1Descendants of Reuben, firstborn of Israel. He was indeed the firstborn but, when he had relations with his father’s concubine, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel. The group of Joseph, however did not keep this firstborn right 2because Judah proved more powerful than his brothers (and from him proceeds the Ruler), but the firstborn right belongs to the tribes of Joseph.
3Sons of Reuben, firstborn of Israel; Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, Carmi.
4Sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, 5Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, 6Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-pileser king of Assyria carried off into exile. He was a prince of the Reubenites.
7His kinsmen, by clans, grouped according to their kinship: Jeiel, the chief, Zechariah, 8Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel.
These lived in Aroer as far as Nebo and Baal-Mehon. 9These extended to the east toward the River Euphrates, reaching the desert, because their flocks had multiplied in the land of Galaad.
10In the days of Saul they waged war against the Agarites who were defeated, and they occupied their homes east of Galaad.
11The sons of Gad lived opposite them, in the land of Bashan, as far as Salecah. 12First, Joel, and then Shapham, Janai and Shaphat in Bashan.
13The other families of the tribe were those of Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber.
14These are the descendants of Abihail, whose ancestors were traced back as follows: Abihail, Huri, Jaroah, Gilead, Michael, Jeshishai, Jahdo, Buz. 15Ahi son of Abdiel, and grandson of Guni, was head of these clans.
16They had settled in the territory of Gilead and Bashan, in the towns there and all over the pasture lands of Sharon. 17(All were listed in the family records in the days of king Jotham of Judah and King Jeroboam of Israel).
18The people of Reuben, Gad, and half tribe of Manasseh, were 44,760 valiant men, well-trained in the use of shields, swords, and bows. 19They waged war against the Hagrite tribes of Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab, and as they put their trust in God and called on him for help, 20they were victorious over the Hagrites and all their allies. 21They took with them from the Hagrites’ livestock, 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys. 22They took 100 ,000 prisoners of war, but many of the enemy had been killed for it was God’s war. And they settled in what had been Hagrite territory until the exile.
23The half tribe of Manasseh settled in the land between Bashan and Baal-hermon, Senir and Mount Hermon, and they were very numerous. 24These are the heads of their clans: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. These were famous warriors and leaders of their clans.
25But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and worshiped the gods of the peoples whom God had driven out of the land. 26So the God of Israel brought against them the anger of Pul, king of Assyria, and of Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria, who deported the tribes of Reuben, Gad and the half-tribe of Manasseh. They were taken off to Halah near Habor and the river Gozan. They are still there today.
The ancestral line of the high priests
27Sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath and Merari. 28Sons of Kohat: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 29Sons of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Mary. Sons of Aaron: Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.
30The descendants of Eleazar from one generation to the next are as follows: Phinehas, Abishua, Bukki, Uzzi, 31Zerahiah, Meraioth, 32Amariah, Ahitub, 33Zadok, Ahimaaz, 34Azariah, Johanan, 35Azariah (the one who served as priest in the Temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem), 36Amariah, Ahitub, 37Zadok, Shallum, 38Hilkiah, Azariah, 39Seraiah, Jehozadak. 40Jehozadak was deported when Yahweh, through King Nebuchadnezzar, sent into exile the people of Judah and Jerusalem.
