Numbers 32 Comparison: American Standard Version vs Berean Study Bible
Numbers 32
1Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle: and when they saw the land of Jazer, and the land of Gilead, that, behold, the place was a place for cattle;
2the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spake unto Moses, and to Eleazar the priest, and unto the princes of the congregation, saying,
3Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Sebam, and Nebo, and Beon,
4the land which Jehovah smote before the congregation of Israel, is a land for cattle; and thy servants have cattle.
5And they said, If we have found favor in thy sight, let this land be given unto thy servants for a possession; bring us not over the Jordan.
6And Moses said unto the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to the war, and shall ye sit here?
7And wherefore discourage ye the heart of the children of Israel from going over into the land which Jehovah hath given them?
8Thus did your fathers, when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to see the land.
9For when they went up unto the valley of Eshcol, and saw the land, they discouraged the heart of the children of Israel, that they should not go into the land which Jehovah had given them.
10And Jehovah’s anger was kindled in that day, and he sware, saying,
11Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, shall see the land which I sware unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob; because they have not wholly followed me:
12save Caleb the son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite, and Joshua the son of Nun; because they have wholly followed Jehovah.
13And Jehovah’s anger was kindled against Israel, and he made them wander to and fro in the wilderness forty years, until all the generation, that had done evil in the sight of Jehovah, was consumed.
14And, behold, ye are risen up in your fathers’ stead, an increase of sinful men, to augment yet the fierce anger of Jehovah toward Israel.
15For if ye turn away from after him, he will yet again leave them in the wilderness; and ye will destroy all this people.
16And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:
17but we ourselves will be ready armed to go before the children of Israel, until we have brought them unto their place: and our little ones shall dwell in the fortified cities because of the inhabitants of the land.
18We will not return unto our houses, until the children of Israel have inherited every man his inheritance.
19For we will not inherit with them on the other side of the Jordan, and forward; because our inheritance is fallen to us on this side of the Jordan eastward.
20And Moses said unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will arm yourselves to go before Jehovah to the war,
21and every armed man of you will pass over the Jordan before Jehovah, until he hath driven out his enemies from before him,
22and the land is subdued before Jehovah; then afterward ye shall return, and be guiltless towards Jehovah, and towards Israel; and this land shall be unto you for a possession before Jehovah.
23But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against Jehovah; and be sure your sin will find you out.
24Build you cities for your little ones, and folds for your sheep; and do that which hath proceeded out of your mouth.
25And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben spake unto Moses, saying, Thy servants will do as my lord commandeth.
26Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, shall be there in the cities of Gilead;
27but thy servants will pass over, every man that is armed for war, before Jehovah to battle, as my lord saith.
28So Moses gave charge concerning them to Eleazar the priest, and to Joshua the son of Nun, and to the heads of the fathers’housesof the tribes of the children of Israel.
29And Moses said unto them, If the children of Gad and the children of Reuben will pass with you over the Jordan, every man that is armed to battle, before Jehovah, and the land shall be subdued before you; then ye shall give them the land of Gilead for a possession:
30but if they will not pass over with you armed, they shall have possessions among you in the land of Canaan.
31And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben answered, saying, As Jehovah hath said unto thy servants, so will we do.
32We will pass over armed before Jehovah into the land of Canaan, and the possession of our inheritance shall remain with us beyond the Jordan.
33And Moses gave unto them, even to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto the half-tribe of Manasseh the son of Joseph, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bashan, the land, according to the cities thereof with their borders, even the cities of the land round about.
34And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, and Aroer,
35and Atroth-shophan, and Jazer, and Jogbehah,
36and Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran: fortified cities, and folds for sheep.
37And the children of Reuben built Heshbon, and Elealeh, and Kiriathaim,
38and Nebo, and Baal-meon, (their names being changed,) and Sibmah: and they gave other names unto the cities which they builded.
39And the children of Machir the son of Manasseh went to Gilead, and took it, and dispossessed the Amorites that were therein.
40And Moses gave Gilead unto Machir the son of Manasseh; and he dwelt therein.
41And Jair the son of Manasseh went and took the towns thereof, and called them Havvoth-jair.
42And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name.
Numbers 32
1Now the Reubenites and Gadites, who had very large herds and flocks, surveyed the lands of Jazer and Gilead, and they saw that the region was suitable for livestock.
2So the Gadites and Reubenites came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the leaders of the congregation, and said,
3“Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sebam, Nebo, and Beon,
4which the LORD conquered before the congregation of Israel, are suitable for livestock—and your servants have livestock.”
