But you are as unruly as a flood, and you will be first no longer. For you went to bed with my wife; you defiled my marriage couch.

但你放纵情欲，滚沸如水，必不得居首位；因为你上了你父亲的床，污秽了我的榻。

你却放纵如水，必不得居首位；因为你上了你父亲的床，你上了我的榻，污辱了它！

你却放纵如水，必不得居首位；因为你上了你父亲的床，你上了我的榻，污辱了它！

可是，你必不再居首位，因为你放纵情欲，如沸腾不止的水，你上了你父亲的床，玷污了我的榻。

但是你放纵情欲，好像水沸腾一样，你必不能居首位；因为你上了你父亲的床；上了我的榻，然后把它玷污了。

你却放纵如水，必不再出众；因为你上了你父亲的床，把床玷污了。他居然上了我的床铺！

但你放縱情慾，滾沸如水，必不得居首位；因為你上了你父親的牀，污穢了我的榻。

你卻放縱如水，必不得居首位；因為你上了你父親的床，你上了我的榻，污辱了它！

你卻放縱如水，必不得居首位；因為你上了你父親的床，你上了我的榻，污辱了它！

可是，你必不再居首位，因為你放縱情慾，如沸騰不止的水，你上了你父親的床，玷污了我的榻。

但是你放縱情慾，好像水沸騰一樣，你必不能居首位；因為你上了你父親的床；上了我的榻，然後把它玷污了。

但是沸騰橫溢如水，你必不能得超越，因為你上了你父親的床，就給沾污了：我的鋪蓋你上去了。

你卻放縱如水，必不再出眾；因為你上了你父親的床，把床玷汙了。他居然上了我的床鋪！

惟爾如水之沸、故不卓犖、緣登父牀、而污我榻、

然爾多欲、如水之沸、爾上父榻而污之、故不卓越於昆弟間。

飄蕩或作沸然如水、不可越弟、蓋登父床、污穢我榻、○

Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your father’s bed, onto my couch and defiled it.

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.’

Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it— he went up to my couch!

Turbulent as water, you will not excel, because you got into your father’s bed and you defiled it— he got into my bed.

Uncontrollable as water, you shall not have preeminence, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it— he went up to my couch.

Unstable as water, you shall not excel, Because you went up to your father’s bed; Then you defiled it— He went up to my couch.

Boiling over as water, thou shalt not have the pre- eminence; Because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; Then defiledst thou it: he went up to my couch.

Turbulent as water, you will no longer excel, because you got into your father’s bed and you defiled it— he got into my bed.

Unstable as water, thou shalt not excel; because thou wentest up to thy father’s bed; then defiledst thou[ it]: he went up to my couch.

You are destructive like water and will not excel, for you got on your father’s bed, then you defiled it– he got on my couch!

Boiling over like water, you shall not excel; because you went up to your father’s bed, then defiled it. He went up to my couch.

While he was living there, Reuben had intercourse with Bilhah, his father’s concubine, and Jacob soon heard about it. These are the names of the twelve sons of Jacob:

‘ Cursed is anyone who has sexual intercourse with one of his father’s wives, for he has violated his father.’ And all the people will reply,‘ Amen.’

The oldest son of Israel was Reuben. But since he dishonored his father by sleeping with one of his father’s concubines, his birthright was given to the sons of his brother Joseph. For this reason, Reuben is not listed in the genealogical records as the firstborn son.

Moses said this about the tribe of Reuben:“ Let the tribe of Reuben live and not die out, though they are few in number.”

