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1 Chronicles - Chapter 4

¹ Sons of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, Shobal.

² Reaiah son of Shobal fathered Jahath, and Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad. These are the Zoreathite clans.

³ These are Abi-Etam, Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, whose sister was called Hazzelelponi.

⁴ Penuel fathered Gedor, and Ezer fathered Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, first-born of Ephrathah and father of Bethlehem.

⁵ Ashhur, father of Tekoa, had two wives: Helah and Naarah.

⁶ Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, the Timnites, and the Ahashtarites -- these were the sons of Naarah.

⁷ Sons of Helah: Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan.

⁸ Koz fathered Anub, Hazzobebah and the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.

⁹ Jabez was better known than his brothers. His mother gave him the name Jabez, 'because', she said, 'in distress I gave birth to him.'

¹⁰ Jabez called on the God of Israel. 'If you truly bless me,' he said, 'you will extend my lands, your hand will be with me, you will keep harm away and my distress will cease.' God granted him what he had asked.

¹¹ Chelub, Shuhah's brother, fathered Mehir, who fathered Eshton.

¹² Eshton fathered Bethrapha, Paseah and Tehinnah father of Irnahash. These were the men of Recab.

¹³ Sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah. Sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai;

¹⁴ Meonothai fathered Ophrah. Seraiah fathered Joab, father of Geharashim -- for they were craftsmen.

¹⁵ Sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah and Naam. Sons of Elah: Kenaz.

¹⁶ Sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, Asarel.

¹⁷ Sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, Jalon. She conceived Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa,

¹⁸ whose Judaean wife gave birth to Jered father of Gedor, Heber father of Soco, and Jekuthiel, father of Zanoah. These were the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh whom Mered had married.

¹⁹ The sons of Hodiah's wife, sister of Naham father of Keilah the Garmite and of Eshtemoa the Maacathite . . .

²⁰ Sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, Tilon. Sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.

²¹ Sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er father of Lecah, Laadah father of Mareshah, and the clans of linenworkers at Beth-Ashbea,

²² Jokim, the men of Cozeba, Joash and Saraph where Moab found wives and then returned to Bethlehem. (These are old traditions.)

²³ These were potters and lived at Netaim and Gederah; they resided there, working for the king.

²⁴ Sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Saul;

²⁵ Shallum was his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.

²⁶ The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son.

²⁷ Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children, and the sum of their clans did not multiply as the sons of Judah did.

²⁸ They lived in Beersheba, Moladah and Hazar-Shual,

²⁹ Bilhah, Ezem and Tolad,

³⁰ Bethuel, Hormah and Ziklag,

³¹ Beth-Marcaboth, Hazar-Susim, Beth-Biri, Shaaraim.

³² These were their towns until the reign of David. Their settlements were: Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen and Ashan, five towns,

³³ and all the dependencies surrounding these towns as far as Baalath. That was where they lived and they had an official genealogy.

³⁴ Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah,

³⁵ Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah, son of Seraiah, son of Asiel,

³⁶ Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah,

³⁷ Ziza, Ben-Shiphi, Ben-Allon, Ben-Jedaiah, Ben-Shimri, Ben-Shemaiah-

³⁸ these above named were princes in their clans in their ancestral home. Their numbers increased enormously.

³⁹ In search of pasture for their flocks, they spread from the Pass of Gerar to the eastern end of the valley,

⁴⁰ where they found good, fat pasture; the land was broad, untroubled, peaceful. Hamites had been living there before them.

⁴¹ These Simeonites, recorded by name, arrived there in the time of Hezekiah king of Judah; they overran their tents and the dwellings which they found there. They put them under a curse of destruction still in force today and settled in their place, since there was pasturage for their flocks.

⁴² Five hundred of them, of the Simeonites, went to Mount Seir, their leaders being Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.

⁴³ They defeated the surviving fugitives of Amalek and still live there today.