1 Chronicles 1-9
New Catholic Bible
Genealogical Tables[a]
Chapter 1
From Adam to Abraham.[b] 1 Adam, Seth, Enosh, 2 Kenan, Mehalalel, Jared, 3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, Noah.
4 The sons of Noah were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
5 [c]The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
6 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
7 The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.
8 The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
9 The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raama, and Sabteca.
The sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan.
10 Cush was the father of Nimrod, and he grew up to be a mighty warrior upon the earth.
11 Mizraim was the father of Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 12 Pathrusim, Casluhim, and Caphtorim (from whom the Philistines came).
13 Canaan was the father of Sidon (his firstborn), Heth, 14 the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, 15 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, 16 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
17 The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.
The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.
18 Arpachshad was the father of Shelah, and Shelah was the father of Eber.
19 Eber had two sons: the name of one of them was Peleg, for during his days the earth was divided, and his brother’s name was Joktan.
20 Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 22 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, 23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All of these were the sons of Joktan.
24 Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah, 25 Eber, Peleg, Reu, 26 Serug, Nahor, Terah, 27 and Abram that is, Abraham.
28 From Abraham to Jacob.[d] The sons of Abraham were Isaac and Ishmael. 29 These are their descendants: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, 30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema, 31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.
32 The sons of Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah.
The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan.
33 The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. These were all descendants of Keturah.
34 Abraham was the father of Isaac. The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel.
35 The sons of Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
36 The sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, Zepho, Gatam, and Kenaz, and by Timna there was Amalek.
37 The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
38 The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.
39 The sons of Lotan were Hori and Homam. Timna was Lotan’s sister.
40 The sons of Shobal were Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shepho, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon were Aiah and Anah.
41 The son of Anah was Dishon.
The sons of Dishon were Hemdan, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
42 The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan.
The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.
43 These were the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the Israelites: Bela, the son of Beor, whose city was named Dinhabah. 44 When Bela died, Jobab, the son of Zerah from Bozrah, reigned in his stead. 45 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his stead. 46 When Husham died, Hadad, the son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the land of Moab reigned in his stead. His city was named Avith. 47 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his stead. 48 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the river reigned in his stead. 49 When Shaul died, Baal-hanan, the son of Acbor, reigned in his stead. 50 When Baal-hanan died, Hadad reigned in his stead. His city was named Pai, and his wife’s name was Mehetabel, the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezehab. 51 Hadad also died.
The chieftains of Edom were Timna, Aliah, Jetheth, 52 Oholibamah, Elah, Pinon, 53 Kenaz, Teman, Mibzar, 54 Magdiel, and Iram. These were the chieftains of Edom.
Chapter 2
1 These were the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,[e] 2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
Judah. 3 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah. They were born to him by Shuah the Canaanite. Er, the firstborn of Judah, did what was evil in the sight of the Lord and he slew him. 4 Tamar, his daughter-in-law, bore him Perez and Zerah, so Judah had five sons in all.
5 The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
6 The sons of Zerah were Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Darda. There were five of them in all.
7 The son of Carmi was Achar who troubled Israel when he violated the ban.
8 The son of Ethan was Azariah.
9 The sons of Hezron were Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai.
10 Ram was the father of Amminadab, and Amminadab was the father of Nahshon, the leader of the Judahites.
11 Nahshon was the father of Salma, and Salma was the father of Boaz.
12 Boaz[f] was the father of Obed, and Obed was the father of Jesse.
13 Jesse was the father of Eliab, his firstborn, and then Abinadab, his second, Shimea, his third, 14 Nethanel, his fourth, Raddai, his fifth, 15 Ozem, his sixth, and David, his seventh.
16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The three sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel.
17 Abigail bore Amasa, and Amasa’s father was Jether the Ishmaelite.
18 Caleb, the son of Hezron, had sons through Azubah, his wife, and through Jerioth. These were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur.
20 Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri was the father of Bezalel.
21 Afterwards, Hezron went to the daughter of Machir, the father of Gilead. He married her when he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub.
22 Segub was the father of Jair who ruled twenty-three cities in Gilead.
23 Geshur and Aram captured Havvoth-jair as well as Kenath with the towns dependent upon it, sixty towns in all. All of these were the sons of Machir, the father of Gilead.
24 After Hezron died in Caleb-ephrathah, Abijah, Hezron’s wife, bore him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa.
25 The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram, the firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. 26 Jerahmeel had another wife whose name was Atarah. She was the mother of Onam.
27 The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
28 The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada.
The sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur.