The tribes of Reuben and Gad owned vast numbers of livestock. So when they saw that the lands of Jazer and Gilead were ideally suited for their flocks and herds,they came to Moses, Eleazar the priest, and the other leaders of the community. They said,“ Notice the towns of Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Sibmah, Nebo, and Beon.The Lord has conquered this whole area for the community of Israel, and it is ideally suited for all our livestock.If we have found favor with you, please let us have this land as our property instead of giving us land across the Jordan River.”“ Do you intend to stay here while your brothers go across and do all the fighting?” Moses asked the men of Gad and Reuben.“ Why do you want to discourage the rest of the people of Israel from going across to the land the Lord has given them?Your ancestors did the same thing when I sent them from Kadesh barnea to explore the land.After they went up to the valley of Eshcol and explored the land, they discouraged the people of Israel from entering the land the Lord was giving them.Then the Lord was very angry with them, and he vowed,‘ Of all those I rescued from Egypt, no one who is twenty years old or older will ever see the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, for they have not obeyed me wholeheartedly.The only exceptions are Caleb son of Jephunneh the Kenizzite and Joshua son of Nun, for they have wholeheartedly followed the Lord.’“ The Lord was angry with Israel and made them wander in the wilderness for forty years until the entire generation that sinned in the Lord’s sight had died.But here you are, a brood of sinners, doing exactly the same thing! You are making the Lord even angrier with Israel.If you turn away from him like this and he abandons them again in the wilderness, you will be responsible for destroying this entire nation!”But they approached Moses and said,“ We simply want to build pens for our livestock and fortified towns for our wives and children.Then we will arm ourselves and lead our fellow Israelites into battle until we have brought them safely to their land. Meanwhile, our families will stay in the fortified towns we build here, so they will be safe from any attacks by the local people.We will not return to our homes until all the people of Israel have received their portions of land.But we do not claim any of the land on the other side of the Jordan. We would rather live here on the east side and accept this as our grant of land.”Then Moses said,“ If you keep your word and arm yourselves for the Lord’s battles,and if your troops cross the Jordan and keep fighting until the Lord has driven out his enemies,then you may return when the Lord has conquered the land. You will have fulfilled your duty to the Lord and to the rest of the people of Israel. And the land on the east side of the Jordan will be your property from the Lord.But if you fail to keep your word, then you will have sinned against the Lord, and you may be sure that your sin will find you out.Go ahead and build towns for your families and pens for your flocks, but do everything you have promised.”Then the men of Gad and Reuben replied,“ We, your servants, will follow your instructions exactly.Our children, wives, flocks, and cattle will stay here in the towns of Gilead.But all who are able to bear arms will cross over to fight for the Lord, just as you have said.”So Moses gave orders to Eleazar the priest, Joshua son of Nun, and the leaders of the clans of Israel.He said,“ The men of Gad and Reuben who are armed for battle must cross the Jordan with you to fight for the Lord. If they do, give them the land of Gilead as their property when the land is conquered.But if they refuse to arm themselves and cross over with you, then they must accept land with the rest of you in the land of Canaan.”The tribes of Gad and Reuben said again,“ We are your servants, and we will do as the Lord has commanded!We will cross the Jordan into Canaan fully armed to fight for the Lord, but our property will be here on this side of the Jordan.”So Moses assigned land to the tribes of Gad, Reuben, and half the tribe of Manasseh son of Joseph. He gave them the territory of King Sihon of the Amorites and the land of King Og of Bashan— the whole land with its cities and surrounding lands.The descendants of Gad built the towns of Dibon, Ataroth, Aroer,Atroth shophan, Jazer, Jogbehah,Beth nimrah, and Beth haran. These were all fortified towns with pens for their flocks.The descendants of Reuben built the towns of Heshbon, Elealeh, Kiriathaim,Nebo, Baal meon, and Sibmah. They changed the names of some of the towns they conquered and rebuilt.Then the descendants of Makir of the tribe of Manasseh went to Gilead and conquered it, and they drove out the Amorites living there.So Moses gave Gilead to the Makirites, descendants of Manasseh, and they settled there.The people of Jair, another clan of the tribe of Manasseh, captured many of the towns in Gilead and changed the name of that region to the Towns of Jair.Meanwhile, a man named Nobah captured the town of Kenath and its surrounding villages, and he renamed that area Nobah after himself.

They commit adultery with their eyes, and their desire for sin is never satisfied. They lure unstable people into sin, and they are well trained in greed. They live under God’s curse.

I can hardly believe the report about the sexual immorality going on among you— something that even pagans don’t do. I am told that a man in your church is living in sin with his stepmother.

These are the names of the descendants of Israel— the sons of Jacob— who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s oldest son.

But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind.Such people should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.Their loyalty is divided between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they do.

“ You must not covet your neighbor’s wife. You must not covet your neighbor’s house or land, male or female servant, ox or donkey, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.

speaking of these things in all of his letters. Some of his comments are hard to understand, and those who are ignorant and unstable have twisted his letters to mean something quite different, just as they do with other parts of Scripture. And this will result in their destruction.