¹ Sons of Reuben, first-born of Israel. He was indeed the first-born but, when he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel, and he was no longer reckoned as the eldest son.

² Although Judah grew greater than his brothers and a leader came from him, the birthright was Joseph's.

³ Sons of Reuben, first-born of Israel: Henoch, Pallu, Hezron, Carmi.

⁴ Sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,

⁵ Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son.

⁶ Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria carried off into exile, was the chief of the Reubenites.

⁷ His brothers, by families, were grouped according to relationship. Jeiel was first, then Zechariah

⁸ and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel. It was Reuben who lived in Aroer and his territory extended as far as Nebo and Baal-Meon.

⁹ To eastward, what he occupied extended to the edge of the desert and the River Euphrates, for they had many herds in Gilead.

¹⁰ In the time of Saul, they made war on the Hagrites, whom they defeated and who were then living in their tents throughout the eastern front of Gilead.

¹¹ Next to them, in Bashan as far as Salecah, lived the sons of Gad.

¹² Joel was the first, Shapham the second, then Janai and Shaphat in Bashan.

¹³ Their brothers, by families, were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, Eber: seven.

¹⁴ These were the sons of Abihail: Ben-Huri, Ben-Jaroah, Ben-Gilead, Ben-Michael, Ben-Jeshishai, Ben-Jahdo, Ben-Buz.

¹⁵ Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was the head of their families.

¹⁶ They inhabited Gilead, Bashan and its dependencies, as well as all the pasture lands of Sharon on their extremities.

¹⁷ In the time of Jotham king of Judah and in the time of Jeroboam king of Israel, all of them were included in the official genealogy.

¹⁸ The sons of Reuben, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had warriors, men armed with shield and sword who could handle the bow and were trained for war, to the number of forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty fit for service.

¹⁹ They made war on the Hagrites, on Jetur, Naphish and Nodab.

²⁰ God came to their help, and the Hagrites and all their allies fell into their hands, for they called on God as they fought, and because they put their trust in him he heard their prayer.

²¹ Of their livestock they carried off fifty thousand camels, two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, two thousand donkeys and a hundred thousand people.

²² Because the war was of God, the slaughter was great. They continued to live in their territory until the exile.

²³ The sons of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the territory between Bashan and Baal-Hermon, Senir and Mount Hermon. They were numerous.

²⁴ These were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, Jahdiel -- stout fighting men, men of renown, heads of their families.

²⁵ But since they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and prostituted themselves to the gods of the peoples of the country whom God had destroyed before them,

²⁶ the God of Israel roused the hostility of Pul, king of Assyria, that is the wrath of Tiglath-Pileser, king of Assyria who deported them -- the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh -- taking them off to Halah, Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan. They are still there today.

²⁷ Sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath and Merari.

²⁸ Sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, Uzziel.

²⁹ Children of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Miriam. Sons of Aaron: Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

³⁰ Eleazar fathered Phinehas, Phinehas fathered Abishua,

³¹ Abishua fathered Bukki, Bukki fathered Uzzi.

³² Uzzi fathered Zerahiah, Zerahiah fathered Meraioth.

³³ Meraioth fathered Amariah, Amariah fathered Ahitub,

³⁴ Ahitub fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Ahimaaz.

³⁵ Ahimaaz fathered Azariah, Azariah fathered Johanan.

³⁶ Johanan fathered Azariah. He it was who officiated as priest in the Temple which Solomon built in Jerusalem.

³⁷ Azariah fathered Amariah, Amariah fathered Ahitub,

³⁸ Ahitub fathered Zadok, Zadok fathered Shallum,

³⁹ Shallum fathered Hilkiah, Hilkiah fathered Azariah,

⁴⁰ Azariah fathered Seraiah, Seraiah fathered Jehozadak,

⁴¹ and Jehozadak went into exile when, at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar, Yahweh exiled Judah and Jerusalem.