29 The name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid.
30 The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim. Seled died without having any children.
31 The son of Appaim was Ishi, and the son of Ishi was Sheshan, and the son of Sheshan was Ahlai.
32 The sons of Jada, Shammai’s brother, were Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without having any children.
33 The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.
34 Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. He had an Egyptian slave whose name was Jarha. 35 Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his slave as a wife, and she bore him Attai.
36 Attai was the father of Nathan, and Nathan was the father of Zabad.
37 Zabad was the father of Ephlal, and Ephlal was the father of Obed.
38 Obed was the father of Jehu, and Jehu was the father of Azariah.
39 Azariah was the father of Helez, and Helez was the father of Eleasah.
40 Eleasah was the father of Sismai, and Sismai was the father of Shallum.
41 Shallum was the father of Jekamiah, and Jekamiah was the father of Elishama.
42 The son of Caleb, the brother of Jerahmeel, was Mesha, his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph. His son Mareshah was the father of Hebron.
43 The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
44 Shema was the father of Raham, and Raham was the father of Jorkeam.
Rekem was the father of Shammai.
45 Maon was the son of Shammai, and Maon was the father of Beth-zur.
46 Caleb’s concubine, Ephah, bore him Haran, Moza, and Gazez.
Haran was the father of Gazez.
47 The sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
48 Caleb’s concubine, Maacah, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also bore Shaaph, the father of Madmannah, and Sheva, the father of Machbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Achsah.
50 These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, were Shobal, the father of Kiriath-jearim, 51 Salma, the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph, the father of Beth-gader.
52 The descendants of Shobal, the father of Kiriath-jearim were Haroeh, half the Manahathites, 53 and the clans of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites.
54 The descendants of Salma were Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab, half of the Manahathites, the Zorites, 55 and the clans of the scribes who dwelt in Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, who was the father of the house of Rechab.
Chapter 3[g]
1 These were David’s sons who were born in Hebron: Amnon, the firstborn, the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel; Daniel, the second, the son of Abigail of Carmel; 2 Absalom, the third, the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, the king of Geshur; Adonijah, the fourth, the son of Haggith; 3 Shephatiah, the fifth, the son of Abital; Ithream, the sixth, the son of Eglah. 4 These six were born in Hebron where he reigned for seven years and six months. He reigned for thirty-three years in Jerusalem.
5 These were the children born in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon. These four were from Bathsheba, the daughter of Ammiel. 6 There were also Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, 7 Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, 8 Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet, nine of them in all. 9 These were the sons of David, not counting his sons by his concubines. Tamar[h] was their sister.
10 [i]Solomon’s son was Rehoboam, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, 11 Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, 12 Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, 13 Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, 14 Amon his son, and Josiah his son.
15 The sons of Josiah were Johanan his firstborn son, Jehoiakim, his second son, Zedekiah, his third son, and Shallum, his fourth son.
16 The successors of Josiah were Jehoiakim, his son Jehoiachin, and Zedekiah.
17 The sons of Jehoiachin the captive were Shealtiel his son, 18 Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
19 The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei.[j]
The children of Zerubbabel were Meshullam, Hananiah, Shelomith, their sister, 20 and five named Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed.
21 The descendants of Hananiah were Pelatiah, Jeshaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, and the sons of Shecaniah.
22 The son of Shecaniah was Shemaiah, and the sons of Shemaiah were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat. There were six of them.
23 The sons of Neariah were Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam. There were three of them.
24 The sons of Elioenai were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani. There were seven of them.
Chapter 4
1 The descendants of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.
2 Reaiah, the son of Shobal, was the father of Jahath, Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites.
3 These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, Idbash, and their sister Hazzelelponi.
4 Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem.
5 Ashur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives: Helah and Naarah. 6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahash-tari. They were the sons of Naarah.
7 The sons of Helah were Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.
8 Koz was the father of Anub, Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel, the son of Harum.
9 [k]Jabez was the most honorable of his brothers. His mother named him Jabez because she said, “I bore him with pain.” 10 Jabez called upon the God of Israel saying, “Oh that you would bless me and enlarge my territory. May your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I might be free from grief.” God granted what he requested.
11 Chelub, 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. These were the men of Recah.
13 The sons of Kenaz were Othniel[l] and Seraiah.
The sons of Othniel were Hathath and Meonothai.
14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah.
Seraiah was the father of Joab, the father of Geharashim, for they were craftsmen.
15 The sons of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh were Ir, Elah, and Naam.
The son of Elah was Kenaz.
16 The sons of Jahallelel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17 The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. A wife of his gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, the father of Eshtemoa. 18 His wife was from Egypt, and she gave birth to Jered, the father of Gedor, Heber, the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel, the father of Zanoah. These were the sons of Bithiah, Pharaoh’s daughter, whom Mered had married.
