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 [a]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[b] 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[c] 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.
Footnotes
- 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).