The Descendants of Reuben
1 Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob, but he lost his rights as the first-born son because he slept with one of his father's wives. The honor of the first-born son was then given to Joseph, 2 even though it was the Judah tribe that became the most powerful and produced a leader.
3 Reuben had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4-6 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, 9 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.
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, 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 So God sent King Tiglath Pileser 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.
The Descendants of Reuben
1 These are the descendants of Reuben, the oldest of Jacob's sons. (Because he had sex with one of his father's concubines, he lost the rights belonging to the first-born son, and those rights were given to Joseph. 2 It was the tribe of Judah, however, that became the strongest and provided a ruler for all the tribes.) 3 Reuben, the oldest of Jacob's sons, had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4-6 These are the descendants of Joel from generation to generation: Shemaiah, Gog, Shimei, Micah, Reaiah, Baal, and Beerah. The Assyrian emperor, Tiglath Pileser, captured Beerah, a leader of the tribe, and deported him.
7 The family records list the following clan leaders in the tribe of Reuben: Jeiel, Zechariah, 8 and Bela, the son of Azaz and grandson of Shema, of the clan of Joel. This clan lived in Aroer and in the territory from there north to Nebo and Baal Meon. 9 They had large herds in the land of Gilead, and so they occupied the land as far east as the desert that stretches all the way to the Euphrates River.
10 In the time of King Saul the tribe of Reuben attacked the Hagrites, killed them in battle, and occupied their land in the eastern part of Gilead.
The Descendants of Gad
11 The tribe of Gad lived to the north of Reuben in the land of Bashan as far east as Salecah. 12 Joel was the founder of the leading clan, and Shapham of the second most important clan. Janai and Shaphat were founders of other clans in Bashan. 13 The other members of the tribe belonged to the following seven clans: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber. 14 They were descendants of Abihail son of Huri, whose ancestors were traced back as follows: Abihail, Huri, Jaroah, Gilead, Michael, Jeshishai, Jahdo, Buz. 15 Ahi, the son of Abdiel and grandson of Guni, was head of these clans. 16 They lived in the territory of Bashan and Gilead, in the towns there and all over the pasture lands of Sharon. ( 17 These records were compiled in the days of King Jotham of Judah and King Jeroboam II of Israel.)
The Armies of the Eastern Tribes
18 In the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh there were 44,760 soldiers, well-trained in the use of shields, swords, and bows. 19 They went to war against the Hagrite tribes of Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20 They put their trust in God and prayed to him for help, and God answered their prayers and made them victorious over the Hagrites and their allies. 21 They captured from the enemy 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys, and took 100,000 prisoners of war. 22 They killed many of the enemy, because the war was God's will. And they went on living in that territory until the exile.
The People of East Manasseh
23 The people of East Manasseh settled in the territory of Bashan as far north as Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon, and their population increased greatly. 24 The following were the heads of their clans: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were all outstanding soldiers, well-known leaders of their clans.
The Eastern Tribes Are Deported
25 But the people were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and deserted him to worship the gods of the nations whom God had driven out of the land. 26 So God caused Emperor Pul of Assyria (also known as Tiglath Pileser) to invade their country. He deported the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh and settled them permanently in Halah, Habor, and Hara, and by the Gozan River.