19 The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maachathite.
20 The sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon.
The descendants of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.
21 The sons of Shelah, the son of Judah, were Er, the father of Lecah, Laadah, the father of Mareshah, and the clans of linen workers at Beth-ashbea, 22 Jokim, the men of Cozeba, Joash, and Saraph who ruled in Moab and Jashubi-lahem. These records are from ancient times. 23 They were potters who lived in Netaim and Gederah. They dwelt there and worked for the king.
24 Simeon. The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul. 25 Shallum was his son, Mibsam was his son, and Mishma was his son.
26 The descendants of Mishma were Hammuel, his son, Zaccur, his son, and Shimei, his son.
27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children so the whole clan did not become very large in Judah. 28 They lived in Beer-sheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities up to the time of the reign of David. 32 Their dependent villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, Ashan, five of them in all, 33 as well as all of the villages that surrounded these cities up to Baal. These were their settlements and their genealogies.
34 Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah, the son of Amaziah, 35 Joel, Jehu, the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, 36 as well as Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, 37 and Ziza, the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah— 38 these were the names of the leaders of their clans. Their families increased greatly. 39 They traveled toward the entrance of Gedor on the east side of the valley, to seek pastures for their flocks. 40 They found good, rich pastures and a spacious land that was quiet and peaceful. Some Hamites[m] had lived there from ancient times.
41 The men whose names are written here arrived during the days of Hezekiah, the king of Judah. They attacked those living there as well as the Meunites who were found there. They wiped them out, as is still true today. They dwelt in their place for there were pastures for their flocks there.
42 About five hundred of the Simeonites invaded the hill country of Seir led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. 43 They killed the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped, and they have lived there up to the present.
Chapter 5
Reuben. 1 The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel. For this reason he could not be listed in the genealogy according to his birthright. 2 Though Judah was the strongest of the brothers and a ruler came through him, the birthright belonged to Joseph.)
3 [n]The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel, were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
4 The descendants of Joel were Shemaiah, his son, Gog, his son, Shimei, his son, 5 Micah, his son, Reaiah, his son, Baal, his son, 6 and Beerah, his son, whom Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria, carried off into exile. He was the leader of the Reubenites.
7 These were their brethren by their clans, listed according to the generations of their genealogy. Jeiel, their leader, Zechariah, 8 and Bela, the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. They dwelt in the area that ran from Aroer to Nebo and Baal-meon. 9 To the east, they lived on the edge of the desert that runs up to the Euphrates River because their herds had grown numerous in the land of Gilead. 10 During the days of Saul they fought against the Hagrites who fell at their hands. They lived in their dwellings to the east of Gilead.
11 Gad. The Gadites lived alongside of them in the land of Bashan up to Salecah. 12 Joel was their leader, Shapham the next, then Janai, Shaphat, and Bashan. 13 Their brethren, by their ancestral clans, were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber. There were seven of them 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 the leader of the clan.
16 The Gadites lived in Gilead, in Bashan, all of their villages, and all throughout the pastures of Sharon. 17 All of these were entered in the genealogies during the reigns of Jotham, the king of Judah, and Jeroboam, the king of Israel.
18 The Reubenites, the Gadites, and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh had forty-four thousand, seven hundred and sixty trained warriors armed with shield, sword, and bow who went out to battle. 19 They fought against the Hagrites, Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. 20 They helped in fighting against them, and the Lord delivered the Hagrites and those who were with them into their hands for they had cried out to God all throughout the battle. He responded to them because they had put their trust in him. 21 They seized their livestock: fifty thousand camels, two hundred thousand sheep, and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand captives. 22 Many others were killed, falling because it was God’s battle. They then dwelt there in their place until the time of the Exile.
23 The Half-tribe of Manasseh. The one-half of the tribe of Manasseh who dwelt in the land of Bashan up to Baal-hermon, that is Senir, or Mount Hermon, grew numerous.
24 These were the leaders of their ancestral clans: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were brave warriors, famous, and the leaders of their ancestral clans, 25 but they betrayed the God of their fathers, prostituting themselves with the gods of the various peoples of the land whom God had destroyed before them. 26 Therefore the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul, the king of Assyria (that is, the spirit of Tiglath-pileser, the king of Assyria). He led away the Reubenites, the Gadites, and one-half of the tribe of Manasseh and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and to the Gozan River where they are up to the present.
27 Levi.[o]The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
28 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
29 The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam.
The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.
