The Descendants of Reuben
1 # Gn 35.22; 49.3,4 These are the descendants of Reuben, the oldest of Jacob's sons. (Because he had sex with one of his father's concubines, he lost the rights belonging to the first-born son, and those rights were given to Joseph. 2#Gn 49.8-10 It was the tribe of Judah, however, that became the strongest and provided a ruler for all the tribes.) 3Reuben, the oldest of Jacob's sons, had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
The Descendants of Gad
The Armies of the Eastern Tribes
18In the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh there were 44,760 soldiers, well-trained in the use of shields, swords, and bows. 19They went to war against the Hagrite tribes of Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20They put their trust in God and prayed to him for help, and God answered their prayers and made them victorious over the Hagrites and their allies. 21They captured from the enemy 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys, and took 100,000 prisoners of war. 22They killed many of the enemy, because the war was God's will. And they went on living in that territory until the exile.#5.22: the exile: About 722 b.c. the Assyrians conquered northern Israel and the Israelite territory east of the Jordan River and deported the people (see 2 K 15.29).
The People of East Manasseh
The Eastern Tribes Are Deported
25But the people were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and deserted him to worship the gods of the nations whom God had driven out of the land. 26#2 K 15.19; 2 K 15.29; 2 K 17.6 So God caused Emperor Pul of Assyria (also known as Tiglath Pileser) to invade their country. He deported the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh and settled them permanently in Halah, Habor, and Hara, and by the Gozan River.