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1 Chronicles 4
Easy-to-Read Version
1 Chronicles 4
Easy-to-Read Version
Other Family Groups of Judah
4 This is a list of Judah’s sons:
They were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
2 Shobal’s son was Reaiah. Reaiah was Jahath’s father. Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. The Zorathites are descendants of Ahumai and Lahad.
3 Etam’s sons were Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. And they had a sister named Hazzelelponi.
4 Penuel was Gedor’s father, and Ezer was Hushah’s father.
These were Hur’s sons. Hur was Ephrathah’s first son, and Ephrathah was the founder[a] of Bethlehem.
5 Tekoa’s father was Ashhur. Ashhur had two wives. Their names were Helah and Naarah. 6 Naarah had Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons Naarah had with Ashhur. 7 The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan, and Koz. 8 Koz was the father of Anub and Hazzobebah. Koz also was the father of the tribes of Aharhel. Aharhel was Harum’s son.
9 Jabez was a very good man, who was better than his brothers. His mother said, “I have named him Jabez[b] because I was in much pain when I had him.” 10 Jabez prayed to the God of Israel and said, “I pray that you would bless me and give me more land! Be near me and don’t let anyone hurt me! Then I will not have any pain.” God gave Jabez what he asked for.
11 Kelub was Shuhah’s brother. Kelub was Mehir’s father. Mehir was Eshton’s father. 12 Eshton was the father of Beth Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah. Tehinnah was the father of Ir Nahash.[c] These men were from Recah.
13 The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel’s sons were Hathath and Meonothai. 14 Meonothai was Ophrah’s father.
And Seraiah was Joab’s father. Joab was the founder of the Ge Harashim.[d] The people used that name because they were skilled workers.
15 Caleb was Jephunneh’s son. Caleb’s sons were Iru, Elah, and Naam. Elah’s son was Kenaz.
16 Jehallelel’s sons were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17-18 Ezrah’s sons were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered was the father of Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah. Ishbah was the father of Eshtemoa. Mered had a wife from Egypt. She had Jered, Heber, and Jekuthiel. Jered was Gedor’s father. Heber was Soco’s father. And Jekuthiel was Zanoah’s father. These were the sons of Bithiah. Bithiah was Pharaoh’s daughter. She was Mered’s wife from Egypt.
19 Mered’s wife was Naham’s sister. Mered’s wife was from Judah.[e] The sons of Mered’s wife were the father of Keilah and Eshtemoa. Keilah was from the Garmites. And Eshtemoa was from the Maacathites. 20 Shimon’s sons were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben Hanan, and Tilon.
Ishi’s sons were Zoheth and Ben Zoheth.
21-22 Shelah was Judah’s son. Shelah’s sons were Er, Laadah, Jokim, the men from Cozeba, Joash, and Saraph. Er was the father of Lecah. Laadah was the father of Mareshah and the tribes of linen workers at Beth Ashbea. Joash and Saraph married Moabite women. Then they went back to Bethlehem.[f] The writings about this family are very old. 23 These sons of Shelah were workers who made things from clay. They lived in Netaim and Gederah and worked for the king.
Simeon’s Children
24 Simeon’s sons were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul. 25 Shaul’s son was Shallum. Shallum’s son was Mibsam. Mibsam’s son was Mishma.
26 Mishma’s son was Hammuel. Hammuel’s son was Zaccur. Zaccur’s son was Shimei. 27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but Shimei’s brothers did not have many children. Shimei’s brothers did not have large families. Their families were not as large as the other tribes in Judah.
28 Shimei’s descendants lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and Shaaraim. They lived in these towns until David became king. 32 The five villages near these towns were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token, and Ashan. 33 There were also other villages as far away as Baalath. This is where they lived. And they also wrote the history about their family.
34-38 This is the list of men who were leaders of their tribes: They were Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah (Amaziah’s son), Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah, Joshibiah son of Seraiah, Seraiah son of Asiel, Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, and Ziza (Shiphi’s son). Shiphi was Allon’s son, and Allon was Jedaiah’s son. Jedaiah was Shimri’s son, and Shimri was Shemaiah’s son.
These men’s families grew to be very large. 39 They went to the area outside the town of Gedor to the east side of the valley. They went to that place to look for fields for their sheep and cattle. 40 They found good fields with plenty of grass. They found plenty of good land there. The land was peaceful and quiet. Ham’s descendants lived there in the past. 41 This happened during the time that Hezekiah was king of Judah. These men came to Gedor and fought against the Hamites. They destroyed the tents of the Hamites. They also fought against the Meunites who lived there. These men destroyed all the Meunites. There are no Meunites in this place even today. So these men began to live there. They lived there because the land had grass for their sheep.
