Knox Bible

1

And now for the sons of Ruben, Israel’s first-born. First-born he was, yet never so reckoned, from the day when he came between his father’s sheets; his privilege went to another son of Israel, Joseph, instead.

2

Of all those brethren, Juda was the most powerful, and from him chieftains sprang; but it was still Joseph that had the first-born’s privilege.

3

The sons of Ruben, Israel’s first-born, were called Enoch, Phallu, Esron and Charmi ….

4

From Joel came Samaia, Gog, Semei,

5

Micha, Reia and Baal;

6

from him, too, came Beera, the Rubenite chieftain who was carried off as a prisoner by Thelgath-Phalnasar, king of the Assyrians.

7

But the stock of his clan counted many households, who had still their own chieftains, Jehiel, and Zacharias,

8

and Bala, that was descended from Joas through Samma and Azaz, and held lands in Aroer right up to Nebo and Beelmeon.

9

On the east, they were bounded by the approaches of the desert, and the river Euphrates; many were the cattle they grazed in the Galaadite country.

10

In Saul’s time, they had fought against the Agareans and made an end of them, occupying their tents thenceforward all over the eastern part of Galaad.

11

Beyond them, the descendants of Gad held all Basan up to Selcha;

12

Joel held the primacy, and after him came Saphan, Janai and Saphat, there in Basan.

13

Seven kindred chiefs they had, all at the head of their clans, Michael, Mosollam, Sebe, Jorai, Jachan, Zie and Heber;

14

all these were descended through Abihail, Huri, Jara, Galaad, Michael, Jesesi and Jeddo from Buz;

15

their kinsmen, too, the sons of Abdiel, son of Guni, were chieftains of clans.

16

In Galaad they dwelt, and in the townships of Basan, and on the common-lands of Saron, right up to its borders.

17

All these were registered in the days when Joatham reigned in Juda, and Jeroboam in Israel.

18

There were forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty warriors from Ruben, Gad, and the eastern half of Manasses, with shield and sword and bow, trained men all, that went out to battle,

19

and levied war on the Agareans, who had Ituraea and Naphis and Nodab

20

to lend them aid. They cried out to the Lord as they went into the fight, and he, to reward their faith, paid heed to them, giving them the mastery over the Agareans and their allies.

21

All the enemy possessed fell into their hands, fifty thousand camels, two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand asses, besides a hundred thousand prisoners;

22

and many of them they slew in battle. The Lord had espoused his people’s quarrel, and the Agareans might never come by their own lands again till the time of the captivity.

23

As for the men of eastern Manasses, the territory they held reached from the frontier of Basan as far as Baal-Hermon, and Sanir, and mount Hermon itself, so great their number was.

24

Their clan chiefs were Epher, Jesi, Eliel, Ezriel, Jeremia, Odoia and Jediel; these were the men of rank and power who gave their names to the clans.

25

But all these forsook the God of their fathers, and played the wanton by worshipping with the native folk whom God had dispossessed at their coming.

26

So he, the God of Israel, would incite the Assyrian kings, Phul and Thelgath-Phalnasar, to remove Ruben and Gad and eastern Manasses; to Lahela, Habor, Ara and the river Gozan he carried them off, and there they remain to this day.