30 Eleazar was the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas was the father of Abishua.
31 Abishua was the father of Bukki, and Bukki was the father of Uzzi.
32 Uzzi was the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah was the father of Meraioth.
33 Meraioth was the father of Amariah, and Amariah was the father of Ahitub.
34 Ahitub was the father of Zadok, and Zadok was the father of Ahimaaz.
35 Ahimaaz was the father of Azariah, and Azariah was the father of Johanan.
36 Johanan was the father of Azariah. He served as priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem.
37 Azariah was the father of Amariah, and Amariah was the father of Ahitub.
38 Ahitub was the father of Zadok, and Zadok was the father of Shallum.
39 Shallum was the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah was the father of Azariah.
40 Azariah was the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah was the father of Jehozadak.
41 Jehozadak was carried off when the Lord sent Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.
Chapter 6
1 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
2 The names of the sons of Gershon were Libni and Shimei.
3 The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.
4 The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi.
These were the ancestral clans of the Levites. 5 From Gershon: Libni, his son, Jahath, his son, Zimmah, his son, 6 Joah, his son, Iddo, his son, Zerah, his son, and Jeatherai, his son.
7 The descendants of Kohath were Amminadab, his son, Korah, his son, Assir, his son, 8 Elkanah, his son, Ebiasaph, his son, Assir, his son, 9 Tahath, his son, Uriel, his son, Uzziah, his son, and Shaul, his son.
10 The descendants of Elkanah were Amasai, Ahimoth, 11 Elkanah, his son, Zophai, his son, Nahath, his son, 12 Eliab, his son, Jeroham, his son, Elkanah, his son, and Samuel, his son. 13 The sons of Samuel were Joel, his firstborn, and Abijah, his second.
14 The descendants of Merari were: Mahli, Libni, his son, Shimei, his son, Uzzah, his son, 15 Shimea, his son, Haggiah, his son, and Asaiah, his son.
16 These are the ones whom David assigned to sing in the shrine of the Lord after the Ark was placed there.[p] 17 Their ministry was to sing before the tabernacle, the tent of meeting, until Solomon built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. They also performed their other duties according to their responsibilities.
18 These are the men who served along with their children: from the Kohathites: Heman, the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, 19 the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 20 the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 21 the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, 22 the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, 23 the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.
24 There was also his brother Asaph who served at his right side. Asaph, the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea, 25 the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, 26 the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, 27 the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, 28 the son of Jahath, the son of Gershon, the son of Levi.
29 The Merarites, their brethren, served on his left: Ethan, the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, 30 the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, 31 the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, 32 the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.
33 Their fellow Levites were appointed to various types of service in the tabernacle, the shrine of the Lord. 34 But Aaron and his descendants were the ones who offered sacrifices on the altar for burnt offerings and the altar of incense. They also performed all of the work needed in the Holy of Holies where they made atonement for Israel in accordance with everything that Moses, the servant of God, had commanded.
35 These were the descendants of Aaron: Eleazar, his son, Phinehas, his son, Abishua, his son, 36 Bukki, his son, Uzzi, his son, Zerahiah, his son, 37 Meraioth, his son, Amariah, his son, Ahitub, his son, 38 Zadok, his son, and Ahimaaz, his son.
39 These were the sites assigned as their dwelling places throughout the land. They were assigned to the descendants of Aaron from the Kohathite clan because this was their allotment. 40 They were given Hebron in the land of Judah along with its surrounding pastures. 41 But the fields and the villages that surrounded the city were given to Caleb, the son of Jephunneh.
42 The descendants of Aaron were given Hebron (which was a city of refuge), Libnah with its pastures, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pastures, 43 Hilen with its pastures, Debir with its pastures, 44 Ashan with its pastures, Jetta with its pastures, and Beth-shemesh with its pastures.
45 From the tribe of Benjamin they were given Gibeon with its pastures, Geba with its pastures, Almon with its pastures, and Anathoth with its pastures. There were thirteen cities for their clans.
46 The rest of the Kohathites were allotted ten cities[q] from the clans of one-half of the tribe of Manasseh. 47 The descendants of Gershon, clan by clan, were allotted thirteen cities from the tribe of Issachar, the tribe of Asher, the tribe of Naphtali, and the part of the tribe of Manasseh living in Bashan.
48 The descendants of Merari, clan by clan, were allotted twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the tribe of Zebulun.
49 The Israelites gave the Levites these cities along with their pastures. 50 They were allotted these previously named cities from the tribe of the Judahites, the tribe of the Simeonites, and the tribe of the Benjaminites.
