1 Chronicles 4–8

4TH CHAPTER

More of Judah’s Descendants

¹Judah’s descendants were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. ²Reaiah, son of Shobal, was the father of Jahath. Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. 

³These were the first settlers in Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister’s name was Hazelelponi. ⁴Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, who first settled Bethlehem. 

⁵Ashhur, who first settled Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah. ⁶Naarah gave birth to Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were Naarah’s sons. ⁷Helah’s sons were Zereth, Izohar, and Ethnan. ⁸Koz was the father of Anub and Zobebah, and he was the ancestor of the families of Aharhel, son of Harum. 

⁹Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez ^[Painful^[, because she said that his birth was painful. ¹⁰Jabez prayed to the God of Israel, “Please bless me and give me more territory. May your power be with me and free me from evil so that I will not be in pain.” God gave him what he prayed for. 

¹¹Chelub, Shuhah’s brother, was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. ¹²Eshton was the first to settle Beth Rapha. He was the father of Paseah and Tehinnah, who first settled the city of Nahash. These were the men from Recah. 

¹³Kenaz’s sons were Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel were Hathath and Meonothai.^a14Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, who first settled the valley of Craftsmen. (It was named this because they were craftsmen.) ¹⁵The sons of Caleb, son of Jephunneh, were Iru, Elah, and Naam. Elah’s son was Kenaz. 

¹⁶Jehallelel’s sons were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. ¹⁷Ezrah’s sons were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. His wife gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, who first settled Eshtemoa. ¹⁸His Judean wife was the mother of Jered, who first settled Gedor, Heber, who first settled Soco, and Jekuthiel, who first settled Zanoah. 

¹⁹The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham, first settled Keilah of the Garmites and Eshtemoa of the Maacathites. ²⁰Shimon’s sons were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben Hanan, and Tilon. Ishi’s sons were Zoheth and Ben Zoheth. 

²¹The descendants of Shelah, son of Judah, were Er, who first settled Lecah, Laadah, who first settled Mareshah, families of the guild of linen workers at Beth Ashbea, ²²Jokim, Joash, Saraph, and the men of Cozeba. Saraph ruled Moab and Jashubi Lehem (according to ancient records). ²³They were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah. They lived there with the king and did his work. 

Simeon’s Descendants

²⁴Simeon’s sons were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul. ²⁵Shaul’s son was Shallum. Shallum’s son was Mibsam. Mibsam’s son was Mishma. ²⁶Mishma’s son was Hammuel. Hammuel’s son was Zaccur. Zaccur’s son was Shimei. ²⁷Shimei had 16 sons and 6 daughters. But his brothers didn’t have many children, so their entire family didn’t become as large as the people of Judah. 

²⁸Simeon’s descendants lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, ²⁹Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, ³⁰Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until David became king. ³²Their five cities were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan. ³³They also had all the villages around these cities as far as the city of Baal. These places were where they lived, and they had their own genealogical records: 

³⁴Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah (son of Amaziah), ³⁵Joel, Jehu (son of Joshibiah, grandson of Seraiah, and great-grandson of Asiel), ³⁶Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, and ³⁷Ziza (son of Shiphi, grandson of Allon, great-grandson of Jedaiah, a descendant of Shimri and Shemaiah). ³⁸These who are mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and the number of people in their households increased. 

³⁹They moved to the outskirts of Gedor, on the east side of the valley, to find pasture for their flocks. ⁴⁰They found pasture that was rich and good. The land was vast, peaceful, and quiet because the Hamites used to live there. ⁴¹In the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, the men listed here knocked down tents and killed the Meunites. They claimed the Meunites for God and destroyed them. (Even today no Meunites live there.) They lived in that land in place of the Meunites in order to have pasture for their flocks. ⁴²Ishi’s sons Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel led 500 of Simeon’s male descendants to Mount Seir. ⁴³They killed the Amalekites who were left. Simeon’s descendants still live there today. 

5TH CHAPTER

Reuben’s Descendants

¹These are the sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn. (Although he was the firstborn, his rights as firstborn were given to his nephews, Joseph’s sons, because he dishonored his father’s bed. However, Joseph couldn’t be listed in the genealogy as the firstborn son. ²Even though Judah was more prominent than his brothers and the prince was to come from him, Joseph received the rights as firstborn.) 

