Add parallel Print Page Options

¶ Now the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given unto the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; and he was not counted as the firstborn.

For Judah prevailed above his brethren and was their prince, but the birthright was Joseph’s:)

The sons, therefore, of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Enoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

The sons of Joel: Shemaiah, his son, Gog, his son, Shimei, his son,

Micah, his son, Reaia, his son, Baal, his son,

Beerah, his son, whom Tilgathpilneser, king of Assyria, carried away captive. He was prince of the Reubenites.

And his brethren by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned, had as princes, Jeiel and Zechariah.

And Bela, the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, dwelt in Aroer, even until Nebo and Baalmeon.

And eastward he inhabited unto the entering in of the wilderness from the river Euphrates, because their livestock were multiplied in the land of Gilead.

10 And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagarites, {Ishmaelites} who fell by their hand, and they dwelt in their tents throughout all the east land of Gilead.

11 And the sons of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan unto Salchah.

12 Joel, the chief, and Shapham, second, and Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan.

13 And their brethren of the house of their fathers were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jachan, Zia, and Heber, seven.

14 These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz.

15 Also Ahi, the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was the prince of the house of their fathers.

16 And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan and in her towns and in all the suburbs of Sharon, upon their goings forth.

17 All these were reckoned by their generations in the days of Jotham, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, king of Israel.

18 ¶ The sons of Reuben and of Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh, valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword and to shoot with bow and skillful in war were forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty, that went out to the war.

19 And they made war with the Hagarites, with Jetur and Nephish and Nodab.

20 And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand and all that were with them, for they cried to God in the battle, and he was intreated of them because they put their trust in him.

21 And they took away their livestock; fifty thousand camels and two hundred and fifty thousand sheep and two thousand asses and one hundred thousand persons.

22 For there fell down many slain because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their steads until the captivity.

23 And the sons of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land; they increased from Bashan unto Baalhermon and Senir and unto Mount Hermon.

24 And these were the heads of the houses of their fathers: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valour, famous men, and heads of the houses of their fathers.

25 But they rebelled against the God of their fathers and fornicated after the gods of the people of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

26 And for this the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser, king of Assyria, and he carried away the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half tribe of Manasseh and brought them unto Halah and Habor and Hara and to the River Gozan, unto this day.

Reuben

The sons of Reuben(A) the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s marriage bed,(B) his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph(C) son of Israel;(D) so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright,(E) and though Judah(F) was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler(G) came from him, the rights of the firstborn(H) belonged to Joseph)— the sons of Reuben(I) the firstborn of Israel:

Hanok, Pallu,(J) Hezron(K) and Karmi.

The descendants of Joel:

Shemaiah his son, Gog his son,

Shimei his son, Micah his son,

Reaiah his son, Baal his son,

and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser[a](L) king of Assyria took into exile. Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites.

Their relatives by clans,(M) listed according to their genealogical records:

Jeiel the chief, Zechariah, and Bela son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. They settled in the area from Aroer(N) to Nebo(O) and Baal Meon.(P) To the east they occupied the land up to the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates(Q) River, because their livestock had increased in Gilead.(R)

10 During Saul’s reign they waged war against the Hagrites(S), who were defeated at their hands; they occupied the dwellings of the Hagrites throughout the entire region east of Gilead.

Gad

11 The Gadites(T) lived next to them in Bashan, as far as Salekah:(U)

12 Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then Janai and Shaphat, in Bashan.

13 Their relatives, by families, were:

Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jakan, Zia and Eber—seven in all.

14 These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz.

15 Ahi son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was head of their family.

16 The Gadites lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its outlying villages, and on all the pasturelands of Sharon as far as they extended.

17 All these were entered in the genealogical records during the reigns of Jotham(V) king of Judah and Jeroboam(W) king of Israel.

18 The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service(X)—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur,(Y) Naphish and Nodab. 20 They were helped(Z) in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried(AA) out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted(AB) in him. 21 They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive, 22 and many others fell slain, because the battle(AC) was God’s. And they occupied the land until the exile.(AD)

The Half-Tribe of Manasseh

23 The people of the half-tribe of Manasseh(AE) were numerous; they settled in the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir (Mount Hermon).(AF)

24 These were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families. 25 But they were unfaithful(AG) to the God of their ancestors and prostituted(AH) themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. 26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit(AI) of Pul(AJ) king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser(AK) king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah,(AL) Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 5:6 Hebrew Tilgath-Pilneser, a variant of Tiglath-Pileser; also in verse 26