5“If we have found favor in your sight,” they said, “let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not make us cross the Jordan.”
6But Moses asked the Gadites and Reubenites, “Shall your brothers go to war while you sit here?
7Why are you discouraging the Israelites from crossing into the land that the LORD has given them?
8This is what your fathers did when I sent them from Kadesh-barnea to inspect the land.
9For when your fathers went up to the Valley of Eshcol and saw the land, they discouraged the Israelites from entering the land that the LORD had given them.
10So the anger of the LORD was kindled that day, and He swore an oath, saying,
11‘Because they did not follow Me wholeheartedly, not one of the men twenty years of age or older who came out of Egypt will see the land that I swore to give Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—
12not one except Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun—because they did follow the LORD wholeheartedly.’
13The anger of the LORD burned against Israel, and He made them wander in the wilderness forty years, until the whole generation who had done evil in His sight was gone.
14Now behold, you, a brood of sinners, have risen up in place of your fathers to further stoke the burning anger of the LORD against Israel.
15For if you turn away from following Him, He will once again leave this people in the wilderness, and you will be the cause of their destruction.”
16Then the Gadites and Reubenites approached Moses and said, “We want to build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our little ones.
17But we will arm ourselves and be ready to go ahead of the Israelites until we have brought them into their place. Meanwhile, our little ones will remain in the fortified cities for protection from the inhabitants of the land.
18We will not return to our homes until every Israelite has taken possession of his inheritance.
19Yet we will not have an inheritance with them across the Jordan and beyond, because our inheritance has come to us on the east side of the Jordan.”
20Moses replied, “If you will do this—if you will arm yourselves before the LORD for battle,
21and if every one of your armed men crosses the Jordan before the LORD, until He has driven His enemies out before Him,
22then when the land is subdued before the LORD, you may return and be free of obligation to the LORD and to Israel. And this land will belong to you as a possession before the LORD.
23But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD—and be assured that your sin will find you out.
24Build cities for your little ones and folds for your flocks, but do what you have promised.”
25The Gadites and Reubenites said to Moses, “Your servants will do just as our lord commands.
26Our children, our wives, our livestock, and all our animals will remain here in the cities of Gilead.
27But your servants are equipped for war, and every man will cross over to the battle before the LORD, just as our lord says.”
28So Moses gave orders about them to Eleazar the priest, to Joshua son of Nun, and to the family leaders of the tribes of Israel.
29And Moses said to them, “If the Gadites and Reubenites cross the Jordan with you, with every man armed for battle before the LORD, and the land is subdued before you, then you are to give them the land of Gilead as a possession.
30But if they do not arm themselves and go across with you, then they must accept their possession among you in the land of Canaan.”
31The Gadites and Reubenites replied, “As the LORD has spoken to your servants, so we will do.
32We will cross over into the land of Canaan armed before the LORD, that we may have our inheritance on this side of the Jordan.”
33So Moses gave to the Gadites, to the Reubenites, and to 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 land including its cities and the territory surrounding them.
34And the Gadites built up Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,
35Atroth-shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,
36Beth-nimrah, and Beth-haran as fortified cities, and they built folds for their flocks.
37The Reubenites built up Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,
38as well as Nebo and Baal-meon (whose names were changed), and Sibmah. And they renamed the cities they rebuilt.
39The descendants of Machir son of Manasseh went to Gilead, captured it, and drove out the Amorites who were there.
40So Moses gave Gilead to the clan of Machir son of Manasseh, and they settled there.
41Jair, a descendant of Manasseh, went and captured their villages and called them Havvoth-jair.
42And Nobah went and captured Kenath and its villages and called it Nobah, after his own name.
Understanding American Standard Version vs Berean Study Bible in Numbers 32
American Standard Version (ASV)
A highly literal translation known for accuracy and adherence to the original Hebrew and Greek. Consistent word choices make it excellent for careful study and cross-referencing. A strong pick for readers who want a precise, classic-modern English Bible.
Berean Study Bible (BSB)
A modern translation balancing readability with faithfulness to the original texts. Written in clear, contemporary English for both reading and study. A strong all-around choice for daily use.
You are viewing a side-by-side comparison of Numbers 32 in the American Standard Version and Berean Study Bible. Comparing these two versions can help shed light on the nuances of the original text.
Key Comparison: Numbers 32:16
"And they came near unto him, and said, We will build sheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones:"
"Then the Gadites and Reubenites approached Moses and said, “We want to build sheepfolds here for our livestock and cities for our little ones."
