Chapter 5

¹ And the sons of Ruben the first-born of Israel (for he was the first-born; but because of his going up to his father's couch, his father gave his blessing to his son Joseph, even the son of Israel; and he was not reckoned as first-born; ² for Judas was very mighty even among his brethren, and one

535

was to be a ruler out of him: but the blessing was Joseph's). ³ The sons of Ruben the first-born of Israel; Enoch, and Phallus, Asrom, and Charmi. ⁴ The sons of Joel; Semei, and Banaia his son: and the sons of Gug the son of Semei. ⁵ His son was Micha, his son Recha, his son Joel, ⁶ his son Beel, whom Thagla-phallasar king of Assyria carried away captive: he is the chief of the Rubenites.

⁷ And his brethren in his family, in their distribution according to their generations; the chief, Joel, and Zacharia. ⁸ And Balec the son of Azuz, the son of Sama, the son of Joel: he dwelt in Aroer, and even to Naban, and Beelmasson. ⁹ And he dwelt eastward ¹to the borders of the wilderness, from the river Euphrates: for they had much cattle in the land of Galaad. ¹⁰ And in the days of Saul they made war upon the sojourners in the land; and they fell into their hands, all of them dwelling in their tents eastward of Galaad.

¹¹ The sons of Gad dwelt over against them in the land of Basan even to Sela. ¹² Joel the first-born, and Sapham the second, and Janin the scribe in Basan. ¹³ And their brethren according to the houses of their ²fathers; Michael, Mosollam, and Sebee, and Joree, and Joachan, and Zue, and Obed, seven. ¹⁴ These are the sons of Abichaia the son of Uri, the son of Idai, the son of Galaad, the son of Michael, the son of Jesai, the son of Jeddai, the son of Buz, ¹⁵ who was the brother ³of the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, he was chief of the house of their families. ¹⁶ They dwelt in Galaad, in Basan, and in their villages, and in all the country round about Saron to the ⁴border. ¹⁷ The enumeration of them all took place in the days of Joatham king of Juda, and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.

¹⁸ The sons of Ruben and Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasse, of mighty men, bearing shields and sword, and bending the bow, and skilled in war, were forty and four thousand and seven hundred and sixty, going forth to battle. ¹⁹ And they made war with the Agarenes, and Itureans, and Naphiseans, and Nadabeans, ²⁰ and they prevailed against them: and the Agaræans were given into their hands, they and all their tents: for they cried to God in the battle, and he hearkened to them, because they trusted on him. ²¹ And they took captive their store; five thousand camels, and two hundred and fifty thousand sheep, two thousand asses, and a hundred thousand men. ²² For many fell slain, because the war was of God. And they dwelt in their place until the captivity.

²³ And the ⁵half-tribe of Manasse dwelt from Basan to Baal, Ermon, and Sanir, and to the mount Aërmon: and they ⁶increased in Libanus. ²⁴ And these were the heads of the houses of their families; Opher, and Sei, and Eliel, and Jeremia, and Oduia, and Jediel, mighty men of valour, men of renown, heads of the houses of their families.

²⁵ But they rebelled against the God of their fathers, and went a-whoring after the gods of the nations of the ⁷land, whom God

536

cast out from before them. ²⁶ And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Phaloch king of Assyria, and the spirit of Thagla-phallasar king of Assyria, and carried away Ruben and Gaddi, and the half-tribe of Manasse, and brought them to Chaach, and Chabor, and to the river Gozan, until this day.