Descendants of Reuben 1Now the sons of Reuben, the first-born of Israel, (he was the eldest; but, because he defiled his father's bed (with Bilhah his father’s concubine) , his birthright was given to Manassa and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph, the favorite son of Israel, so that Reuben is not listed in the genealogy in the order of his birth; 2For Judah prevailed above his brothers, and through him came the prince (chief ruler (David, and ultimately the Messiah)); but the birthright was Joseph's); 3The sons of Reuben were: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 4The sons of Joel: Shemaiah, his son; Gog, his son; Shimei, his son; 5Micah, his son; Reaia, his son; Baal, his son; 6Beerah, his son, whom Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria, carried away captive; he was prince of the Reubenites. 7And his (Beerah’s, (and Reuben’s)) brothers by their families, when the genealogy of their generations was reckoned, were the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, 8And Bela, son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, even unto Nebo and Baal-meon. 9And eastward he inhabited the land to the entrance of the wilderness from the river Euphrates, because their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead. 10And in the days of Saul they made war with the Hagrites, who were defeated by them; and they occupied dwelt in their dwellings throughout all the land east of Gilead. It is not obvious where Joel of verse 4 comes from; he does not appear the preceding genealogies. Verse 8 lists what is probably a different Joel; and verse 12 lists another Joel among the descendants of Gad. Descendants of Gad 11And the descendants of Gad dwelt opposite them, in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah; 12Joel, the chief, and Shapham, the next, Jaanai, and Shaphat in Bashan. 13And their relatives, by their families, were: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Heber, seven. 14These were the descendants of Abihail, son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz; 15Ahi, son of Abdiel, son of Guni, chief of the house of their fathers. 16And they dwelt in Gilead in Bashan, and in its towns, and in all the pastures (suburbs) of Sharon, upon their borders. 17All these were reckoned by genealogies in the days of Jotham, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam, king of Israel. 18The sons of Reuben, and Gad, and the half tribe of Manasseh were forty-four thousand, seven hundred sixty valiant men, able to bear shield and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful warriors. 19They waged war with the Hagrites, and their allies - Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20And they entreated God for help in the battle, and He helped them; because they trusted in Him; and He handed the Hagrites and their allies over to them. 21And they took away their livestock - fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand donkeys, plus a hundred thousand captive men. 22For And many others were killed, because the war was of God. And they occupied their land until the captivity. 23And the people of the half tribe of Manasseh increased in number and occupied the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. 24And these were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, all men of valor and good reputation, famous men, and heads of their clans. 25But they sinned against the God of their fathers by worshipping the gods of the pagan people that God had destroyed before them. 26And so the God of Israel caused Pul (also known as Tiglath-Pileser), king of Assyria, to carry them - the Reubenites, Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh - off into exile in Halah, Habor, and Hara (possibly Haran), and to the river of Gozan, where they remain to this day. Reader-Friendly Bible: Purple Letter Edition © 2024 by Jim Musser. Used by Permission. All rights Reserved. Bible Hub |