1 Chronicles 5
Expanded Bible
Reuben’s Children
5 Reuben was Israel’s [C Jacob’s] ·first son [firstborn]. Reuben ·should have received the special privileges of the oldest son [was the firstborn], but he ·had sexual relations with his father’s slave woman [L defiled his father’s bed; Gen. 35:22]. So ·those special privileges [that birthright] were given to Joseph’s sons. (Joseph was a son of Israel [C Jacob].) In the ·family history Reuben’s name [genealogical record he] is not listed as ·the first son [having the right of the firstborn]. 2 Judah became ·stronger than [predominant/prominent over] his brothers, and a leader came from his family [C likely referring to David]. But ·Joseph’s family received the privileges that belonged to the oldest son [the birthright belonged to Joseph]. 3 Reuben was Israel’s ·first son [firstborn]. Reuben’s sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 These were the children of Joel: Shemaiah was Joel’s son. Gog was Shemaiah’s son. Shimei was Gog’s son. 5 Micah was Shimei’s son. Reaiah was Micah’s son. Baal was Reaiah’s son. 6 Beerah was Baal’s son. Beerah was a leader of the tribe of Reuben. Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria captured him and took him ·away [L into exile/captivity].
7 Joel’s ·brothers [relatives; kinsmen] and all his ·family groups [clans] are listed ·just as they are written in their family histories [according to their genealogical records]: Jeiel was the ·first [leader; chief], then Zechariah, 8 and Bela. (Bela was the son of Azaz. Azaz was the son of Shema, and Shema was the son of Joel.) They lived in the area ·of [that stretches from] Aroer all the way to Nebo and Baal Meon. 9 Bela’s people lived to the east—as far as the edge of the ·desert [wilderness], ·which is beside [that stretches to] the Euphrates River—because they had ·too [so] many cattle ·for [in] the land of Gilead.
10 When Saul was king, Bela’s people fought a war against the Hagrite people ·and defeated them [L who fell by their hand]. Then Bela’s people lived in the ·tents [settlements] that had belonged to the Hagrites in all the area east of Gilead.
Gad’s Children
11 The ·people from the tribe [L sons] of Gad lived ·near [beside] the Reubenites. The Gadites lived in the area of Bashan all the way to Salecah. 12 Joel was the ·main leader [chief], Shapham was second, and then Janai and Shaphat were leaders in Bashan.
13 The seven ·relatives [brothers] in their ·families [clans] were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber. 14 They were the descendants of Abihail. Abihail was Huri’s son. Huri was Jaroah’s son. Jaroah was Gilead’s son. Gilead was Michael’s son. Michael was Jeshishai’s son. Jeshishai was Jahdo’s son, and Jahdo was the son of Buz. 15 Ahi was Abdiel’s son, and Abdiel was Guni’s son. Ahi was the leader of their ·family [clans].
16 The Gadites lived in Gilead, Bashan and the small towns around it, and on all the pasturelands in the Plain of Sharon all the way to the borders.
17 All these names were written in the ·family history [genealogical records] of Gad during the time Jotham was king of Judah and Jeroboam was king of Israel.
Soldiers Skilled in War
18 There were forty-four thousand seven hundred sixty ·soldiers [able-bodied/valiant men] from the tribes of Reuben and Gad and ·East [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh who carried shields and swords and bows. They were ·skilled in war [trained for battle]. 19 They ·started [waged] a war against the Hagrites and the people of Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20 The men from the tribes of Manasseh, Reuben, and Gad ·prayed [cried out] to God during the ·war [battle], asking him to help them. So he helped them because they trusted him. He handed over to them the Hagrites and all those who were with them. 21 They took the animals that belonged to the Hagrites: fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand donkeys. They also captured one hundred thousand people. 22 Many Hagrites were killed because God helped the people of Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh. Then they ·lived there [occupied their land/territory] until ·Babylon captured them and took them away [L the exile/captivity; 2 Chr. 36:17–21].
East Manasseh
23 The many people of ·East [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh lived in the area of Bashan all the way to Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon.
24 These were the ·family [clan] leaders: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were ·all strong, brave [mighty warriors/men of valor], and ·famous men [men of reputation], and ·leaders in their families [head of their clans]. 25 But they ·sinned against [were unfaithful to] the God ·that their ancestors had worshiped [L of their fathers]. They ·began worshiping [L prostituted themselves to] the gods of the people in that land, ·and those were the people God was destroying [whom God had destroyed before them]. 26 So the God of Israel ·made Pul king of Assyria want to go to war [L stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria]. (Pul was also called Tiglath-pileser [C ruled 744–727 bc].) He ·captured [carried into exile] the people of Reuben, Gad, and ·East [L the half-tribe of] Manasseh, and he took them away to Halah, Habor, Hara, and near the Gozan River. They have lived there from that time until this day.
1 Chronicles 5
The Message
The Family of Reuben
5 1-2 The family of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Though Reuben was Israel’s firstborn, after he slept with his father’s concubine, a defiling act, his rights as the firstborn were passed on to the sons of Joseph son of Israel. He lost his “firstborn” place in the family tree. And even though Judah became the strongest of his brothers and King David eventually came from that family, the firstborn rights stayed with Joseph.
3 The sons of Reuben, firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4-6 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 king of Assyria took into exile. Beerah was the prince of the Reubenites.
7-10 Beerah’s brothers are listed in the family tree by families: first Jeiel, followed by Zechariah: then Bela son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. Joel lived in the area from Aroer to Nebo and Baal Meon. His family occupied the land up to the edge of the desert that goes all the way to the Euphrates River, since their growing herds of livestock spilled out of Gilead. During Saul’s reign they fought and defeated the Hagrites; they then took over their tents and lived in them on the eastern frontier of Gilead.
* * *
11-12 The family of Gad were their neighbors in Bashan, as far as Salecah: Joel was the chief, Shapham the second-in-command, and then Janai, the judge in Bashan.
13-15 Their brothers, by families, were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all. 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. Ahi son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was head of their family.
16 The family of Gad lived in Gilead and Bashan, including the outlying villages and extending as far as the pastures of Sharon.
17 They were all written into the official family tree during the reigns of Jotham king of Judah and Jeroboam king of Israel.
* * *
18-22 The families of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men trained for war—physically fit and skilled in handling shield, sword, and bow. They fought against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. God helped them as they fought. God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. God answered their prayers because they trusted him. They plundered the Hagrite herds and flocks: 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys. They also captured 100,000 people. Many were killed, because the battle was God’s. They lived in that country until the exile.
* * *
23-26 The half-tribe of Manasseh had a large population. They occupied the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir (Mount Hermon). The heads of their families were Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel—brave warriors, famous, and heads of their families. But they were not faithful to the God of their ancestors. They took up with the ungodly gods of the peoples of the land whom God had gotten rid of before they arrived. So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria (Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria) to take the families of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He deported them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan. They’ve been there ever since.
The Expanded Bible, Copyright © 2011 Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson