decided to build this altar, not for burnt offerings and sacrifices, 22:27 but as a reminder to us and you, ⁵  and to our descendants who follow us, that we will honor the Lord in his very presence ⁶  with burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace. ⁷  Then in the future your descendants will not be able to say to our descendants, ‘You have no right to worship the Lord.’ ⁸  22:28 We said, ‘If in the future they say such a thing ⁹  to us or to our descendants, we will reply, “See the model of the Lord’s altar that our ancestors ¹⁰  made, not for burnt offerings or sacrifices, but as a reminder to us and you.”’ ¹¹  22:29 Far be it from us to rebel against the Lord by turning back today from following after the Lord by building an altar for burnt offerings, sacrifices, and tokens of peace ¹²  aside from the altar of the Lord our God located in front of his dwelling place!” ¹³ 

¹ tn Heb “Surely, from worry concerning a matter we have done this, saying.”

² tn Heb “What is there to you and to the Lord God of Israel?” The rhetorical question is sarcastic in tone and anticipates a response, “Absolutely none!”

³ tn Heb “You have no portion in the Lord.”

⁴ tn Heb “fearing.”

⁵ tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”

⁶ tn Heb “to do the service of the Lord before him.”

⁷ tn Or “peace offerings.”

⁸ tn Heb “You have no portion in the Lord.”

⁷ tn The words “such a thing” are supplied in the translation for clarification.

⁸ tn Heb “fathers.”

⁹ tn Heb “but it is a witness between us and you.”

⁹ tn Or “peace offerings.”

¹⁰ sn The Lord’s dwelling place here refers to the tabernacle.