Joshua 22

¹ Joshua con call together all the people of tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh.

² He tell them say, “Una don do everything wey God servant Moses command una to do, and una don obey all my commands.

³ Una no leave una fellow-Israelites all this time. Una don dey careful to obey the commands of the LORD una God.

⁴ Now, as he don promise, the LORD una God don give una fellow-Israelites peace. So make una go back home to the land wey una don claim as una own, the land wey dey for east side of the Jordan, wey God servant, Moses give una.

⁵ Make una dey sure say una obey the law wey Moses command una: make una love the LORD una God, do wetin he want, obey him commandments, dey faithful to him, and make una serve him with all una heart and soul.”

⁶ Joshua send them go home with him blessing and these words: “Una dey go home very rich, with plenty animal, silver, gold, bronze, iron, and plenty clothes.

⁷ Make una share wetin una take from una enemies with the people of una tribes. Naso dem leave go home.

⁸ Na Moses give land wey dey east of Jordan to one half of Manasseh tribe, but na Joshua give land wey dey west of Jordan to the other half, and for other tribes.

⁹ Naso the people of tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh go back home. Dem leave the rest of Israel people for Shiloh in Canaan land and begin dey go their own land, wey be the land of Gilead wey dem don take as God don command them through Moses.

¹⁰ When tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh reach Geliloth, dem still dey for west side of Jordan, dem build one fine altar for there near the river.

¹¹ Dem tell the rest of Israel people about am say, “Listen! People of tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh don build altar for Geliloth, for our side of Jordan!”

¹² When the people of Israel hear am, all the community gather together for Shiloh to go fight the tribes wey dey east.

¹³ Naso the people of Israel send Phinehas, son of Eleazar the priest, to the people of tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh for Gilead land.

¹⁴ Na ten leaders follow Phinehas, one from each of the western tribes and each of them na family head for him clans.

¹⁵ Dem come Gilead land, to people of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh,

¹⁶ dem dey speak for all the community of the LORD, dem tell them say, “Why una do this kind evil against God of Israel? Una don go against God as una build altar for unaself! Una no dey follow him again!

¹⁷ Shey una remember our sin when we dey for Peor, when God punish him people with terrible disease? We still dey suffer because of that. That one no do una?

¹⁸ Shey una no go gree follow him now? If una go against God today, he go vex with everybody for Israel tomorrow.

¹⁹ If una think say una land no dey clean enough for una to dey worship, make una come to God land, where him Tent dey. Make una claim land among us. But make una no rebel against God or make us rebel against God as una dey build altar join the altar of the LORD our God.

²⁰ Make una remember how Achan son of Zerah no gree obey the command about things we suppose destroy; na all the community of Israel suffer am. No be only Achan die because of him sin.”

²¹ People of tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh con answer the family heads of the western tribes say:

²² “Na God be the Mighty One! Na Him be the LORD! Na Him be the Mighty God! Na him be the LORD! He know why we don do this, and we go make una know too! If we don rebel and no gree keep faith with the LORD, make una no allow us live again!

²³ If we disobey God and build our own altar to dey use burn sacrifice or use for grain offering or fellowship offerings, make God punish us himself.

²⁴ No! We do am because we dey fear say for future una descendants go tell our own say, ‘Wetin una get to do with the LORD, God of Israel?

²⁵ Na him make Jordan a boundary between us and una people of Reuben and Gad. Una no get anything to do with the LORD.’ Then una descendants fit make our descendants stop to dey worship the LORD.

²⁶ Naso we build altar, no be to dey burn sacrifices or make offerings,

²⁷ but make e be sign for our people and una people, and for the generations wey go come after us, say we really worship God for him holy Tent with our burnt offerings and with sacrifice and fellowship offerings. We do am so that e go keep una descendants not to talk say our own descendants no get anything to do with the LORD.

²⁸ Na our idea say, if that kind thing ever happen, our descendants fit talk say, ‘See! Our ancestors make altar wey just be like altar of God. Dem no make the altar to dey use burn offerings or sacrifice, but make e be sign for our people and una people.

²⁹ For sure, we no go rebel against God or stop dey follow him now by building altar to dey use burn offering or for grain offering or sacrifices. We no go build any altar apart from the altar of the LORD our God wey stand for front of the Tent of God presence.

³⁰ Phinehas the priest and the ten leaders of the community wey dey with him, the family heads of the western tribes, hear wetin the people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh get to talk, and dem dey okay with am.

³¹ Phinehas, wey be son of Eleazar the priest, con tell them say, “Now we know say God dey with us. Una no rebel against him, and so una don save the people of Israel from God punishment.”

³² Phinehas and the leaders con leave the people of Reuben and Gad for land of Gilead and dem go back to Canaan, to the people of Israel, and give them report.

³³ The Israelites con dey okay with am and dem praise God. Dem no talk say dem wan fight people of Reuben and Gad again.

³⁴ People of Reuben and Gad talk say, “This altar na witness to all of us say the LORD na God.” And naso dem name am “Witness”.