Study Desk

Reuben

The sons of Reuben^(a) the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father's marriage bed,^(b) his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph^(c) son of Israel;^(d) so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright,^(e)

and though Judah^(f) was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler^(g) came from him, the rights of the firstborn^(h) belonged to Joseph)—

the sons of Reuben⁽ⁱ⁾ the firstborn of Israel: Hanok, Pallu,^(j) Hezron^(k) and Karmi.

The descendants of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son,

Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son,

and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser^[a](l) king of Assyria took into exile. Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites.

Their relatives by clans,^(m) listed according to their genealogical records: Jeiel the chief, Zechariah,

and Bela son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. They settled in the area from Aroer⁽ⁿ⁾ to Nebo^(o) and Baal Meon.^(p)

To the east they occupied the land up to the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates^(q) River, because their livestock had increased in Gilead.^(r)

During Saul's reign they waged war against the Hagrites^(s), who were defeated at their hands; they occupied the dwellings of the Hagrites throughout the entire region east of Gilead.

The Gadites^(t) lived next to them in Bashan, as far as Salekah:^(u)

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

Their relatives, by families, were: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jakan, Zia and Eber—seven in all.

These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz.

Ahi son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was head of their family.

The Gadites lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its outlying villages, and on all the pasturelands of Sharon as far as they extended.

All these were entered in the genealogical records during the reigns of Jotham^(v) king of Judah and Jeroboam^(w) king of Israel.

The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service^(x)—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle.

They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur,^(y) Naphish and Nodab.

They were helped^(z) in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried^(aa) out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted^(ab) in him.

They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive,

and many others fell slain, because the battle^(ac) was God's. And they occupied the land until the exile.^(ad)

The people of the half-tribe of Manasseh^(ae) were numerous; they settled in the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir (Mount Hermon).^(af)

These were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families.

But they were unfaithful^(ag) to the God of their ancestors and prostituted^(ah) themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them.

So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit^(ai) of Pul^(aj) king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser^(ak) king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah,^(al) Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.

^[a]The sons of Levi:^(a) Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.^(b)

The children of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Miriam.^(c) The sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu,^(d) Eleazar^(e) and Ithamar.^(f)

Eleazar was the father of Phinehas,^(g) Phinehas the father of Abishua,

Abishua the father of Bukki, Bukki the father of Uzzi,

Uzzi the father of Zerahiah, Zerahiah the father of Meraioth,

Meraioth the father of Amariah, Amariah the father of Ahitub,

Ahitub the father of Zadok,^(h) Zadok the father of Ahimaaz,

Ahimaaz the father of Azariah, Azariah the father of Johanan,

Johanan the father of Azariah⁽ⁱ⁾ (it was he who served as priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem),

Azariah the father of Amariah, Amariah the father of Ahitub,

Ahitub the father of Zadok, Zadok the father of Shallum,

Shallum the father of Hilkiah,^(j) Hilkiah the father of Azariah,

Azariah the father of Seraiah,^(k) and Seraiah the father of Jozadak.^[b]

Jozadak^(l) was deported when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

The sons of Levi:^(m) Gershon,^[c] Kohath and Merari.⁽ⁿ⁾

These are the names of the sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei.^(o)

The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.^(p)

The sons of Merari:^(q) Mahli and Mushi.^(r) These are the clans of the Levites listed according to their fathers:

Of Gershon: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,

Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son and Jeatherai his son.

The descendants of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah^(s) his son, Assir his son,

Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son,

Tahath his son, Uriel^(t) his son, Uzziah his son and Shaul his son.

The descendants of Elkanah: Amasai, Ahimoth,

Elkanah his son,^[d] Zophai his son, Nahath his son,

Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah^(u) his son and Samuel^(v) his son.^[e]

The sons of Samuel: Joel^[f](w) the firstborn and Abijah the second son.

The descendants of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

Shimea his son, Haggiah his son and Asaiah his son.

The Temple Musicians^(x)

These are the men^(y) David put in charge of the music^(z) in the house of the Lord after the ark came to rest there.

They ministered with music before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They performed their duties according to the regulations laid down for them.

Here are the men who served, together with their sons: From the Kohathites: Heman,^(aa) the musician, the son of Joel,^(ab) the son of Samuel,

the son of Elkanah,^(ac) the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,

the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,

the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,^(ad)

the son of Izhar,^(ae) the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel;

and Heman's associate Asaph,^(af) who served at his right hand: Asaph son of Berekiah, the son of Shimea,^(ag)

the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah,^[g] the son of Malkijah,

the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,

the son of Jahath, the son of Gershon, the son of Levi;

and from their associates, the Merarites,^(ah) at his left hand: Ethan son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluk,

the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,

the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer,

the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

Their fellow Levites^(ai) were assigned to all the other duties of the tabernacle, the house of God.

But Aaron and his descendants were the ones who presented offerings on the altar^(aj) of burnt offering and on the altar of incense^(ak) in connection with all that was done in the Most Holy Place, making atonement for Israel, in accordance with all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

These were the descendants of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,

Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,

Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,

Zadok^(al) his son and Ahimaaz his son.

These were the locations of their settlements^(am) allotted as their territory (they were assigned to the descendants of Aaron who were from the Kohathite clan, because the first lot was for them):

They were given Hebron in Judah with its surrounding pasturelands.

But the fields and villages around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh.^(an)

So the descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (a city of refuge), and Libnah,^[h](ao) Jattir,^(ap) Eshtemoa,

Hilen, Debir,^(aq)

Ashan,^(ar) Juttah^[i] and Beth Shemesh, together with their pasturelands.

And from the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon,^[j] Geba, Alemeth and Anathoth,^(as) together with their pasturelands. The total number of towns distributed among the Kohathite clans came to thirteen.

The rest of Kohath's descendants were allotted ten towns from the clans of half the tribe of Manasseh.

The descendants of Gershon, clan by clan, were allotted thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali, and from the part of the tribe of Manasseh that is in Bashan.

The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, were allotted twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

So the Israelites gave the Levites these towns^(at) and their pasturelands.

From the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin they allotted the previously named towns.

Some of the Kohathite clans were given as their territory towns from the tribe of Ephraim.

In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge), and Gezer,^[k](au)

Jokmeam,^(av) Beth Horon,^(aw)

Aijalon^(ax) and Gath Rimmon,^(ay) together with their pasturelands.

And from half the tribe of Manasseh the Israelites gave Aner and Bileam, together with their pasturelands, to the rest of the Kohathite clans.

The Gershonites^(az) received the following: From the clan of the half-tribe of Manasseh they received Golan in Bashan^(ba) and also Ashtaroth, together with their pasturelands;

from the tribe of Issachar they received Kedesh, Daberath,^(bb)

Ramoth and Anem, together with their pasturelands;

from the tribe of Asher they received Mashal, Abdon,^(bc)

Hukok^(bd) and Rehob,^(be) together with their pasturelands;

and from the tribe of Naphtali they received Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon^(bf) and Kiriathaim,^(bg) together with their pasturelands.

The Merarites (the rest of the Levites) received the following: From the tribe of Zebulun they received Jokneam, Kartah,^[l] Rimmono and Tabor, together with their pasturelands;

from the tribe of Reuben across the Jordan east of Jericho they received Bezer^(bh) in the wilderness, Jahzah,

Kedemoth^(bi) and Mephaath, together with their pasturelands;

and from the tribe of Gad they received Ramoth in Gilead,^(bj) Mahanaim,^(bk)

Heshbon and Jazer,^(bl) together with their pasturelands.^(bm)