| 21 καὶ ἀπεκρίθησαν οἱ υἱοὶ Ρουβην καὶ οἱ υἱοὶ Γαδ καὶ τὸ ἥμισυ φυλῆς Μανασση καὶ ἐλάλησαν τοῖς χιλιάρχοις Ισραηλ λέγοντες 22 ὁ θεὸς θεός ἐστιν κύριος καὶ ὁ θεὸς θεὸς κύριος αὐτὸς οἶδεν καὶ Ισραηλ αὐτὸς γνώσεται εἰ ἐν ἀποστασίᾳ ἐπλημμελήσαμεν ἔναντι τοῦ κυρίου μὴ ῥύσαιτο ἡμᾶς ἐν ταύτῃ 23 καὶ εἰ ᾠκοδομήσαμεν αὑτοῖς βωμὸν ὥστε ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ ἡμῶν ὥστε ἀναβιβάσαι ἐ{P'} αὐτὸν θυσίαν ὁλοκαυτωμάτων ἢ ὥστε ποιῆσαι ἐ{P'} αὐτοῦ θυσίαν σωτηρίου κύριος ἐκζητήσει 24 ἀλ{L'} ἕνεκεν εὐλαβείας ῥήματος ἐποιήσαμεν τοῦτο λέγοντες ἵνα μὴ εἴπωσιν αὔριον τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν τοῖς τέκνοις ἡμῶν τί ὑμῖν κυρίῳ τῷ θεῷ Ισραηλ 25 καὶ ὅρια ἔθηκεν κύριος ἀνὰ μέσον ἡμῶν καὶ ὑμῶν τὸν Ιορδάνην καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμῖν μερὶς κυρίου καὶ ἀπαλλοτριώσουσιν οἱ υἱοὶ ὑμῶν τοὺς υἱοὺς ἡμῶν ἵνα μὴ σέβωνται κύριον 26 καὶ εἴπαμεν ποιῆσαι οὕτως τοῦ οἰκοδομῆσαι τὸν βωμὸν τοῦτον οὐχ ἕνεκεν καρπωμάτων οὐδὲ ἕνεκεν θυσιῶν 27 ἀλ{L'} ἵνα ᾖ τοῦτο μαρτύριον ἀνὰ μέσον ἡμῶν καὶ ὑμῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν γενεῶν ἡμῶν με{Q'} ἡμᾶς τοῦ λατρεύειν λατρείαν κυρίῳ ἐναντίον αὐτοῦ ἐν τοῖς καρπώμασιν ἡμῶν καὶ ἐν ταῖς θυσίαις ἡμῶν καὶ ἐν ταῖς θυσίαις τῶν σωτηρίων ἡμῶν καὶ οὐκ ἐροῦσιν τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν τοῖς τέκνοις ἡμῶν αὔριον οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμῖν μερὶς κυρίου 28 καὶ εἴπαμεν ἐὰν γένηταί ποτε καὶ λαλήσωσιν πρὸς ἡμᾶς καὶ ταῖς γενεαῖς ἡμῶν αὔριον καὶ ἐροῦσιν ἴδετε ὁμοίωμα τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου κυρίου ὃ ἐποίησαν οἱ πατέρες ἡμῶν οὐχ ἕνεκεν καρπωμάτων οὐδὲ ἕνεκεν θυσιῶν ἀλλὰ μαρτύριόν ἐστιν ἀνὰ μέσον ὑμῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον ἡμῶν καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῶν υἱῶν ἡμῶν 29 μὴ γένοιτο οὖν ἡμᾶς ἀποστραφῆναι ἀπὸ κυρίου ἐν ταῖς σήμερον ἡμέραις ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ κυρίου ὥστε οἰκοδομῆσαι ἡμᾶς θυσιαστήριον τοῖς καρπώμασιν καὶ ταῖς θυσίαις σαλαμιν καὶ τῇ θυσίᾳ τοῦ σωτηρίου πλὴν τοῦ θυσιαστηρίου κυρίου ὅ ἐστιν ἐναντίον τῆς σκηνῆς αὐτοῦ |
21 But the three tribes had their answer ready for the chieftains of Israel: 22 The Lord God is our witness, the Almighty Lord God is our witness; let Israel ask proof from him! Let him be our protector no longer, let him smite us with his punishments here and now, if he sees that this altar of ours was built in any spirit of rebellion against him. 23 Let him condemn and punish us, if we have built it with any thought of offering sacrifice or victim or welcome-offering there. 24 This rather was our thought, this was our design; it may be that in time to come your children will turn upon ours and ask them, What have you to do with the God of Israel? 25 Has he not put Jordan there as a barrier between us and you? Men of Ruben and Gad, the Lord will have none of you! Should we allow them such an opportunity of stealing our children away from the worship of the Lord? No, we were better advised than that. 26 We determined to build an altar, that should never know burnt-sacrifice or offering; 27 it was to be a monument of our claims upon you, of our children’s claims upon yours. We would safeguard our right of bringing the Lord burnt-sacrifice and victim and welcome-offering; your children should never say to ours, The Lord will have none of you! 28 Let them say it, and our children will reply, And the altar? The altar which our fathers raised, not for burnt-sacrifice or offering, but for a monument of our claim on you? 29 Far be such treachery from our thoughts, as to rebel against the Lord, and forsake the paths he has traced for us, never will we present burnt-sacrifice or offering or victim save at the altar raised to the Lord our God, before his tabernacle! |
21 Responderuntque filii Ruben et Gad, et dimidia tribus Manasse, principibus legationis Israël: 22 Fortissimus Deus Dominus, fortissimus Deus Dominus, ipse novit, et Israël simul intelliget: si prævaricationis animo hoc altare construximus, non custodiat nos, sed puniat nos in præsenti: 23 et si ea mente fecimus ut holocausta, et sacrificium, et pacificas victimas super eo imponeremus, ipse quærat et judicet: 24 et non ea magis cogitatione atque tractatu, ut diceremus: Cras dicent filii vestri filiis nostris: Quid vobis et Domino Deo Israël? 25 terminum posuit Dominus inter nos et vos, o filii Ruben, et filii Gad, Jordanem fluvium, et idcirco partem non habetis in Domino: et per hanc occasionem avertent filii vestri filios nostros a timore Domini. Putavimus itaque melius, 26 et diximus: Exstruamus nobis altare, non in holocausta, neque ad victimas offerendas, 27 sed in testimonium inter nos et vos, et sobolem nostram vestramque progeniem, ut serviamus Domino, et juris nostri sit offerre et holocausta, et victimas, et pacificas hostias: et nequaquam dicant cras filii vestri filiis nostris: Non est vobis pars in Domino. 28 Quod si voluerint dicere, respondebunt eis: Ecce altare Domini, quod fecerunt patres nostri, non in holocausta, neque in sacrificium, sed in testimonium nostrum ac vestrum. 29 Absit a nobis hoc scelus, ut recedamus a Domino, et ejus vestigia relinquamus, exstructo altari ad holocausta, et sacrificia, et victimas offerendas, præter altare Domini Dei nostri, quod exstructum est ante tabernaculum ejus. |