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Numbers 7:30
On the fourth day Elizur, the son of Shedeur, brought his offering. Elizur was the leader of the people of Reuben.
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Genesis 49:1-33
Then Jacob sent for his sons. He said,“ Gather around me so I can tell you what will happen to you in days to come.“ Sons of Jacob, come together and listen. Listen to your father Israel.“ Reuben, you are my oldest son. You were my first child. You were the first sign of my strength. You were first in honor. You were first in power.But you are as unsteady as water. So you won’t be first anymore. You had sex with my concubine on my bed. You lay on my couch and made it‘ unclean.’“ Simeon and Levi are brothers. Their swords have killed a lot of people.I won’t share in their plans. I won’t have anything to do with them. They became angry and killed people. They cut the legs of oxen just for the fun of it.May the Lord put a curse on them because of their terrible anger. I will scatter them in Jacob’s land. I will spread them around in Israel.“ Judah, your brothers will praise you. Your enemies will be brought under your control. Your father’s sons will bow down to you.Judah, you are like a lion’s cub. You return from hunting, my son. Like a lion, you lie down and sleep. You are like a mother lion. Who dares to wake you up?The right to rule will not leave Judah. The ruler’s scepter will not be taken from between his feet. It will be his until the king it belongs to will come. The nations will obey that king.He will tie his donkey to a vine. He will tie his colt to the very best branch. He will wash his clothes in wine. He will wash his robes in the red juice of grapes.His eyes will be darker than wine. His teeth will be whiter than milk.“ Zebulun will live by the seashore. He will become a safe harbor for ships. His border will go out toward Sidon.“ Issachar is like a wild donkey lying down among the sheep pens.He sees how good his resting place is. He sees that his land is pleasant. So he will carry a heavy load on his back. He will obey when he’s forced to work.“ Dan will do what is fair for his people. He will do it as one of the tribes of Israel.Dan will be a snake by the side of the road. He will be a poisonous snake along the path. It bites the horse’s heels so that the rider falls off backward.“ Lord, I look to you to save me.“ Gad will be attacked by a group of robbers. But he will attack them as they run away.“ Asher’s food will be rich and sweet. He will provide food that even a king would enjoy.“ Naphtali is a female deer set free and gives birth to beautiful fawns.“ Joseph is a vine that grows a lot of fruit. It grows close by a spring. Its branches climb over a wall.Mean people shot arrows at him. They shot at him because they were angry.But his bow remained steady. His strong arms moved freely. The hand of the Mighty God of Jacob was with him. The Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, stood by him.Joseph, your father’s God helps you. The Mighty God blesses you. He gives you blessings from the sky above. He gives you blessings from the deep springs below. He blesses you with children and with a mother’s milk.Your father’s blessings are great. They are greater than the blessings from the age- old mountains. They are greater than the gifts from the ancient hills. Let all those blessings rest on the head of Joseph. Let them rest on the head of the one who is prince among his brothers.“ Benjamin is a hungry wolf. In the morning he eats what he has killed. In the evening he shares what he has stolen.”All these are the 12 tribes of Israel. That’s what their father said to them when he blessed them. He gave each one the blessing that was just right for him.Then Jacob gave directions to his sons. He said,“ I’m about to join the members of my family who have already died. Bury me with them in the cave in the field of Ephron, the Hittite.The cave is in the field of Machpelah near Mamre in Canaan. Abraham had bought it as a place where he could bury his wife’s body. He had bought the cave and the field from Ephron, the Hittite.The bodies of Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried there. So were the bodies of Isaac and his wife Rebekah. I also buried Leah’s body there.Abraham bought the field and the cave from the Hittites.”When Jacob had finished telling his sons what to do, he pulled his feet up into his bed. Then he took his last breath and died. He joined the members of his family who had already died.
