Immerse: Beginnings Full Volume - Flipbook - Page 290
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IMMERSE
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BEGINNINGS
3:10-25
is called Sirion by the Sidonians, and the Amorites call it Senir.) We had
now conquered all the cities on the plateau and all Gilead and Bashan, as
far as the towns of Salecah and Edrei, which were part of Og’s kingdom in
Bashan. (King Og of Bashan was the last survivor of the giant Rephaites.
His bed was made of iron and was more than thirteen feet long and six feet
wide. It can still be seen in the Ammonite city of Rabbah.)
“When we took possession of this land, I gave to the tribes of Reuben
and Gad the territory beyond Aroer along the Arnon Gorge, plus half of
the hill country of Gilead with its towns. Then I gave the rest of Gilead
and all of Bashan—Og’s former kingdom—to the half-tribe of Manasseh.
(This entire Argob region of Bashan used to be known as the land of the
Rephaites. Jair, a leader from the tribe of Manasseh, conquered the whole
Argob region in Bashan, all the way to the border of the Geshurites and
Maacathites. Jair renamed this region after himself, calling it the Towns
of Jair, as it is still known today.) I gave Gilead to the clan of Makir. But I
also gave part of Gilead to the tribes of Reuben and Gad. The area I gave
them extended from the middle of the Arnon Gorge in the south to the
Jabbok River on the Ammonite frontier. They also received the Jordan
Valley, all the way from the Sea of Galilee down to the Dead Sea, with the
Jordan River serving as the western boundary. To the east were the slopes
of Pisgah.
“At that time I gave this command to the tribes that would live east of
the Jordan: ‘Although the Lord your God has given you this land as your
property, all your fighting men must cross the Jordan ahead of your Israelite relatives, armed and ready to assist them. Your wives, children, and
numerous livestock, however, may stay behind in the towns I have given
you. When the Lord has given security to the rest of the Israelites, as he
has to you, and when they occupy the land the Lord your God is giving
them across the Jordan River, then you may all return here to the land I
have given you.’
“At that time I gave Joshua this charge: ‘You have seen for yourself everything the Lord your God has done to these two kings. He will do the same
to all the kingdoms on the west side of the Jordan. Do not be afraid of the
nations there, for the Lord your God will fight for you.’
“At that time I pleaded with the Lord and said, ‘O Sovereign Lord, you
have only begun to show your greatness and the strength of your hand to
me, your servant. Is there any god in heaven or on earth who can perform
such great and mighty deeds as you do? Please let me cross the Jordan to
see the wonderful land on the other side, the beautiful hill country and
the Lebanon mountains.’
