It happened, while Yisra'el lived in that land, that Re'uven went and lay with Bilhah, his father's concubine, and Yisra'el heard of it. Now the sons of Ya`akov were twelve.
Re'uven said to them, *Shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but lay no hand on him*--that he might deliver him out of their hand, to restore him to his father.
Re'uven answered them, saying, *Didn't I tell you, saying, 'Don't sin against the child,' and you wouldn't listen? Therefore also, behold, his blood is required.*
I will surely require your blood of your lives. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man's brother, I will require the life of man.
Yehoshua took Makkedah on that day, and struck it with the edge of the sword, and the king of it: he utterly destroyed them and all the souls who were therein; he left none remaining; and he did to the king of Makkedah as he had done to the king of Yericho.