51 Some of the remaining Kohathites were given cities from the territory of the tribe of Ephraim. 52 In the hill country of Ephraim they were given Shechem (a city of refuge) with its pastures, Gezer with its pastures, 53 Jokmeam with its pastures, Beth-horon with its pastures, 54 Aijalon with its pastures, and Gath-rimmon with its pastures.
55 The rest of the Kohathite clans were given Aner with its pastures and Bileam with its pastures from one-half of the tribe of Manasseh.
56 The Gershonites were given the following from the clan of one-half of the tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan with its pastures, and Ashtaroth with its pastures.
57 From the tribe of Issachar they were given Kedesh with its pastures, Daberath with its pastures, 58 Ramoth with its pastures, and Anem with its pastures.
59 From the tribe of Asher they were given Mashal with its pastures, Abdon with its pastures, 60 Hukok with its pastures, and Rehob with its pastures.
61 From the tribe of Naphtali they were given Kedesh in Galilee with its pastures, Hammon with its pastures, and Kiriathaim with its pastures.
62 The rest of the Merarites were given Rimmon with its pastures, and Tabor with its pastures from the tribe of Zebulun.
63 On the other side of the Jordan, to the east of Jericho, they were given from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the desert with its pastures, Jahzah with its pastures, 64 Kedemoth with its pastures, Mephaath with its pastures.
65 From the tribe of Gad they were given Ramoth in Gilead with its pastures, Mahanaim with its pastures, 66 Heshbon with its pastures, and Jazer with its pastures.
Chapter 7
Issachar. 1 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron. There were four of them in all.
2 The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel, all leaders of their ancestral clans. During the reign of David, the descendants of Tola had twenty-two thousand, six hundred brave warriors in their generations.
3 The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah. The sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah. All five of them were leaders. 4 According to the generations of their ancestral clans, they had thirty-six thousand warriors, for they had many wives and children. 5 There were eighty-seven thousand brave warriors in all of their genealogies from among the brethren who belonged to the clans of Issachar.
Benjamin. 6 The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Becher, and Jediael. There were three of them in all.
7 The sons of Bela were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were the five leaders of the ancestral clans. There were twenty-two thousand and thirty-four brave warriors according to their genealogies.
8 The sons of Becher were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All of these were the sons of Becher. 9 These are the genealogies of the leaders of the ancestral clans and their twenty thousand, two hundred brave warriors.
10 The son of Jediael was Bilhan. The sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar.
11 All of the sons of Jediael were leaders of the brave warriors, of whom there were seventeen thousand, two hundred ready for battle.
12 The Shuppites and the Huppites were descendants of Ir, and the Hushim were descendants of Dan.
13 Naphtali and Manasseh. The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum. They were descendants of Bilhah.
14 [r]The descendants of Manasseh included Ashriel who was a descendant of his Aramean concubine. She bore Machir, the father of Gilead.
15 Machir took a wife from among the Huppites and the Shuppites. His sister’s name was Maacah. Another of his descendants was Zelophehad who only had daughters.
16 Maacah, the wife of Machir, gave birth to a son named Peresh. His brother’s name was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem.
17 The son of Ulam was Bedan. These were the descendants of Gilead, the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh. 18 His sister was Hammolecheth. She gave birth to Ishhod, Abiezer, and Mahlah.
19 The sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.
20 Ephraim. The descendants of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered, his son, Tahath, his son, Eleadah, his son, Tahath, his son, 21 Zabad, his son, and Shuthelah, his son. Ezer and Elead were killed by men born in the land of Gath when they led a raid to take away their cattle. 22 Their father Ephraim mourned for them for a long time, and his relatives came to comfort him. 23 Then he slept with his wife again, and she conceived and bore a son whose name was Beriah because misfortune had visited his family.[s] 24 His daughter was Sheerah. She built upper and lower Beth-horon as well as Uzzen-sheerah.
25 Rephah was his son as well as Resheph. There was Telah, his son, Tahan, his son, 26 Ladan, his son, Ammihud, his son, Elishama, his son, 27 Nun, his son, and Joshua, his son.
28 Now their possessions and their dwelling places included Bethel and the towns dependent upon it, to the east Naaran, to the west Gezer and the towns dependent upon it, Shechem and the towns dependent upon it, Ayyah and the towns dependent upon it.[t] 29 Near the boundary with Manasseh there were Beth-shean and the towns dependent upon it, Taanach and the towns dependent upon it, Megiddo and the towns dependent upon it, and Dor with its towns. The descendants of Joseph, the son of Israel, dwelt in them.