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Genesis 30:5-20
And Bilhah became pregnant. She had a son by him.Then Rachel said,“ God has stood up for my rights. He has listened to my prayer and given me a son.” So she named him Dan.Rachel’s servant Bilhah became pregnant again. She had a second son by Jacob.Then Rachel said,“ I’ve had a great struggle with my sister. Now I’ve won.” So she named him Naphtali.Leah saw that she had stopped having children. So she gave her servant Zilpah to Jacob as a wife.Leah’s servant Zilpah had a son by Jacob.Then Leah said,“ What good fortune!” So she named him Gad.Leah’s servant Zilpah had a second son by Jacob.Then Leah said,“ I’m so happy! The women will call me happy.” So she named him Asher.While the wheat harvest was being gathered, Reuben went out into the fields. He found some mandrake plants. He brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah,“ Please give me some of your son’s mandrakes.”But Leah said to her,“ Isn’t it enough that you took my husband away? Are you going to take my son’s mandrakes too?” Rachel said,“ All right. Jacob can sleep with you tonight if you give me your son’s mandrakes.”Jacob came in from the fields that evening. Leah went out to meet him.“ You have to sleep with me tonight,” she said.“ I’ve traded my son’s mandrakes for that time with you.” So he slept with her that night.God listened to Leah. She became pregnant and had a fifth son by Jacob.Then Leah said,“ God has rewarded me because I gave my female servant to my husband.” So she named the boy Issachar.Leah became pregnant again. She had a sixth son by Jacob.Then Leah said,“ God has given me a priceless gift. This time my husband will treat me with honor. I’ve had six sons by him.” So she named the boy Zebulun.
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Genesis 46:8-24
Here are the names of Israel’s children and grandchildren who went to Egypt. Jacob and his whole family are included. Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son.The sons of Reuben were Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karmi.The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul. Shaul was the son of a woman from Canaan.The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari.The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah. But Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan. The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron.The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon and Jahleel.These were the sons and grandsons born to Jacob and Leah in Paddan Aram. Leah also had a daughter by Jacob. Her name was Dinah. The total number of people in the family line of Jacob and Leah was 33.The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. Their sister was Serah. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel.These were the children and grandchildren born to Jacob and Zilpah. Laban had given Zilpah to his daughter Leah. The total number of people in the family line of Jacob and Zilpah was 16.The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.In Egypt, Asenath had Manasseh and Ephraim by Joseph. Asenath was the daughter of Potiphera. Potiphera was the priest of On.The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.These were the sons and grandsons born to Jacob and Rachel. The total number of people in the family line of Jacob and Rachel was 14.The son of Dan was Hushim.The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.
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Genesis 29:32-35
Leah became pregnant. She had a son. She named him Reuben. She said,“ The Lord has seen me suffer. Surely my husband will love me now.”She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said,“ The Lord heard that Jacob doesn’t love me very much. That’s why the Lord gave me this one too.” So she named him Simeon.She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said,“ Now at last my husband will value me. I have had three sons by him.” So the boy was named Levi.She became pregnant again. She had a son. Then she said,“ This time I’ll praise the Lord.” So she named him Judah. Then she stopped having children.
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Genesis 35:17-26
The woman who helped her saw that she was having problems. So she said to Rachel,“ Don’t be afraid. You have another son.”But Rachel was dying. As she took her last breath, she named her son Ben- Oni. But his father named him Benjamin.So Rachel died. She was buried beside the road to Ephrath. Ephrath was also called Bethlehem.Jacob set up a stone marker over her tomb. To this day, the stone marks the place where Rachel was buried.Israel moved on again. He set up his tent beyond Migdal Eder.While Israel was living in that area, Reuben went in and slept with Bilhah. She was the concubine of Reuben’s father. And Israel heard about it. Here are the 12 sons Jacob had.Leah was the mother of Reuben, Jacob’s oldest son. Her other sons were Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar and Zebulun.The sons of Rachel were Joseph and Benjamin.The sons of Rachel’s female servant Bilhah were Dan and Naphtali.The sons of Leah’s female servant Zilpah were Gad and Asher. These were Jacob’s sons. They were born in Paddan Aram.
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Revelation 7:4-8
Then I heard how many people were marked with the seal. There were 144,000 from all the tribes of Israel.From the tribe of Judah, 12,000 were marked with the seal. From the tribe of Reuben, 12,000. From the tribe of Gad, 12,000.From the tribe of Asher, 12,000. From the tribe of Naphtali, 12,000. From the tribe of Manasseh, 12,000.From the tribe of Simeon, 12,000. From the tribe of Levi, 12,000. From the tribe of Issachar, 12,000.From the tribe of Zebulun, 12,000. From the tribe of Joseph, 12,000. From the tribe of Benjamin, 12,000.
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Numbers 10:18
The groups of the camp of Reuben went next. They marched out under their flag. Elizur was their commander. He was the son of Shedeur.
