1 Chronicles 5

1The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright went to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, and the genealogy is not set out according to the birthright; 2for Judah grew stronger than his brothers, and a ruler came from him, though the birthright belonged to Joseph—

3the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. 4The descendants of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, 5Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, 6and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria took away into exile. He was a leader of the Reubenites. 7His relatives by their clans, as their generations were recorded in the genealogy, were Jeiel the chief, Zechariah, 8and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel. He lived in Aroer and as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. 9To the east he settled as far as the edge of the desert that stretches from the Euphrates River, because their herds had grown large in the land of Gilead. 10In the days of Saul they made war on the Hagrites, who fell into their power, and they lived in their tents across the whole region east of Gilead.

11The Gadites lived next to them in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah. 12Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then Janai and Shaphat in Bashan. 13Their relatives by their ancestral families were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia and Eber, seven in all.

14These 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. 15Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was head of their ancestral family. 16They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its villages, and in all the pasturelands of Sharon to their farthest edges. 17All of them were entered in the genealogies while Jotham was king of Judah and Jeroboam was king of Israel.

18The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had capable warriors, men who carried shield and sword, drew the bow and were trained for war: 44,760 who could go out to war. 19They made war on the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. 20They received help against them, and the Hagrites and everyone with them were handed over to them, because they called out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayer, since they trusted in him. 21They captured their livestock, 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep and 2,000 donkeys, and they took 100,000 people captive. 22Many fell dead, because the war was God’s doing. And they lived in their place until the exile.

23The members of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land. They grew numerous from Bashan to Baal-hermon, Senir and Mount Hermon. 24These were the heads of their ancestral families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. All of them were mighty warriors and famous men, heads of their ancestral families. 25But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and gave themselves like prostitutes to the gods of the peoples of the land, peoples God had destroyed before them. 26So the God of Israel stirred the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, that is, of Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria, and he carried them into exile, the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, and they remain there to this day.