30 Asher. The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah.
31 The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of Birzaith.
32 Heber was the father of Japhlet, Shomer, Hotham, and their sister Shua.
33 The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were the children of Japhlet.
34 The sons of Shomer were Ahi, Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram.
35 The sons of his brother Hotham were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.
36 The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37 Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.
38 The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara.
39 The sons of Ulla were Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.
40 These were all the descendants of Asher, the leaders of the ancestral clans, the mighty brave warriors, and the main leaders. In their genealogies there were twenty-six thousand warriors ready for battle.
Chapter 8
Benjamin. 1 Benjamin was the father of Bela, his firstborn, Ashbel, his second, Aharah, his third, 2 Nohah, his fourth, and Rapha, his fifth.
3 The sons of Bela were Addar, Gera, the father of Ehud,[u] 4 Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5 Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.
6 These were the sons of Ehud. They were the leaders of the ancestral clans of those who lived in Geba. They forced them to move to Manahath: 7 Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera, who forced them to move. He was the father of Uzza and Ahihud.
8 Shaharaim had children in the land of Moab after he sent away Hushim and Baara, his wives. 9 Through Hodesh, his wife, he was the father of Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, 10 Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. They were his sons and leaders of the ancestral clans.
11 Through Hushim he was the father of Abitub and Elpaal.
12 The sons of Elpaal were Eber, Misham, Shemed, who built Ono and Lod and the towns dependent upon them, 13 Beriah, and Shema. They were the leaders of the ancestral clans of those who lived in Aijalon and who drove out the inhabitants of Gath.
14 Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, 15 Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16 Michael, Ispah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah.
17 Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, 18 Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal.
19 Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, 20 Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, 21 Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of Shimei.
22 Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23 Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, 24 Hananiah, Elam, Antothijah, 25 Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak.
26 Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 27 Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham. 28 These were the leaders of the ancestral clans by their leader. They dwelt in Jerusalem.
29 Now the father of Gibeon, whose wife’s name was Maacah, lived in Gibeon.[v] 30 His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, 31 Gedor, Ahio, Zecheriah, 32 and Mikloth, who became the father of Shimeah. They dwelt near their brethren in Jerusalem, living with them.
33 Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of Saul.
Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
34 The son of Jonathan was Meri-baal, and Meri-baal was the father of Micah.
35 The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.
36 Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah. Jehoaddah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri.
Zimri was the father of Moza.
37 Moza was the father of Binea, Raphah was his son, Eleasah was his son, and Azel was his son.
38 Azel had six sons whose names were Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All of these were sons of Azel.
39 The sons of Eshek, his brother, were Ulam, his firstborn, Jeush, his second, and Eliphelet, his third.
40 The sons of Ulam were brave warriors, archers. They had many sons and grandsons, one hundred and fifty in all. These were all of the descendants of Benjamin.
Chapter 9[w]
1 Thus all of Israel was recorded by its generations, for behold, it was inscribed in the book of the kings of Israel.
Judah was carried away into Babylon for its unfaithfulness. 2 The first inhabitants who dwelt in their possessions in their cities were the Israelites, the priests, the Levites, and the temple slaves.[x]
3 Among the Judahites who dwelt in Jerusalem along with the Benjaminites, Ephraimites, and Manassehites were: 4 Uthai, the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, a descendant of Perez, the son of Judah.
5 From the Shelanites there was Asaiah, the firstborn, and his sons. 6 From the sons of Zerah there was Jeuel and their brethren, six hundred and ninety of them.
7 From the Benjaminites there were Sallu, the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah, 8 Ibneiah, the son of Jeroham, Elah, the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri, and Meshullam, the son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah, 9 along with their kinsmen, according to their generations. There were nine hundred fifty-six of them. All of these were leaders of their ancestral clans.
10 From the priests there were Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, Jachin, 11 and Azariah, the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the chief custodian of the temple. 12 There were also Adaiah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashhur, the son of Malchijah, and Maasai, the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer. 13 Their brethren, who were the leaders of the ancestral clans, included one thousand, seven hundred and sixty men. They were all capable men who were responsible for ministry in the temple of the Lord.
14 From the Levites there were Shemaiah, the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, who was a Merarite. 15 There were Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah, the son of Mica, the son of Zichri, the son of Asaph. 16 There were Obadiah, the son of Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun, and Berechiah, the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah. They lived in the village of the Netophathites.
17 The gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brethren. Shallum was their leader. 18 They have been stationed at the king’s gate on the east up to the present day. They were the gatekeepers of the Levites.
