1 Chronicles 5–6

REUBEN’S DESCENDANTS

5These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. He was the firstborn,^g but his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph^h son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed.ⁱ He is not listed in the genealogy according to birthright. ²Although Judah became strong among his brothers^j and a ruler came from him,^k the birthright was given to Joseph.

³The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn:^l

Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

⁴Joel’s sons: his son Shemaiah,

his son Gog, his son Shimei,

⁵his son Micah, his son Reaiah,

his son Baal, ⁶and his son Beerah.

Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites, and King Tiglath-pileser^A of Assyria took him into exile. ⁷His relatives by their families as they are recorded in their family records:^m

Jeiel the chief, Zechariah,

⁸and Bela son of Azaz,

son of Shema, son of Joel.

They settled in Aroerⁿ as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. ⁹They also settled in the east as far as the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because their herds had increased in the land of Gilead.^{o 10}During Saul’s reign they waged war against the Hagrites,^p who were defeated by their power. And they lived in their tents throughout the region east of Gilead.

GAD’S DESCENDANTS

¹¹The sons^q of Gad lived next to them in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah:^r

¹²Joel the chief, Shapham the second in command, Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan.

¹³Their relatives according to their ancestral houses: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven.

¹⁴These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri,

son of Jaroah, son of Gilead,

son of Michael, son of Jeshishai,

son of Jahdo, son of Buz.

¹⁵Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was head of their ancestral family. ¹⁶They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its surrounding villages, and throughout the pasturelands of Sharon.^{a 17}All of them were registered in the genealogies during the reigns of Judah’s King Jotham^b and Israel’s King Jeroboam.^c

¹⁸The descendants of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 warriors who could serve^d in the army—men who carried shield and sword, drew the bow, and were trained for war. ¹⁹They waged war against the Hagrites,^e Jetur,^f Naphish, and Nodab. ²⁰They received help against these enemies because they cried out to God in battle, and the Hagrites and all their allies were handed over to them.^g He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in him.^{h 21}They captured the Hagrites’ livestock—fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand donkeys—as well as one hundred thousand people. ²²Many of the Hagrites were killed because it was God’s battle.ⁱ And they lived there in the Hagrites’ place^j until the exile.^k

HALF THE TRIBE OF MANASSEH

²³The descendants of half the tribe of Manasseh settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir^l or Mount Hermon); they were numerous. ²⁴These were the heads of their ancestral families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were valiant warriors, famous men, and heads of their ancestral houses. ²⁵But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors. They prostituted themselves^m with the gods of the nations^A God had destroyed before them.^{n 26}So the God of Israel roused the spirit of King Pul^o (that is, Tiglath-pileser^B) of Assyria, and he took the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and Gozan’s river, where they are until today.

THE LEVITES

6Levi’s^p sons: Gershom,^C Kohath, and Merari.

²Kohath’s sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

³Amram’s children: Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.

Aaron’s sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

⁴Eleazar fathered Phinehas;^q

Phinehas fathered Abishua;

⁵Abishua fathered Bukki;

Bukki fathered Uzzi;

⁶Uzzi fathered Zerahiah;

Zerahiah fathered Meraioth;

⁷Meraioth fathered Amariah;

Amariah fathered Ahitub;

⁸Ahitub fathered Zadok;

Zadok fathered Ahimaaz;

⁹Ahimaaz fathered Azariah;

Azariah fathered Johanan;

¹⁰Johanan fathered Azariah, who served as priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem;

¹¹Azariah fathered Amariah;

Amariah fathered Ahitub;

¹²Ahitub fathered Zadok;

Zadok fathered Shallum;

¹³Shallum fathered Hilkiah;

Hilkiah fathered Azariah;

¹⁴Azariah fathered Seraiah;

and Seraiah fathered Jehozadak.

¹⁵Jehozadak went into exile when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile at the hands of Nebuchadnezzar.^r

¹⁶Levi’s^s sons: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari.

¹⁷These are the names of Gershom’s sons: Libni and Shimei.

¹⁸Kohath’s sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

¹⁹Merari’s sons: Mahli and Mushi.

These are the Levites’ families according to their fathers:

²⁰Of Gershom: his son Libni,

his son Jahath, his son Zimmah,

²¹his son Joah, his son Iddo,

his son Zerah, and his son Jeatherai.

²²Kohath’s sons: his son Amminadab,

his son Korah, his son Assir,

²³his son Elkanah, his son Ebiasaph,

his son Assir, ²⁴his son Tahath,

his son Uriel, his son Uzziah,

and his son Shaul.

²⁵Elkanah’s sons: Amasai and Ahimoth,

²⁶his son Elkanah, his son Zophai,

his son Nahath, ²⁷his son Eliab,

his son Jeroham, and his son Elkanah.

²⁸Samuel’s sons: his firstborn Joel,^a

and his second son Abijah.

²⁹Merari’s sons: Mahli, his son Libni,

his son Shimei, his son Uzzah,

³⁰his son Shimea, his son Haggiah,

and his son Asaiah.

