1 Chronicles 7-8

Contemporary English Version

The Descendants of Issachar

7 Issachar was the father of four sons: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.

² Tola was the father of Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, who were all brave soldiers and family leaders in their clan. There were 22,600 people in Tola's family by the time David became king.

³ Uzzi was the father of Izrahiah and the grandfather of Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, who were also family leaders. ⁴ Their families were so large that they had 36,000 soldiers in their clans. ⁵ In fact, according to family records, the tribe of Issachar had a total of 87,000 warriors.

The Descendants of Benjamin and Dan

⁶ Benjamin was the father of three sons: Bela, Becher, and Jediael.

⁷ Bela was the father of Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were all brave soldiers and family leaders in their father's clan. The number of soldiers in their clan was 22,034.

⁸ Becher was the father of Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. ⁹ The official family records listed 20,200 soldiers in the families of this clan, as well as their family leaders.

¹⁰ Jediael was the father of Bilhan and the grandfather of Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. ¹¹ They were family leaders in their clan, which had 17,200 soldiers prepared to fight in battle. ¹² Ir was the father of Shuppim and Huppim, who also belonged to this clan.

Dan^[a] was the father of Hushim.

The Descendants of Naphtali

¹³ Naphtali's mother was Bilhah,^[b] and he was the father of Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum.

The Descendants of Manasseh

¹⁴ Manasseh and his Syrian wife^[c] were the parents of Asriel and Machir the father of Gilead. ¹⁵ Machir found a wife for Huppim and one for Shuppim. Machir had a sister named Maacah.

Zelophehad was also a descendant of Manasseh, and he had five daughters.^[d]

¹⁶ Machir and his wife Maacah were the parents of Peresh and Sheresh. Peresh was the father of Ulam and Rekem. ¹⁷ Ulam was the father of Bedan. These were all descendants of Gilead, the son of Machir and the grandson of Manasseh.

¹⁸ Gilead's sister Hammolecheth was the mother of Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.

¹⁹ Shemida, another descendant of Manasseh, was the father of Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

The Descendants of Ephraim

²⁰ Ephraim was the father of Shuthelah and the ancestor of Bered, Tahath, Eleadah, Tahath, ²¹ Zabad, and Shuthelah.

Ephraim had two other sons, Ezer and Elead. But they were killed when they tried to steal livestock from the people who lived in the territory of Gath. ²² Ephraim mourned for his sons a long time, and his relatives came to comfort him. ²³ Some time later his wife gave birth to another son, and Ephraim named him Beriah, because he was born during a time of misery.^[e]

²⁴ Ephraim's daughter was Sheerah. She built the towns of Lower Beth-Horon, Upper Beth-Horon, and Uzzen-Sheerah.

²⁵ Ephraim also had a son named Rephah, and his descendants included Resheph, Telah, Tahan, ²⁶ Ladan, Ammihud, Elishama, ²⁷ Nun, and Joshua.

²⁸ The descendants of Ephraim took over the territory as far south as Bethel, as far east as Naaran, and as far west as Gezer. Their territory included all the villages around these towns, as well as Shechem, Ayyah, and the nearby villages.

²⁹ The descendants of Manasseh settled in the territory that included Beth-Shan, Taanach, Megiddo, Dor, and the nearby villages.

The descendants of Joseph^[f] lived in these towns and villages.

The Descendants of Asher

³⁰ Asher had four sons, Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah, and one daughter, Serah.

³¹ Beriah was the father of Heber and Malchiel the father of Birzaith. ³² Heber was the father of three sons, Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham, and one daughter, Shua. ³³ Japhlet was the father of Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. ³⁴ Shomer was the father of Ahi, Rohgah, Hubbah, and Aram. ³⁵ And Japhlet's brother Hotham^[g] was the father of Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. ³⁶ Zophah was the father of Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, ³⁷ Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera. ³⁸ Jether was the father of Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara.

³⁹ Ulla was the father of Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.

⁴⁰ These were the descendants of Asher, and they were all respected family leaders and brave soldiers. The tribe of Asher had a total of 26,000 soldiers.

More Descendants of Benjamin

8 Benjamin had five sons, who were born in the following order: Bela, Ashbel, Aharah, ² Nohah, and Rapha. ³ Bela was the father of Addar, Gera, Abihud, ⁴ Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, ⁵ Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.

^6-7 Ehud was the father of Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. They were clan leaders in the town of Geba, but were later forced to move to the town of Manahath, and Gera led the way. He had two sons: Uzza and Ahihud.

^8-11 Shaharaim and his wife Hushim had two sons: Abitub and Elpaal. But Shaharaim later divorced her and his other wife, Baara. Then he moved to the country of Moab and married Hodesh, and they had seven sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. They were all family leaders in his clan. ¹² Elpaal was the father of Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who settled the towns of Ono and Lod, as well as the nearby villages.

¹³ Beriah and Shema were family leaders in the clan that lived in the town of Aijalon and that forced out the people of Gath. ^14-16 Beriah's descendants included Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, Michael, Ishpah, and Joha. ^17-18 Elpaal's descendants included Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab. ^19-21 Shimei's descendants included Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath. ^22-25 Shashak's descendants included Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, Iphdeiah, and Penuel. ^26-27 Jeroham's descendants included Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri. ²⁸ These were the family leaders in their ancestor's clan, and they and their descendants lived in Jerusalem.

²⁹ Jeiel^[h] settled the town of Gibeon. He and his wife Maacah lived there ³⁰ along with their sons, who were born in the following order: Abdon, Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner,^[i] Nadab, ³¹ Gedor, Ahio, Zecher, ³² and Mikloth the father of Shimeah. Some of them went to live in Jerusalem near their relatives.

The Descendants of King Saul

³³ Ner was the father of Kish and the grandfather of King Saul.

Saul had four sons: Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.^{[j] 34} Jonathan was the father of Meribbaal,^[k] the grandfather of Micah, ³⁵ and the great-grandfather of Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. ³⁶ Saul's other descendants were Jehoaddah, Alemeth, Azmaveth, Zimri, Moza, ³⁷ Binea, Raphah, Eleasah, Azel, ³⁸ as well as Azel's six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. ³⁹ Azel's brother Eshek was the father of Ulam, Jeush, and Eliphelet. ⁴⁰ Ulam's sons were brave soldiers who were experts at using a bow and arrows. They had a total of 150 children and grandchildren.

All of these belonged to the tribe of Benjamin.