19 Shallum, the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren from the ancestral clan of the Korahites were the gatekeepers at the entrance to the tabernacle just as their ancestors had been the gatekeepers to the entrance of the dwelling place of the Lord. 20 In former days, Phinehas, the son of Eleazar, had been their leader, and the Lord had been with him.
21 Zechariah, the son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 22 There were two hundred and twelve of those who had been chosen to be gatekeepers. They are registered by their family history in the villages. David and Samuel the seer had assigned them to their responsibilities. 23 They and their children were responsible for guarding the gates of the temple of the Lord (the shrine of the tabernacle) by turns. 24 The gatekeepers served in the four directions of the east, the west, the north, and the south. 25 Their brethren who lived in the villages would come up to join them for a period of seven days from time to time.
26 There were four Levites who held the office of chief gatekeepers. They were responsible for the chambers and the treasuries of the temple of the Lord. 27 They would spend the night stationed around the temple of God because they were responsible for it, and then they would open it each morning.
28 Some of them were responsible for the vessels used in the liturgy, and they would count them when they were brought in and taken out. 29 Others were assigned responsibility for the furniture and all of the other things used in the sanctuary as well as the flour, wine, oil, incense, and spices. 30 Some of the priests were responsible for mixing the spices in the ointments.
31 There was a certain Levite, Mattithiah, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, who was responsible for the baking of the bread. 32 Some of the Korahites, their brethren, were in charge of preparing the shewbread every Sabbath.
33 Those who were singers, the leaders of their ancestral clans of Levites, would stay in the chambers. They were free from other responsibilities, for they were busy working day and night.
34 These were all leaders of the ancestral clans of the Levites, leaders according to their generations, and they dwelt in Jerusalem.
The History of David[y]
35 Genealogy of Saul. Jeiel, the father of Gibeon, dwelt in Gibeon. His wife’s name was Maacah. 36 His firstborn was Abdon, then there were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 37 Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth.
38 Mikloth was the father of Shimeam. They lived near their brethren, their brethren who lived in Jerusalem.
39 Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of Saul.
Saul was the father of Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.
40 The son of Jonathan was Merib-baal, who was the father of Micah.
41 The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.
42 Ahaz was the father of Jarah, and Jarah was the father of Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri.
Zimri was the father of Moza.
43 Moza was the father of Binea, Rephaiah was his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.
44 Azel had six sons, and these are their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. They were the sons of Azel.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 1:1 The Book begins with a long list of names, genealogies and censuses, which bewilder the modern reader. But such lists are found elsewhere in the Bible, because in the view of the ancients, they give expression to a vision of history and the great connections that mark the plan of God; for this reason, the accuracy of the information conveyed is not essential. In like manner, Genesis establishes a continuity between Adam and Abraham as a way of locating the first patriarch in the trajectory of God’s plan (see Gen 5; 11). The evangelists will endeavor to construct a genealogy of Jesus that goes back either to Abraham (Mt 1) or to Adam (Lk 3:23), in order to show that all of history was leading up to Jesus Christ. In the first nine chapters of Chronicles we will likewise find at work a theological conception of human history. Here are its main perspectives: all human beings are connected with one another by their common origin in Adam, but from among them God chose a people and, inseparable at the center of this people, King David and the priests. The king is the sign of the Messianic promises, while the priests are the guardians of the sanctuary wherein Israel meets God. In the author’s eyes, all of humanity gravitates around God’s will to establish his reign and his worship among us. Such is the author’s grand vision, which is given learned expression in these endless lists.
- 1 Chronicles 1:1 This is the list in Gen 5.
- 1 Chronicles 1:5 The three sons of Noah populate the earth, but Shem is the origin of the privileged posterity that leads to Abraham and, through him, to the people of Israel.
- 1 Chronicles 1:28 Abraham is not only the founder of the Israelite people but from him and from his son Isaac come other peoples, brothers and sisters of Israel (hostile brethren in many instances). Recalled here, as secondary branches, are the Ishmaelites and the Edomites, and a short history of the latter is sketched.
- 1 Chronicles 2:1 The chosen people emerge against the preceding background of human history. The chapters that follow are interested solely in the twelve tribes that are the origin of this people. The books of the Bible provide a number of lists of the tribes; there are differences, sometimes considerable, from list to list; the differences can be explained by reference to the various periods in which the documents were composed. Why these lists? In the unceasing effort to paint a picture of the people, a list represents a new awareness of the people’s vocation. Here the author is recalling the past, not so much out of a concern for history as in the name of a hope: in a period in which no glory attaches to the people, he looks ahead to the rebuilding of the Israel of God.
