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Descendants of Reuben

Now [we come to] the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—for Reuben was the eldest, but because he defiled his father’s bed [with Bilhah his father’s [a]concubine], his birthright was given to [Manasseh and Ephraim] the sons of Joseph [the favorite] son of Israel, so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright.(A) Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came [David] the leader [and eventually the Messiah], yet the birthright was Joseph’s—(B) the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, Beerah his son, whom Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria carried away into exile; he was a leader of the tribe of Reuben. And his brothers (relatives) by their families, in the genealogy of their generations, were the chief Jeiel, and Zechariah, Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who lived in Aroer as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. To the east Bela settled as far as the entrance into the desert from the river Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead. 10 In the days of King Saul they made war with the [b]Hagrites, who fell by their hands; and they lived in their tents throughout all the land east of Gilead.

Descendants of Gad

11 The sons of Gad lived opposite them in the land of Bashan, as far as Salecah: 12 Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then Janai and Shaphat in Bashan. 13 Their relatives from the households of their fathers: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all. 14 These were the sons of Abihail the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz; 15 Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was chief in their fathers’ households. 16 They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the [surrounding] pasture lands of Sharon, as far as their borders. 17 All these were enrolled in the genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam [II] king of Israel.

18 The sons of Reuben, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh—valiant men able to bear shield and sword, and to shoot with the bow, and skillful in war—were 44,760 who went to war. 19 And these Israelites, [on the east side of the Jordan River] made war with the Hagrites [a tribe of northern Arabia], Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20 They were given help against them, and the Hagrites were handed over to them, and all who were allied with them; for they cried out to God [for help] in the battle; and He granted their entreaty because they relied on and trusted in Him. 21 These Israelites took away their livestock: their 50,000 camels, and 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys; and 100,000 [c]people. 22 For a great number fell mortally wounded, because the battle was of God. And these Israelites settled in their territory until the exile [by Assyria more than five centuries later].(C)

Descendants of Manasseh

23 Now the sons (people) of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land; their settlements spread from Bashan to Baal-hermon and Senir and Mount Hermon. 24 These were the heads of their fathers’ households: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, warriors of valor [willing and able to encounter danger], famous men, and heads of the households of their fathers.

25 But they acted treacherously against the God of their fathers and played the prostitute with the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. 26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, king of Assyria, [that is,] the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away into exile—the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh—and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river Gozan, [where they remain] to this day.

Genealogy: The Priestly Line

[d]The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath and Merari. The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. The sons of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. Eleazar became the father of Phinehas, Phinehas became the father of Abishua, and Abishua became the father of Bukki, and Bukki became the father of Uzzi, and Uzzi became the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah became the father of Meraioth, Meraioth became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub, and Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Ahimaaz, and Ahimaaz became the father of Azariah, and Azariah became the father of Johanan, 10 and Johanan became the father of Azariah (it was he who was priest in the house (temple) which Solomon built in Jerusalem) 11 and Azariah became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub, 12 and Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Shallum, 13 and Shallum became the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah became the father of Azariah, 14 and Azariah became the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah became the father of Jehozadak; 15 and Jehozadak went into captivity when the Lord sent [the people of] Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

16 [e]The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. 17 These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. 18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers. 20 Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, 21 Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son. 22 The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23 Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, 24 Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. 25 The sons of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth. 26 As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son and Nahath his son, 27 Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah [Samuel’s father] his son. 28 The sons of Samuel: Joel the firstborn and Abijah the second. 29 The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son, 30 Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.

31 Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the Lord after the ark [of the covenant] [f]rested there. 32 They ministered with singing before the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon had built the Lord’s house (temple) in Jerusalem, performing their service in due order. 33 These men and their sons served from the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel [the great prophet and judge], 34 the son of Elkanah [III], the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 35 the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah [II], the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36 the son of Elkanah [I], the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 37 the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 38 the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel (Jacob). 39 Heman’s [tribal] brother Asaph stood at his right hand: Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea, 40 the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, 41 the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, 42 the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, 43 the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi. 44 Their relatives the sons of Merari stood at the left hand: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, 45 the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, 46 the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, 47 the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi. 48 Their relatives the Levites [who were not descended from Aaron] were appointed for all the other kinds of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

Descendants of Aaron

49 But [the line of] Aaron and his sons made offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, ministering for all the work of the Holy of Holies (Most Holy Place), and [they did so] to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses, God’s servant, had commanded. 50 These are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, 51 Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, 52 Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, 53 Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.

54 Now these are their settlements according to their camps within their borders: to the sons of Aaron of the families of the Kohathites (for theirs was the first allocation by lot)(D) 55 to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasture land; 56 but the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 57 To the sons of Aaron they gave the following cities of refuge: Hebron, Libnah with its pasture lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands,(E) 58 Hilen with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands, 59 Ashan with its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands; 60 and from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth, with their pasture lands. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities.

61 Then to the rest of the sons of Kohath were given ten cities by lot from the family of the tribe [of Ephraim and of Dan and], from the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh.(F) 62 To the sons of Gershom, according to their families, were given thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and [the other half of] Manasseh in Bashan. 63 To the sons of Merari were given twelve cities by lot, according to their families, from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 64 So the sons of Israel gave to the Levites these cities with their pasture lands. 65 They gave by lot from the tribes of the sons of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin these cities which are mentioned by name.

66 Some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their [allotted] territory from the tribe of Ephraim. 67 They gave to the Levites the following cities of refuge: Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim with its pasture lands, Gezer with its pasture lands; 68 Jokmeam and Beth-horon with their pasture lands, 69 Aijalon and Gath-rimmon, with their pasture lands; 70 and from the half-tribe of Manasseh [these cities], with their pasture lands: Aner and Bileam, for the rest of the families of the sons of Kohath.

71 To the sons of Gershom were given from the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan and Ashtaroth, with their pasture lands; 72 from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh and Daberath with their pasture lands, 73 Ramoth and Anem with their pasture lands; 74 from the tribe of Asher: Mashal and Abdon with their pasture lands, 75 Hukok and Rehob with their pasture lands; 76 and from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim with their pasture lands.

77 To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari were given, from the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmono and Tabor, with their pasture lands; 78 and on the other side of the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan the Levites were given, from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness and Jahzah with their pasture lands, 79 Kedemoth and Mephaath with their pasture lands; 80 from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead and Mahanaim with their pasture lands, 81 Heshbon and Jazer with their pasture lands.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 5:1 See note Gen 22:24.
  2. 1 Chronicles 5:10 A tribal people believed to be related to Hagar, the mother of Ishmael.
  3. 1 Chronicles 5:21 Lit souls of men.
  4. 1 Chronicles 6:1 Ch 5:27 in Hebrew.
  5. 1 Chronicles 6:16 In Hebrew this is the first verse in ch 6.
  6. 1 Chronicles 6:31 The ark was captured by the Philistines (1 Sam 4:11-22). They returned it after enduring seven plague-filled months. The Israelites placed it in the house of Abinadab, where it remained for many years until David had it brought up to the City of David (2 Sam 6:12).

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