THE MUSICIANS

³¹These are the men David put in charge of the music in the Lord’s temple^b after the ark came to rest there.^{c 32}They ministered with song in front of the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the Lord’s temple in Jerusalem, and they performed their task according to the regulations given to them. ³³These are the men who served with their sons.

From the Kohathites: Heman the singer,

son of Joel, son of Samuel,

³⁴son of Elkanah, son of Jeroham,

son of Eliel, son of Toah,

³⁵son of Zuph, son of Elkanah,

son of Mahath, son of Amasai,

³⁶son of Elkanah, son of Joel,

son of Azariah, son of Zephaniah,

³⁷son of Tahath, son of Assir,

son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah,

³⁸son of Izhar, son of Kohath,

son of Levi, son of Israel.

³⁹Heman’s relative was Asaph, who stood at his right hand:

Asaph son of Berechiah, son of Shimea,

⁴⁰son of Michael, son of Baaseiah,

son of Malchijah, ⁴¹son of Ethni,

son of Zerah, son of Adaiah,

⁴²son of Ethan, son of Zimmah,

son of Shimei, ⁴³son of Jahath,

son of Gershom, son of Levi.

⁴⁴On the left, their relatives were Merari’s sons:

Ethan son of Kishi, son of Abdi,

son of Malluch, ⁴⁵son of Hashabiah,

son of Amaziah, son of Hilkiah,

⁴⁶son of Amzi, son of Bani,

son of Shemer, ⁴⁷son of Mahli,

son of Mushi, son of Merari,

son of Levi.

AARON’S DESCENDANTS

⁴⁸Their relatives, the Levites, were assigned to all the service of the tabernacle, God’s temple. ⁴⁹But Aaron and his sons did all the work of the most holy place. They presented the offerings on the altar of burnt offerings^d and on the altar of incense^e to make atonement for Israel according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.^f

⁵⁰These^g are Aaron’s sons: his son Eleazar,

his son Phinehas, his son Abishua,

⁵¹his son Bukki, his son Uzzi,

his son Zerahiah, ⁵²his son Meraioth,

his son Amariah, his son Ahitub,

⁵³his son Zadok, and his son Ahimaaz.

THE SETTLEMENTS OF THE LEVITES

⁵⁴These were the places assigned to Aaron’s descendants from the Kohathite family for their settlements in their territory, because the first lot was for them.^{h 55}Theyⁱ were given Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasturelands, ⁵⁶but the fields and settlements around the city were given to Caleb son of Jephunneh. ⁵⁷Aaron’s descendants were given:^j

Hebron (a city of refuge), Libnah and its pasturelands, Jattir, Eshtemoa and its pasturelands, ⁵⁸Hilen^A and its pasturelands, Debir and its pasturelands, ⁵⁹Ashan and its pasturelands, and Beth-shemesh and its pasturelands. ⁶⁰From the tribe of Benjamin they were given Geba and its pasturelands, Alemeth and its pasturelands, and Anathoth and its pasturelands. They had thirteen towns in all among their families.

⁶¹To the rest of the Kohathites, ten towns from half the tribe of Manasseh were assigned by lot.^k

⁶²The Gershomites were assigned thirteen towns from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and Manasseh in Bashan according to their families.

⁶³The Merarites were assigned by lot twelve towns from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun according to their families.^{a 64}So the Israelites gave these towns and their pasturelands to the Levites.^{b 65}They assigned by lot the towns named above^c from the tribes of the descendants of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin.

⁶⁶Some^d of the families of the Kohathites were given towns from the tribe of Ephraim for their territory:

⁶⁷Shechem (a city of refuge) with its pasturelands in the hill country of Ephraim, Gezer and its pasturelands, ⁶⁸Jokmeam and its pasturelands, Beth-horon and its pasturelands, ⁶⁹Aijalon and its pasturelands, and Gath-rimmon and its pasturelands. ⁷⁰From half the tribe of Manasseh, Aner and its pasturelands, and Bileam and its pasturelands were given to the rest of the families of the Kohathites.

⁷¹The Gershomites received:

Golan in Bashan and its pasturelands, and Ashtaroth and its pasturelands from the families of half the tribe of Manasseh. ⁷²From the tribe of Issachar they received Kedesh and its pasturelands, Daberath and its pasturelands, ⁷³Ramoth and its pasturelands, and Anem and its pasturelands. ⁷⁴From the tribe of Asher they received Mashal and its pasturelands, Abdon and its pasturelands, ⁷⁵Hukok and its pasturelands, and Rehob and its pasturelands. ⁷⁶From the tribe of Naphtali they received Kedesh in Galilee and its pasturelands, Hammon and its pasturelands, and Kiriathaim and its pasturelands.

⁷⁷The rest of the Merarites received:

From the tribe of Zebulun they received Rimmono and its pasturelands and Tabor and its pasturelands. ⁷⁸From the tribe of Reuben across the Jordan at Jericho, to the east of the…