<p class="poetry">The sons of Reuben:p> <p class="poetry">Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.p>

<p class="bodytext">When Reuben heard this, he rescued Joseph<n id="1" /> from their hands,<n id="2" /> saying,<n id="3" /> &#8220;Let&#8217;s not take his life!&#8221;<n id="4" />

<p class="poetry">The sons of Leah were Reuben, Jacob&#8217;s firstborn, as well as Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun.p>

<p class="bodytext">Later Reuben returned to the cistern to find that Joseph was not in it!<n id="1" /> He tore his clothes,

<p class="bodytext">These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt &#8211; Jacob and his sons:p> <p class="poetry">Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob.p>

<p class="poetry">Reuben, you are my firstborn,p> <p class="poetry">my might and the beginning of my strength,p> <p class="poetry">outstanding in dignity, outstanding in power.p>

So Leah became pregnant<n id="1" /> and gave birth to a son. She named him Reuben,<n id="2" /> for she said, &#8220;The <sc>Lordsc> has looked with pity on my oppressed condition.<n id="3" /> Surely my husband will love me now.&#8221;p>

Reuben said to them, &#8220;Didn&#8217;t I say to you, &#8216;Don&#8217;t sin against the boy,&#8217; but you wouldn&#8217;t listen? So now we must pay for shedding his blood!&#8221;<n id="1" />

<p class="bodytext">At the time<n id="1" /> of the wheat harvest Reuben went out and found some mandrake plants<n id="2" /> in a field and brought them to his mother Leah. Rachel said to Leah, &#8220;Give me some of your son&#8217;s mandrakes.&#8221;

While Israel was living in that land, Reuben had sexual relations with<n id="1" /> Bilhah, his father&#8217;s concubine, and Israel heard about it.p> <p class="bodytext">Jacob had twelve sons:p>

Reuben continued,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Don&#8217;t shed blood! Throw him into this cistern that is here in the wilderness, but don&#8217;t lay a hand on him.&#8221;<n id="2" /> (Reuben said this<n id="3" /> so he could rescue Joseph<n id="4" /> from them<n id="5" /> and take him back to his father.)p>

<p class="bodytext">Then Reuben said to his father, &#8220;You may<n id="1" /> put my two sons to death if I do not bring him back to you. Put him in my care<n id="2" /> and I will bring him back to you.&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">&#8220;Now, as for your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, they will be mine.<n id="1" /> Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine just as Reuben and Simeon are.