Reuben’s Descendants

These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. He was the firstborn,(A) but his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph(B) son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed.(C) He is not listed in the genealogy according to birthright. Although Judah became strong among his brothers(D) and a ruler came from him,(E) the birthright was given to Joseph.

The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn:(F)

Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

Joel’s sons: his son Shemaiah,

his son Gog, his son Shimei,

his son Micah, his son Reaiah,

his son Baal, and his son Beerah.

Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites, and King Tiglath-pileser[a] of Assyria took him into exile. His relatives by their families as they are recorded in their family records:(G)

Jeiel the chief, Zechariah,

and Bela son of Azaz,

son of Shema, son of Joel.

They settled in Aroer(H) as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. They also settled in the east as far as the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because their herds had increased in the land of Gilead.(I) 10 During Saul’s reign they waged war against the Hagrites,(J) who were defeated by their power. And they lived in their tents throughout the region east of Gilead.

Gad’s Descendants

11 The sons(K) of Gad lived next to them in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah:(L)

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

13 Their relatives according to their ancestral houses: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven.

14 These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri,

son of Jaroah, son of Gilead,

son of Michael, son of Jeshishai,

son of Jahdo, son of Buz.

15 Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was head of their ancestral family.[b] 16 They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its surrounding villages, and throughout the pasturelands of Sharon.(M) 17 All of them were registered in the genealogies during the reigns of Judah’s King Jotham(N) and Israel’s King Jeroboam.(O)

18 The descendants of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 warriors who could serve(P) in the army—men who carried shield and sword, drew the bow, and were trained for war. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites,(Q) Jetur,(R) Naphish, and Nodab. 20 They received help against these enemies because they cried out to God in battle, and the Hagrites and all their allies were handed over to them.(S) He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in him.(T) 21 They captured the Hagrites’ livestock—fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand donkeys—as well as one hundred thousand people. 22 Many of the Hagrites were killed because it was God’s battle.(U) And they lived there in the Hagrites’ place(V) until the exile.(W)

Half the Tribe of Manasseh

23 The descendants of half the tribe of Manasseh settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir(X) or Mount Hermon); they were numerous. 24 These were the heads of their ancestral families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were valiant warriors, famous men, and heads of their ancestral houses. 25 But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors. They prostituted themselves(Y) with the gods of the nations[c] God had destroyed before them.(Z) 26 So the God of Israel roused the spirit of King Pul(AA) (that is, Tiglath-pileser[d]) of Assyria, and he took the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and Gozan’s river, where they are until today.

Footnotes

  1. 5:6 LXX; MT reads Tilgath-pilneser
  2. 5:15 Lit the house of their fathers, also in v. 24
  3. 5:25 Lit the peoples of the land
  4. 5:26 LXX; MT reads Tilgath-pilneser

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