- 1 Chronicles 2:12 Boaz: a kinsman of Naomi who married her daughter-in-law Ruth by exercising his rights under the levirate law (see Ru 2–4). Their son Obed was the grandfather of David.
- 1 Chronicles 3:1 The history of Solomon and the other kings will come later in the work. The list of David’s descendants is complete (whereas there are omissions in Mt 1:7-11). The list from the Exile onward (v. 17ff) has for its purpose to show the survival of the descendants of David; in fact, only the names of Shealtiel and Zerubbabel will appear in the genealogy of Jesus in Mt 1 (and Lk 3).
- 1 Chronicles 3:9 Tamar: raped by her step-brother Amnon, son of David and Ahinoam, she was later vindicated by his murder by her full brother Absalom (2 Sam 13).
- 1 Chronicles 3:10 Solomon’s progeny provided many rulers for the nation of Judah until its destruction by the Babylonians.
- 1 Chronicles 3:19 In Hag 1:1 and Ezek 3:2, Zerubbabel is the son of Shealtiel (see Mt 1:12; Lk 3:27); the present verse needs therefore to be rearranged. The Septuagint replaces Pedaiah with Shealtiel.
- 1 Chronicles 4:9 The prayer of Jabez has been immortalized throughout history as a request for protection and rich blessings in this life.
- 1 Chronicles 4:13 Othniel: after winning Achsah as his wife by conquering Kiriath-sepher, he serves as the first judge of Israel (Jdg 1:9-15).
- 1 Chronicles 4:40 Hamites: non-Israelite inhabitants of southern Palestine; sometimes they are called “Egyptians” (see Gen 21:9).
- 1 Chronicles 5:3 The relations between the clan of Joel and the tribe of Reuben are not clarified.
- 1 Chronicles 5:27 The tribe of Levi comes at the center of these genealogical sketches. The Chronicler assigns great importance to the temple and its worship. In this post-Exilic period it is, in fact, the priestly class that keeps the people united and leads them. The information given here has to do with various aspects of the life and functions of the Levites. As the only tribe not to possess a territory, Levi very quickly lost any political role and was put in charge solely of the sanctuaries and, later, of the one temple in Jerusalem (see Num 3–4; 2 Ki 23).
- 1 Chronicles 6:16 David, an accomplished musician and songwriter, appointed singers and gathered choirs to provide music for the temple to give glory and praise to the Lord.
- 1 Chronicles 6:46 Allotted ten cities: this method of assigning ownership was understood to be guided by God and therefore more fair than if left to the decision of an arbitrary person.
- 1 Chronicles 7:14 Manasseh had contacts with the Arameans (see Gen 31:46f). Machir was the half-tribe that dwelt across the Jordan (see Num 32:39f) and was certainly the older of the two half-tribes (see Jdg 5:14). The Huppites and Shuppites belonged to the tribe of Benjamin, while Jabesh in Gilead, a town in the territory of Manasseh, was allied with the Benjaminites (see Jdg 21:12).
- 1 Chronicles 7:23 The clan of Beriah later became part of Benjamin (see 8:13).
- 1 Chronicles 7:28 Shechem is usually placed in the tribe of Manasseh. In this passage, the Chronicler seems to be giving the name Ephraim to the combined tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh.
- 1 Chronicles 8:3 Ehud was the liberator of Israel from the Moabites; his story is in Jdg 3:15f.
- 1 Chronicles 8:29 According to what is said below in 1 Chr 21:29, the tabernacle was at Gibeon, before David moved it.
- 1 Chronicles 9:1 The genealogies end with a description of the population of Jerusalem at the return from Exile. After the Exile the religious restorers will more than ever regard Jerusalem as the holy city; it will become the symbol of the heavenly city that is awaited at the end of time. Other lists are given in Ezek 1; Neh 7; 11.
- 1 Chronicles 9:2 The reference is certainly to the descendants of slaves or foreigners who had long since been incorporated into Israel and assigned to subordinate cultic functions.
- 1 Chronicles 9:35 The second part of the first Book of Chronicles is devoted entirely to David. The Chronicler takes much of his material from the Books of Samuel, but everything that made David so human and such a vivid personage is passed over in silence; there is nothing here of the lively youth, the friend of Jonathan, the hunted outlaw, the repentant and harshly-tested sinner, the man crushed by family tragedies and the intrigues of his successors. The Books of Samuel portray a heartrending drama; the Chronicler, on the contrary, draws a clear but austere picture. He prefers the serious side and emphasizes fundamental characteristics. Here, then, is, first of all, David as founder of the royal dignity; then David as establisher of the cult in Jerusalem; finally, and above all, David, depository of the divine promises.
