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Descendants of Reuben

The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. (He was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright; though Judah became prominent among his brothers and a ruler came from him, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph.) The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, Beerah his son, whom King Tilgath-pilneser of Assyria carried away into exile; he was a chieftain of the Reubenites. And his kindred by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel, who lived in Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. He also lived to the east as far as the beginning of the desert this side of the Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead. 10 And in the days of Saul they made war on the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they lived in their tents throughout all the region east of Gilead.

Descendants of Gad

11 The sons of Gad lived beside them in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah: 12 Joel the chief, Shapham the second, Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan. 13 And their kindred according to their clans: 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 chief in their clan; 16 and they lived in Gilead, in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the pasture lands of Sharon to their limits. 17 All of these were enrolled by genealogies in the days of King Jotham of Judah, and in the days of King Jeroboam of Israel.

18 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh had valiant warriors, who carried shield and sword, and drew the bow, expert in war, forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty, ready for service. 19 They made war on the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab; 20 and when they received help against them, the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hands, for they cried to God in the battle, and he granted their entreaty because they trusted in him. 21 They captured their livestock: fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, two thousand donkeys, and one hundred thousand captives. 22 Many fell slain, because the war was of God. And they lived in their territory until the exile.

The Half-Tribe of Manasseh

23 The members of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land; they were very numerous from Bashan to Baal-hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. 24 These were the heads of their clans: Epher,[a] Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty warriors, famous men, heads of their clans. 25 But they transgressed against the God of their ancestors, and prostituted 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 of King Pul of Assyria, the spirit of King Tilgath-pilneser of Assyria, and he carried them away, namely, the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan, to this day.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 5:24 Gk Vg: Heb and Epher

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

The Descendants of Reuben

(A) Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob,[a] but he lost his rights as the first-born son[b] because he slept with one of his father's wives.[c] The honor of the first-born son was then given to Joseph, (B) even though it was the Judah tribe that became the most powerful and produced a leader.

Reuben had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

4-6 (C) The descendants of Joel included Shemaiah, Gog, Shimei, Micah, Reaiah, Baal, and Beerah, a leader of the Reuben tribe. Later, King Tiglath Pileser of Assyria took Beerah away as prisoner.

7-8 The family records also include Jeiel, who was a clan leader, Zechariah, and Bela son of Azaz and grandson of Shema of the Joel clan. They lived in the territory around the town of Aroer, as far north as Nebo and Baal-Meon, and as far east as the desert just west of the Euphrates River. They needed this much land because they owned too many cattle to keep them all in Gilead.

10 When Saul was king, the Reuben tribe attacked and defeated the Hagrites, then took over their land east of Gilead.

The Descendants of Gad

11 The tribe of Gad lived in the region of Bashan, north of the Reuben tribe. Gad's territory extended all the way to the town of Salecah. 12 Some of the clan leaders were Joel, Shapham, Janai, and Shaphat. 13 Their relatives included Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber.

14 They were all descendants of Abihail, whose family line went back through Huri, Jaroah, Gilead, Michael, Jeshishai, Jahdo, and Buz. 15 Ahi, the son of Abdiel and the grandson of Guni, was the leader of their clan.

16 The people of Gad lived in the towns in the regions of Bashan and Gilead, as well as in the pastureland of Sharon. 17 Their family records were written when Jotham was king of Judah and Jeroboam was king of Israel.

18 The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh had 44,760 soldiers trained to fight in battle with shields, swords, bows, and arrows. 19 They fought against the Hagrites and the tribes of Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20 Whenever these soldiers went to war against their enemies, they prayed to God and trusted him to help. That's why the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh defeated the Hagrites and their allies. 21 These Israelite tribes captured 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, 2,000 donkeys, and 100,000 people. 22 Many of the Hagrites died in battle, because God was fighting this battle against them. The tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh lived in that territory until they were taken as prisoners to Assyria.[d]

The Tribe of East Manasseh

23 East Manasseh was a large tribe, so its people settled in the northern region of Bashan, as far north as Baal-Hermon,[e] Senir, and Mount Hermon. 24 Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel were their clan leaders; they were well-known leaders and brave soldiers.

The Tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh Are Defeated

25 The people of the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh were unfaithful to the God their ancestors had worshiped, and they started worshiping the gods of the nations that God had forced out of Canaan. 26 (D) So God sent King Tiglath Pileser[f] of Assyria to attack these Israelite tribes. The king led them away as prisoners to Assyria, and from then on, he forced them to live in Halah, Habor, Hara, and near the Gozan River.

Footnotes

  1. 5.1 Jacob: See the note at 1.34.
  2. 5.1 rights as the first-born son: The first-born son inherited the largest amount of property, as well as the leadership of the family.
  3. 5.1 wives: See Genesis 35.22; 49.3,4.
  4. 5.22 they were taken as prisoners to Assyria: See 2 Kings 15.29; 17.5-23.
  5. 5.23 Baal-Hermon: The location of this place is unknown.
  6. 5.26 King Tiglath Pileser: The Hebrew text also includes “King Pul,” another name by which he was known.