1 Chronicles 6

EasyEnglish Bible

The descendants of Levi

6 Levi's sons were: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

² Kohath's sons were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

³ Amram's children were: Aaron, Moses and Miriam.

Aaron's sons were: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

⁴ Eleazar became the father of Phinehas. Phinehas became the father of Abishua. ⁵ Abishua became the father of Bukki. Bukki became the father of Uzzi. ⁶ Uzzi became the father of Zerahiah. Zerahiah became the father of Meraioth. ⁷ Meraioth became the father of Amariah. Amariah became the father of Ahitub. ⁸ Ahitub became the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Ahimaaz. ⁹ Ahimaaz became the father of Azariah. Azariah became the father of Johanan. ¹⁰ Johanan became the father of Azariah. Azariah served God as a priest in the temple that Solomon built in Jerusalem.

¹¹ Azariah became the father of Amariah. Amariah became the father of Ahitub. ¹² Ahitub became the father of Zadok. Zadok became the father of Shallum. ¹³ Shallum became the father of Hilkiah. Hilkiah became the father of Azariah. ¹⁴ Azariah became the father of Seraiah. Seraiah became the father of Jehozadak. ¹⁵ Jehozadak went into exile with the people from Jerusalem and the rest of Judah. The Lord used Nebuchadnezzar to take them away to Babylon.

The three clans of Levi

¹⁶ Levi's sons were: Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

¹⁷ The names of Gershon's sons were Libni and Shimei.

¹⁸ Kohath's sons were: Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

¹⁹ Merari's sons were: Mahli and Mushi.

These are the ancestors of the clans of the Levites:

²⁰ Gershon's descendants were his son Libni, Libni's son Jahath and Jahath's son Zimmah. ²¹ Zimmah's son was Joah. Joah's son was Iddo. Iddo's son was Zerah. Zerah's son was Jeatherai.

²² Kohath's descendants were his son Amminadab, Amminadab's son Korah and Korah's son Assir. ²³ Assir's son was Elkanah. Elkanah's son was Ebiasaph. Ebiasaph's son was Assir. ²⁴ Assir's son was Tahath. Tahath's son was Uriel. Uriel's son was Uzziah. Uzziah's son was Shaul.

²⁵ Elkanah's other sons were Amasai and Ahimoth. ²⁶ Ahimoth's son was Elkanah. Elkanah's son was Zophai. Zophai's son was Nahath. ²⁷ Nahath's son was Eliab. Eliab's son was Jeroham. Jeroham's son was Elkanah.

²⁸ Samuel's firstborn son was Joel and his second son was Abijah.^[a]

²⁹ Merari's descendants were his son Mahli, Mahli's son Libni, Libni's son Shimei and Shimei's son Uzzah. ³⁰ Uzzah's son was Shimea. Shimea's son was Haggiah. Haggiah's son was Asaiah.

The musicians for the temple

³¹ After David put God's Covenant Box in the Lord's house, he chose some men to lead the music there. ³² They used music to serve the Lord in his special tent where he met with his people. After King Solomon built the Lord's temple in Jerusalem, they served the Lord there. They obeyed the rules that told them how to do their work.

³³ These are the leaders of the music and their sons:

From Kohath's clan: Heman the singer. He was Joel's son. Joel was Samuel's son. ³⁴ Samuel was Elkanah's son. Elkanah was Jeroham's son. Jeroham was Eliel's son. Eliel was Toah's son. ³⁵ Toah was Zuph's son. Zuph was Elkanah's son. Elkanah was Mahath's son. Mahath was Amasai's son. ³⁶ Amasai was Elkanah's son. Elkanah was Joel's son. Joel was Azariah's son. Azariah was Zephaniah's son. ³⁷ Zephaniah was Tahath's son. Tahath was Assir's son. Assir was Ebiasaph's son. Ebiasaph was Korah's son. ³⁸ Korah was Izhar's son. Izhar was Kohath's son. Kohath was Levi's son. Levi was Israel's son.

³⁹ Heman worked with his relative, Asaph. Asaph was Heman's helper. He was Berekiah's son. Berekiah was Shimea's son. ⁴⁰ Shimea was Michael's son. Michael was Baaseiah's son. Baaseiah was Malkijah's son. ⁴¹ Malkijah was Ethni's son. Ethni was Zerah's son. Zerah was Adaiah's son. ⁴² Adaiah was Ethan's son. Ethan was Zimmah's son. Zimmah was Shimei's son. ⁴³ Shimei was Jahath's son. Jahath was Gershon's son. Gershon was Levi's son.

⁴⁴ Other relatives of Heman and Asaph worked with them. They belonged to Merari's clan and they stood on the left side. Kishi's son Ethan led this group. Kishi was Abdi's son. Abdi was Malluch's son. ⁴⁵ Malluch was Hashabiah's son. Hashabiah was Amaziah's son. Amaziah was Hilkiah's son. ⁴⁶ Hilkiah was Amzi's son. Amzi was Bani's son. Bani was Shemer's son. ⁴⁷ Shemer was Mahli's son. Mahli was Mushi's son. Mushi was Merari's son. Merari was Levi's son.

⁴⁸ All the other Levites also had jobs to do in God's special tent.

Aaron's descendants

⁴⁹ Only Aaron and his descendants served God as priests. They offered sacrifices to God on the altar for burnt offerings. They also burned sweet oils on the altar for incense. That was their work in the Most Holy Place. They made sacrifices so that God would forgive the sins of the Israelites. They did all this in the way that God's servant Moses had commanded.

⁵⁰ These were Aaron's descendants:

Eleazar was Aaron's son. Phinehas was Eleazar's son. Abishua was Phinehas's son. ⁵¹ Bukki was Abishua's son. Uzzi was Bukki's son. Zerahiah was Uzzi's son. ⁵² Meraioth was Zerahiah's son. Amariah was Meraioth's son. Ahitub was Amariah's son. ⁵³ Zadok was Ahitub's son. Ahimaaz was Zadok's son.

The cities of the Levites

⁵⁴ Aaron's descendants belonged to the clan of Levi's son, Kohath. When the leaders used lots to divide the land, Kohath's clan received the first part of the land.^[b] These places belonged to them:

⁵⁵ They had Hebron city in Judah's land. They had the fields around the city. ⁵⁶ But Jephunneh's son, Caleb, had the villages around the city, with their fields. ⁵⁷ Aaron's descendants received these towns with the fields around them: Hebron (a safe city),^[c] Libnah, Jattir, Eshtemoa, ⁵⁸ Hilen, Debir, ⁵⁹ Ashan, Juttah and Beth-Shemesh.

⁶⁰ They also received some towns in land that belonged to Benjamin's tribe. They received these towns with the fields around them: Gibeon, Geba, Alemeth and Anathoth.

So there were 13 towns for Aaron's descendants to live in.

⁶¹ The other people who were Kohath's descendants received ten towns in land that belonged to the half tribe of Manasseh. They used lots to choose the towns.

⁶² Gershon's descendants received 13 towns. The lots showed which towns they would receive. Their towns were in land that belonged to the tribes of Issachar, Asher and Naphtali, as well as in Manasseh's land in the region of Bashan, on the east side of the Jordan River.

⁶³ Merari's descendants received 12 towns. The lots showed which towns they would receive. Their towns were in land that belonged to the tribes of Reuben, Gad and Zebulun.

⁶⁴ So the Israelites gave those towns and the fields around them to the Levites. ⁶⁵ They used lots to choose these towns, including the towns in land that belonged to the tribes of Judah, Simeon and Benjamin.

⁶⁶ Descendants of Kohath received towns in land that belonged to Ephraim's tribe. They received these towns with the fields around them: ⁶⁷ Shechem (a safe city in the hill country of Ephraim), Gezer, ⁶⁸ Jokmeam, Beth-Horon, ⁶⁹ Aijalon and Gath-Rimmon. ⁷⁰ The other descendants of Kohath received towns in land that belonged to the half tribe of Manasseh. They received Aner with its fields and Bileam with its fields.

⁷¹ The descendants of Gershon received these towns in land that belonged to the other half tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan with its fields and Ashtaroth with its fields. ⁷² They also received towns in land that belonged to Issachar's tribe. They received these towns and the fields around them: Kedesh, Daberath, ⁷³ Ramoth and Anem. ⁷⁴ They received these towns in land that belonged to Asher's tribe: Mashal with its fields, Abdon with its fields, ⁷⁵ Hukok with its fields and Rehob with its fields. ⁷⁶ They received these towns in land that belonged to Naphtali's tribe: Kedesh in Galilee with its fields, Hammon with its fields and Kiriathaim with its fields.

⁷⁷ The rest of Levi's descendants, who belonged to Merari's clan, received these towns: In land that belonged to Zebulun's tribe they received Rimmono with its fields and Tabor with its fields. ⁷⁸ They also received towns in land that belonged to Reuben's tribe on the east side of the Jordan River, beyond Jericho city. They received these towns and the fields around them: Bezer in the desert, Jahzah, ⁷⁹ Kedemoth and Mephaath. ⁸⁰ They received these towns in land that belonged to Gad's tribe: Ramoth in Gilead with its fields, Mahanaim with its fields, ⁸¹ Heshbon with its fields and Jazer with its fields.