The descendants of Reuben

5 Reuben was the oldest son of Jacob. Therefore, he should have received the special rights/privileges that belonged to firstborn sons. But he had sex with his father’s slave wife, so his father gave the rights if a firstborn son to the sons of Reubers younger brother Joseph. And in the family records, Reuben is not mentioned first, like the firstborn sons always are. 2 Although Judah became more influential than his brothers, and a ruler of the tribe descended from him, Joseph’s family received the rights that belonged to firstborn sons. 3 But Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son.

• Reuben’s sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
• 4 Another descendant of Reuben was Joel. Joel’s son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah’s son was Gog. Gog’s son was Shimei. 5 Shimei’s son was Micah. Micah’s son was Reaiah. Reaiah’s son was Baal. 6 Baal’s son was Beerah. Beerah was a leader of the tribe/descendants of Reuben. But Tiglath-Pileser the king of Assyria captured him and took him to Assyria.
• 7 The names of these clans are listed here according to what is written in their family records.
• The first name written was Jeiel. Then Zechariah, 8 and then Bela. Bela was the son of Azaz, and Azaz was the son of Shema, and Shema was the son of Joel. Reuben’s clan was very large. Some of them lived near Aroer city as far north as Nebo town and Baal-Meon city. 9 Some of them lived further east, as far as the edge of the desert south of the Euphrates River. They went there because they had a huge amount of cattle, with the result that there was not enough pastureland for them in the Gilead region.
• 10 When Saul was king of Israel, Bela’s clan fought against the descendants of Hagar and defeated them. After that, Bela’s clan lived in the tents that the descendants of Hagar had lived in previously, in all the area east of the Gilead region.