1 Chronicles 4:10-41

New International Version

¹⁰Jabez 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.

¹¹Kelub, Shuhah’s brother, was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. ¹²Eshton was the father of Beth Rapha, Paseah and Tehinnah the father of Ir Nahash.^[a] These were the men of Rekah.

¹³The sons of Kenaz:

Othniel^(A) and Seraiah.

The sons of Othniel:

Hathath and Meonothai.^[b] ¹⁴Meonothai was the father of Ophrah.

Seraiah was the father of Joab,

the father of Ge Harashim.^[c] It was called this because its people were skilled workers.

¹⁵The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh:

Iru, Elah and Naam.

The son of Elah:

Kenaz.

¹⁶The sons of Jehallelel:

Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel.

¹⁷The sons of Ezrah:

Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. One of Mered’s wives gave birth to Miriam,^(B) 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.^(C)) These were the children of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah, whom Mered had married.

¹⁹The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham:

the father of Keilah^(D) the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maakathite.^(E)

²⁰The sons of Shimon:

Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan and Tilon.

The descendants of Ishi:

Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.

²¹The sons of Shelah^(F) son of Judah:

Er the father of Lekah, Laadah the father of Mareshah and the clans of the linen workers at Beth Ashbea, ²²Jokim, the men of Kozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. (These records are from ancient times.) ²³They were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah; they stayed there and worked for the king.

Simeon^(G)

²⁴The descendants of Simeon:^(H)

Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib,^(I) Zerah and Shaul;

²⁵Shallum was Shaul’s son, Mibsam his son and Mishma his son.

²⁶The descendants of Mishma:

Hammuel his son, Zakkur his son and Shimei his son.

²⁷Shimei 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. ²⁸They lived in Beersheba,^(J) Moladah,^(K) Hazar Shual, ²⁹Bilhah, Ezem,^(L) Tolad, ³⁰Bethuel, Hormah,^(M) Ziklag,^(N) ³¹Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri and Shaaraim.^(O) These were their towns until the reign of David. ³²Their surrounding villages were Etam, Ain,^(P) Rimmon, Token and Ashan^(Q)—five towns— ³³and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath.^[d] These were their settlements. And they kept a genealogical record.

³⁴Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, ³⁵Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, ³⁶also Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, ³⁷and Ziza son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah.

³⁸The men listed above by name were leaders of their clans. Their families increased greatly, ³⁹and they went to the outskirts of Gedor^(R) to the east of the valley in search of pasture for their flocks. ⁴⁰They found rich, good pasture, and the land was spacious, peaceful and quiet.^(S) Some Hamites had lived there formerly.

⁴¹The 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^(T) who were there and completely destroyed^[e] them, as is evident to this day. Then they settled in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks.

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Footnotes

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.