42 Five hundred people from the tribe of Simeon went to the hill country of Seir. Ishi’s sons led these men. The sons were Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel. The Simeonite men fought against the people living in that place. 43 There were only a few Amalekites still living, and these Simeonites killed them. Since that time until now, the Simeonites have lived in Seir.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 4:4 founder Literally, “father.” The person who started the city. Also in verse 14.
- 1 Chronicles 4:9 Jabez This name is like the Hebrew word meaning “pain.”
- 1 Chronicles 4:12 Tehinnah … Ir Nahash Or “Tehinnah was the founder of the city of Nahash.” Ir means “city.”
- 1 Chronicles 4:14 Ge Harashim This name also means “Valley of the Skilled Workers.”
- 1 Chronicles 4:19 Mered’s wife … was from Judah This is from the ancient Greek version.
- 1 Chronicles 4:21 married … Bethlehem Or “They ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem.”
1 Chronicles 4
New International Version
1 Chronicles 4
New International Version
Other Clans of Judah
4 The descendants of Judah:(A)
Perez, Hezron,(B) Karmi, Hur and Shobal.
2 Reaiah son of Shobal was the father of Jahath, and Jahath the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites.
3 These were the sons[a] of Etam:
Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash. Their sister was named Hazzelelponi. 4 Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah.
These were the descendants of Hur,(C) the firstborn of Ephrathah and father[b] of Bethlehem.(D)
5 Ashhur(E) the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.
6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah.
7 The sons of Helah:
Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan, 8 and Koz, who was the father of Anub and Hazzobebah and of the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.
9 Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,[c] saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” 10 Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, “Oh, that you would bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I will be free from pain.” And God granted his request.
11 Kelub, Shuhah’s brother, was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12 Eshton was the father of Beth Rapha, Paseah and Tehinnah the father of Ir Nahash.[d] These were the men of Rekah.
13 The sons of Kenaz:
Othniel(F) and Seraiah.
The sons of Othniel:
Hathath and Meonothai.[e] 14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah.
Seraiah was the father of Joab,
the father of Ge Harashim.[f] It was called this because its people were skilled workers.
15 The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh:
Iru, Elah and Naam.
The son of Elah:
Kenaz.
16 The sons of Jehallelel:
Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel.
17 The sons of Ezrah:
Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. One of Mered’s wives gave birth to Miriam,(G) Shammai and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18 (His wife from the tribe of Judah gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soko, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.(H)) These were the children of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, whom Mered had married.
19 The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham:
the father of Keilah(I) the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maakathite.(J)
20 The sons of Shimon:
Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan and Tilon.
The descendants of Ishi:
Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.
21 The sons of Shelah(K) son of Judah:
Er the father of Lekah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and the clans of the linen workers at Beth Ashbea, 22 Jokim, the men of Kozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (These records are from ancient times.) 23 They were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah; they stayed there and worked for the king.
Simeon(L)
24 The descendants of Simeon:(M)
Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib,(N) Zerah and Shaul;
25 Shallum was Shaul’s son, Mibsam his son and Mishma his son.
26 The descendants of Mishma:
Hammuel his son, Zakkur his son and Shimei his son.
27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children; so their entire clan did not become as numerous as the people of Judah. 28 They lived in Beersheba,(O) Moladah,(P) Hazar Shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem,(Q) Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah,(R) Ziklag,(S) 31 Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri and Shaaraim.(T) These were their towns until the reign of David. 32 Their surrounding villages were Etam, Ain,(U) Rimmon, Token and Ashan(V)—five towns— 33 and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath.[g] These were their settlements. And they kept a genealogical record.
34 Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, 35 Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, 36 also Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, 37 and Ziza son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah.
38 The men listed above by name were leaders of their clans. Their families increased greatly, 39 and they went to the outskirts of Gedor(W) to the east of the valley in search of pasture for their flocks. 40 They found rich, good pasture, and the land was spacious, peaceful and quiet.(X) Some Hamites had lived there formerly.
41 The men whose names were listed came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. They attacked the Hamites in their dwellings and also the Meunites(Y) who were there and completely destroyed[h] them, as is evident to this day. Then they settled in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks. 42 And five hundred of these Simeonites, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, invaded the hill country of Seir.(Z) 43 They killed the remaining Amalekites(AA) who had escaped, and they have lived there to this day.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 4:3 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Vulgate); Hebrew father
- 1 Chronicles 4:4 Father may mean civic leader or military leader; also in verses 12, 14, 17, 18 and possibly elsewhere.
- 1 Chronicles 4:9 Jabez sounds like the Hebrew for pain.
- 1 Chronicles 4:12 Or of the city of Nahash
- 1 Chronicles 4:13 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; Hebrew does not have and Meonothai.
- 1 Chronicles 4:14 Ge Harashim means valley of skilled workers.
- 1 Chronicles 4:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Joshua 19:8); Hebrew Baal
- 1 Chronicles 4:41 The Hebrew term refers to the irrevocable giving over of things or persons to the Lord, often by totally destroying them.
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