³The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ⁴Joel’s son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah’s son was Gog. Gog’s son was Shimei. ⁵Shimei’s son was Micah. Micah’s son was Reaiah. Reaiah’s son was Baal. ⁶Baal’s son was Beerah. King Tiglath Pilneser of Assyria took him away as a captive. He was leader of the tribe of Reuben. ⁷Beerah’s brothers according to their families, when they were enrolled in the genealogical records according to their ancestry, were as follows: The first was Jeiel, then Zechariah ⁸and Bela (son of Azaz, grandson of Shema, and great-grandson of Joel). 

Reuben’s descendants lived in Aroer as far as Nebo and Baal Meon. ⁹Some of them lived eastward as far as the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because they had so much livestock in Gilead. ¹⁰In Saul’s day they fought a war against the Hagrites, defeated them, and lived in their tents throughout the entire region east of Gilead. 

Gad’s Descendants

¹¹Gad’s descendants lived next to Reuben’s descendants in Bashan as far ⸤east⸥ as Salcah. ¹²One family descended from Gad’s first son Joel. Another family descended from Gad’s second son Shapham. Other families descended from Gad’s sons Janai and Shaphat in Bashan. ¹³Their seven relatives by families were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber. ¹⁴These were the sons of Abihail, who was the son of Huri, grandson of Jaroah, and great-grandson of Gilead. Gilead was the son of Michael, grandson of Jeshishai, great-grandson of Jahdo, and great-great-grandson of Buz. ¹⁵Ahi, son of Abdiel and grandson of Guni, was the head of their families. ¹⁶They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its villages, and in the entire pastureland of Sharon to its extreme edges. ¹⁷All these people were recorded in genealogical records in the days of King Jotham of Judah and King Jeroboam of Israel. 

Reuben, Gad, and Manasseh Fight Hagar’s Descendants

¹⁸The descendants of Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 soldiers ready to go to war. They were skilled fighters who could carry shields and swords and shoot arrows. ¹⁹They went to war against Hagar’s descendants (including Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab) ²⁰and received help while fighting them. Hagar’s descendants and the nations with them were handed over to Reuben’s descendants. They had called out to God during the battle, and he answered their prayers because they trusted him. ²¹They confiscated the Hagrites’ livestock: 50,000 of their camels, 250,000 sheep and goats, and 2,000 donkeys. They captured 100,000 people. ²²Many were killed in battle because this was God’s war. Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh lived in the Hagrites’ land until the Assyrians captured them. 

The Leaders of the Tribe of Manasseh East of the Jordan River

²³Half of the tribe of Manasseh lived in the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon. The tribe members were numerous. ²⁴These were the heads of Manasseh’s families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were soldiers who were famous heads of their families. 

The Assyrians Capture Gad, Reuben, and Half of the Tribe of Manasseh

²⁵But Gad, Reuben, and half of the tribe of Manasseh were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors. They chased after the gods of the people of the land as if they were prostitutes. God had destroyed these people as the Israelites arrived. ²⁶Then the God of Israel led King Pul of Assyria (King Tiglath Pilneser of Assyria) to take Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the Gozan River. They are still there today. 

6TH CHAPTER^a

Levi’s Descendants

¹Levi’s sons were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ²Kohath’s sons were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ³Amram’s children were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. Aaron’s sons were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 

⁴Eleazar was the father of Phinehas. Phinehas was the father of Abishua. ⁵Abishua was the father of Bukki. Bukki was the father of Uzzi. ⁶Uzzi was the father of Zerahiah. Zerahiah was the father of Meraioth. ⁷Meraioth was the father of Amariah. Amariah was the father of Ahitub. ⁸Ahitub was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Ahimaaz. ⁹Ahimaaz was the father of Azariah. Azariah was the father of Johanan. ¹⁰Johanan was the father of Azariah. (He was the one who served as priest in the temple Solomon built in Jerusalem.) ¹¹Azariah was the father of Amariah. Amariah was the father of Ahitub. ¹²Ahitub was the father of Zadok. Zadok was the father of Shallum. ¹³Shallum was the father of Hilkiah. Hilkiah was the father of Azariah. ¹⁴Azariah was the father of Seraiah. Seraiah was the father of Jehozadak. ¹⁵Jehozadak was taken captive when the Lord used Nebuchadnezzar to take Judah and Jerusalem away into captivity. 

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