民數記32:1-42

32:1 流便子孫和迦得子孫的牲畜極其眾多；他們看見雅謝地和基列地是可牧放牲畜之地，
32:2 就來見摩西和祭司以利亞撒，並會眾的首領，說：
32:3 「亞大錄、底本、雅謝、寧拉、希實本、以利亞利、示班、尼波、比穩，
32:4 就是耶和華在以色列會眾前面所攻取之地，是可牧放牲畜之地，你僕人也有牲畜」；
32:5 又說：「我們若在你眼前蒙恩，求你把這地給我們為業，不要領我們過約旦河。」
32:6 摩西對迦得子孫和流便子孫說：「難道你們的弟兄去打仗，你們竟坐在這裡嗎？
32:7 你們為何使以色列人灰心喪膽、不過去進入耶和華所賜給他們的那地呢？
32:8 我先前從加低斯‧巴尼亞打發你們先祖去窺探那地，他們也是這樣行。
32:9 他們上以實各谷，去窺探那地回來的時候，使以色列人灰心喪膽，不進入耶和華所賜給他們的地。
32:10 當日，耶和華的怒氣發作，就起誓說：
32:11 『凡從埃及上來、二十歲以外的人斷不得看見我對亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各起誓應許之地，因為他們沒有專心跟從我。
32:12 惟有基尼洗族耶孚尼的兒子迦勒和嫩的兒子約書亞可以看見，因為他們專心跟從我。』
32:13 耶和華的怒氣向以色列人發作，使他們在曠野飄流四十年，等到在耶和華眼前行惡的那一代人都消滅了。
32:14 誰知，你們起來接續先祖，增添罪人的數目，使耶和華向以色列大發烈怒。
32:15 你們若退後不跟從他，他還要把以色列人撇在曠野，便是你們使這眾民滅亡。」
32:16 兩支派的人挨近摩西，說：「我們要在這裡為牲畜壘圈，為婦人孩子造城。
32:17 我們自己要帶兵器行在以色列人的前頭，好把他們領到他們的地方；但我們的婦人孩子，因這地居民的緣故，要住在堅固的城內。
32:18 我們不回家，直等到以色列人各承受自己的產業。
32:19 我們不和他們在約旦河那邊一帶之地同受產業，因為我們的產業是坐落在約旦河東邊這裡。」
32:20 摩西對他們說：「你們若這樣行，在耶和華面前帶著兵器出去打仗，
32:21 所有帶兵器的人都要在耶和華面前過約旦河，等他趕出他的仇敵，
32:22 那地被耶和華制伏了，然後你們可以回來，向耶和華和以色列才為無罪，這地也必在耶和華面前歸你們為業。
32:23 倘若你們不這樣行，就得罪耶和華，要知道你們的罪必追上你們。
32:24 如今你們口中所出的，只管去行，為你們的婦人孩子造城，為你們的羊群壘圈。」
32:25 迦得子孫和流便子孫對摩西說：「僕人要照我主所吩咐的去行。
32:26 我們的妻子、孩子、羊群，和所有的牲畜都要留在基列的各城。
32:27 但你的僕人，凡帶兵器的，都要照我主所說的話，在耶和華面前過去打仗。」
32:28 於是，摩西為他們囑咐祭司以利亞撒和嫩的兒子約書亞，並以色列眾支派的族長，說：
32:29 「迦得子孫和流便子孫，凡帶兵器在耶和華面前去打仗的，若與你們一同過約旦河，那地被你們制伏了，你們就要把基列地給他們為業。
32:30 倘若他們不帶兵器和你們一同過去，就要在迦南地你們中間得產業。」
32:31 迦得子孫和流便子孫回答說：「耶和華怎樣吩咐僕人，僕人就怎樣行。
32:32 我們要帶兵器，在耶和華面前過去，進入迦南地，只是約旦河這邊、我們所得為業之地仍歸我們。」
32:33 摩西將亞摩利王西宏的國和巴珊王噩的國，連那地和周圍的城邑，都給了迦得子孫和流便子孫，並約瑟的兒子瑪拿西半個支派。
32:34 迦得子孫建造底本、亞他錄、亞羅珥、
32:35 亞他錄‧朔反、雅謝、約比哈、
32:36 伯‧寧拉、伯‧哈蘭，都是堅固城。他們又壘羊圈。
32:37 流便子孫建造希實本、以利亞利、基列亭、
32:38 尼波、巴力‧免、西比瑪（尼波、巴力‧免，名字是改了的），又給他們所建造的城另起別名。
32:39 瑪拿西的兒子瑪吉，他的子孫往基列去，佔了那地，趕出那裡的亞摩利人。
32:40 摩西將基列賜給瑪拿西的兒子瑪吉，他子孫就住在那裡。
32:41 瑪拿西的子孫睚珥去佔了基列的村莊，就稱這些村莊為哈倭特‧睚珥。
32:42 挪巴去佔了基納和基納的鄉村，就按自己的名稱基納為挪巴。

The Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were suitable for livestock. ² So they came to Moses and Eleazar the priest and to the leaders of the community, and said, ³ “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo and Beon— ⁴ the land the Lord subdued before the people of Israel—are suitable for livestock, and your servants have livestock. ⁵ If we have found favor in your eyes,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as our possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”

⁶ Moses said to the Gadites and Reubenites, “Should your fellow Israelites go to war while you sit here? ⁷ Why do you discourage the Israelites from crossing over into the land the Lord has given them? ⁸ This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh Barnea to look over the land. ⁹ After they went up to the Valley of Eshkol and viewed the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land the Lord had given them. ¹⁰ The Lord’s anger was aroused that day and he swore this oath: ¹¹ ‘Because they have not followed me wholeheartedly, not one of those who were twenty years old or more when they came up out of Egypt will see the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob— ¹² not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they followed the Lord wholeheartedly.’ ¹³ The Lord’s anger burned against Israel and he made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation of those who had done evil in his sight was gone.

¹⁴ “And here you are, a brood of sinners, standing in the place of your fathers and making the Lord even more angry with Israel. ¹⁵ If you turn away from following him, he will again leave all this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.”

¹⁶ Then they came up to him and said, “We would like to build pens here for our livestock and cities for our women and children. ¹⁷ But we will arm ourselves for battle^[a] and go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them to their place. Meanwhile our women and children will live in fortified cities, for protection from the inhabitants of the land. ¹⁸ We will not return to our homes until each of the Israelites has received their inheritance. ¹⁹ We will not receive any inheritance with them on the other side of the Jordan, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”

²⁰ Then Moses said to them, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the Lord for battle ²¹ and if all of you who are armed cross over the Jordan before the Lord until he has driven his enemies out before him— ²² then when the land is subdued before the Lord, you may return and be free from your obligation to the Lord and to Israel. And this land will be your possession before the Lord.

²³ “But if you fail to do this, you will be sinning against the Lord; and you may be sure that your sin will find you out. ²⁴ Build cities for your women and children, and pens for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”

²⁵ The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “We your servants will do as our lord commands. ²⁶ Our children and wives, our flocks and herds will remain here in the cities of Gilead. ²⁷ But your servants, every man who is armed for battle, will cross over to fight before the Lord, just as our lord says.”

²⁸ Then Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest and Joshua son of Nun and to the family heads of the Israelite tribes. ²⁹ He said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites, every man armed for battle, cross over the Jordan with you before the Lord, then when the land is subdued before you, you must give them the land of Gilead as their possession. ³⁰ But if they do not cross over with you armed, they must accept their possession with you in Canaan.”

³¹ The Gadites and Reubenites answered, “Your servants will do what the Lord has said. ³² We will cross over before the Lord into Canaan armed, but the property we inherit will be on this side of the Jordan.”

³³ Then Moses gave to the Gadites, the Reubenites and the half-tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan—the whole land with its cities and the territory around them.

³⁴ The Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer, ³⁵ Atroth Shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah, ³⁶ Beth Nimrah and Beth Haran as fortified cities, and built pens for their flocks. ³⁷ And the Reubenites rebuilt Heshbon, Elealeh and Kiriathaim, ³⁸ as well as Nebo and Baal Meon (these names were changed) and Sibmah. They gave names to the cities they rebuilt.

³⁹ The descendants of Makir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it and drove out the Amorites who were there. ⁴⁰ So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, the descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there. ⁴¹ Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, captured their settlements and called them Havvoth Jair.^{[b] 42} And Nobah captured Kenath and its surrounding settlements and called it Nobah after himself.

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    流便子孫和迦得子孫看見約旦河東邊土地廣闊，想在取得那地來牧養自己的牲畜，於是像摩西提起他們要以此為他們的家業所在。摩西本來是反對的，因為他們不以應許之地就是約旦河西為業，怕引起耶和華的怒氣！但是，他們對摩西保證必定會和其他支派的人依且在應許之地征戰，直等到大家得地為業之時才歸回，摩西才勉強答應他們的請求。

    當然從這個事例我們看見，教會許多的事情需要像這樣的溝通，不是牧者說了算，也不是有所要求的人說了算，大家必須彼此溝通，取得一個符合上帝心意的共識，如此才是教會治理的上策！

    求主幫助我們，讓教會中大家以尊主為大的精神，彼此溝通建立共識，然後一同努力實行彼此所認同的作法，如此教會才會繼續進步，越來越有主的榮光充滿在其中。