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Deuteronomy 33:1-29
Here is the blessing that Moses, the man of God, gave to the Israelites before he died.He said,“ The Lord came from Mount Sinai. Like the rising sun, he shone on his people from Mount Seir. He shone on them from Mount Paran. He came with large numbers of angels. He came from his mountain slopes in the south.Lord, I’m sure you love your people. All the holy ones are in your hands. At your feet all of them bow down. And you teach them.They learn the law Moses gave us. It belongs to the community of the people of Jacob.The Lord was king over Israel when the leaders of the people came together. The tribes of Israel were also there.”Here’s what Moses said about Reuben.“ Let Reuben live. Don’t let him die. And do not let his people be few.”Here’s what Moses said about Judah.“ Lord, listen to Judah cry out. Bring him to his people. By his own power he stands up for himself. Lord, help him fight against his enemies!”Here’s what Moses said about Levi.“ Your Thummim and Urim belong to your faithful servant. You tested him at Massah. You argued with him at the waters of Meribah.Levi didn’t show special favor to anyone. He did not spare his father and mother. He didn’t excuse his relatives or his children. But he watched over your word. He guarded your covenant.He teaches your rules to the people of Jacob. He teaches your law to Israel. He offers incense to you. He sacrifices whole burnt offerings on your altar.Lord, bless all his skills. Be pleased with everything he does. Destroy those who rise up against him. Strike down his enemies until they can’t get up.”Here’s what Moses said about Benjamin.“ Let the one the Lord loves rest safely in him. The Lord guards him all day long. The one the Lord loves rests in his arms.”Here’s what Moses said about Joseph.“ May the Lord bless Joseph’s land. May he bless it with dew from the highest heavens. May he bless it with water from the deepest oceans.May he bless it with the best crops the sun can produce. May he bless it with the finest crops the moon can give.May he bless it with the best products of the age- old mountains. May he bless it with the many crops of the ancient hills.May he bless it with the best gifts that fill the earth. May he bless it with the favor of the God who spoke out of the burning bush. Let all these blessings rest on the head of Joseph. Let them rest on the head of the one who is prince among his brothers.His glory is like the glory of a bull born first to its mother. His horns are like the horns of a wild ox. He will use them to destroy the nations. He’ll wipe out the nations that are very far away. The ten thousands of men in Ephraim’s army are like the bull and the ox. So are the thousands in the army of Manasseh.”Here’s what Moses said about Zebulun and Issachar.“ Zebulun, be filled with joy when you go out. Issachar, be joyful in your tents.You will call for other people to go to the mountain. There you will offer the sacrifices of those who do what is right. You will enjoy the many good things your ships bring you. You will enjoy treasures that are hidden in the sand.”Here’s what Moses said about Gad.“ May the God who gives Gad more land be praised! Gad lives there like a lion that tears off arms and heads.He chose the best land for his livestock. The leader’s share was kept for him. The leaders of the people came together. Then Gad carried out the Lord’ s holy plan. He carried out the Lord’ s decisions for Israel.”Here’s what Moses said about Dan.“ Dan is like a lion’s cub that charges out of the land of Bashan.”Here’s what Moses said about Naphtali.“ The Lord greatly favors Naphtali. The Lord fills him with his blessing. Naphtali’s land will reach south to the Sea of Galilee.”Here’s what Moses said about Asher.“ Asher is the most blessed of sons. Let his brothers be kind to him. Let Asher wash his feet with olive oil.The bars of his gates will be made out of iron and bronze. His strength will last as long as he lives.“ There is no one like the God of Israel. He rides across the heavens to help you. He rides on the clouds in his glory.God lives forever! You can run to him for safety. His powerful arms are always there to carry you. He will drive out your enemies to make room for you. He’ll say to you,‘ Destroy them!’So Israel will live in safety. Jacob will live secure in a land that has grain and fresh wine. There the heavens drop their dew.Israel, how blessed you are! Who is like you? The Lord has saved you. He keeps you safe. He helps you. He’s like a glorious sword to you. Your enemies will bow down to you in fear. You will walk on the highest places of their lands.”
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Numbers 2:10
The groups of the camp of Reuben will be on the south side. They will be under their flag. The leader of the tribe of Reuben is Elizur, the son of Shedeur.
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Exodus 1:2-5
Jacob’s sons were Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah,Issachar, Zebulun, Benjamin,Dan, Naphtali, Gad and Asher.The total number of Jacob’s children and grandchildren was 70. Joseph was already in Egypt.
