CHAPTER 5
1 Also the sons of Reuben, the first begotten son of Israel; for he was the first begotten son of Israel, but when he had defouled the bed of his father, the dignity of his first begetting was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel; and Reuben was not areckoned into the first begotten son.
2 Forsooth of Judah, that was the strongest among his brethren, princes were gathered of his generation; forsooth the right of first begetting was areckoned to Joseph.
3 Therefore the sons of Reuben, the first begotten son of Israel, were Hanoch, and Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 The sons of Joel were Shemaiah; his son, Gog; his son, Shimei;
5 his son, Micah; his son, Reaia; his son, Baal;
6 his son, Beerah; whom Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyrians, led away prisoner; and he was prince in the lineage of Reuben.
7 Soothly his brethren, and all the kindred, when they were numbered by their meines, had princes Jeiel, and Zechariah.
8 Forsooth Bela, the son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel, he dwelled in Aroer till to Nebo and Baalmeon;
9 and he dwelled against the east coast, till to the entering of desert, and to the flood Euphrates. And he had in possession much number of beasts in the land of Gilead.
10 Forsooth in the days of Saul the sons of Reuben fought against Hagarites, and killed them; and dwelled for them in the tabernacles of them, in all the coast that beholdeth to the east of Gilead.
11 Soothly the sons of Gad even against them dwelled in the land of Bashan till to Salcah;
12 Joel was in the beginning, and Shapham was the second; also Jaanai and Shaphat were in Bashan.
13 Also their brethren by the houses of their kindreds, Michael, and Mesh-ullam, and Sheba, and Jorai, and Jachan, and Zia, and Heber, seven.
14 These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jeshishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz.
15 Also the brethren of the son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was prince of the house in his meines.
16 And they dwelled in Gilead, and in Bashan, and in the towns thereof, in all the suburbs of Sharon, till to the ends.
17 All these were numbered in the days of Jotham, king of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam II, king of Israel.
18 The sons of Reuben, and of Gad, and of half the lineage of Manasseh, were men warriors, bearing shields and swords, and bending bow, and taught in battles, four and forty thousand seven hundred and sixty, and they went forth to battle,
19 and fought against Hagarites. Forsooth Jetur, and Nephish, and Nodab,
20 gave help to them; and Hagarites, and all men that were with them, were betaken into the hands of Reuben, and Gad, and Manasseh; for they called inwardly the Lord, while they fought, and the Lord heard them, for they believed in to him.
21 And they took all things which Hagarites had in possession, fifty thousand of camels, and two hundred and fifty thousand of sheep, two thousand of asses, and an hundred thousand persons of men;
22 for many men were wounded and felled down; for it was the battle of the Lord. And they dwelled there for Hagarites till to the conquest.
23 Also the sons of the half lineage of Manasseh had in possession the land, from the ends of Bashan till to Baalhermon, and Senir, and the hill of Hermon; for it was a great number.
24 And these were the princes of the house of their kindred; Epher, and Ishi, and Eliel, and Azriel, and Jeremy, and Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, full strong men and mighty, and named dukes in their meines.
25 Forsooth they forsook the God of their fathers, and did fornication after the gods of [the] peoples of the land, which the Lord took away before them.
26 And the Lord God of Israel raised the spirit* of Pul, king of Assyrians, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser, king of Assur; and he translated Reuben, and Gad, and the half lineage of Manasseh, and brought them into Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and into the river of Gozan, till to this day.
* CHAPTER 5:26 Yea, ‘the spirit’, that is, will to fight against the children of Israel.