Then we took their land and gave it as an inheritance to Reuben, Gad, and half the tribe of Manasseh.

Select wise and practical ¹  men, those known among your tribes, whom I may appoint as your leaders.”

I thought this was a good idea, ¹  so I sent ²  twelve men from among you, one from each tribe.

The Lord ¹  was king over Jeshurun, ²  when the leaders of the people assembled, the tribes of Israel together. ³ 

For the Lord your God has chosen them and their sons from all your tribes to stand ¹  and serve in his name ²  permanently.

But you must seek only the place he ¹  chooses from all your tribes to establish his name as his place of residence, ²  and you must go there.

And these other tribes must stand for the curse on Mount Ebal: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

You are standing today, all of you, before the Lord your God – the heads of your tribes, ¹  your elders, your officials, every Israelite man,

You must appoint judges and civil servants ¹  for each tribe in all your villages ²  that the Lord your God is giving you, and they must judge the people fairly. ³ 

The Lord will single him out ¹  for judgment ²  from all the tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the covenant written in this scroll of the law.

The Levitical priests ¹  – indeed, the entire tribe of Levi – will have no allotment or inheritance with Israel; they may eat the burnt offerings of the Lord and of his inheritance. ² 

“The following tribes ¹  must stand to bless the people on Mount Gerizim when you cross the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin.

The rest of Gilead and all of Bashan, the kingdom of Og, I gave to half the tribe of Manasseh. ¹  (All the region of Argob, ²  that is, all Bashan, is called the land of Rephaim.

At that time the Lord set apart the tribe of Levi ¹  to carry the ark of the Lord’s covenant, to stand before the Lord to serve him, and to formulate blessings ²  in his name, as they do to this very day.

Beware that the heart of no man, woman, clan, or tribe among you turns away from the Lord our God today to pursue and serve the gods of those nations; beware that there is among you no root producing poisonous and bitter fruit. ¹ 

So I chose ¹  as your tribal leaders wise and well-known men, placing them over you as administrators of groups of thousands, hundreds, fifties, and tens, and also as other tribal officials.

Gather to me all your tribal elders and officials so I can speak to them directly about these things and call the heavens and the earth to witness against them.

May Reuben live and not die, and may his people multiply. ¹ 

Then, when you heard the voice from the midst of the darkness while the mountain was ablaze, all your tribal leaders and elders approached me.

for you may do so ¹  only in the place the Lord chooses in one of your tribal areas – there you may do everything I am commanding you. ²