David’s Descendants

These(A) were David’s sons who were born to him in Hebron:

Amnon was the firstborn, by Ahinoam of Jezreel;

Daniel was born second, by Abigail of Carmel;

Absalom son of Maacah, daughter of King Talmai of Geshur, was third;

Adonijah son of Haggith was fourth;

Shephatiah, by Abital, was fifth;

and Ithream, by David’s wife Eglah, was sixth.

Six sons were born to David in Hebron, where he reigned seven years and six months, and he reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years.(B)

These(C) sons were born to him in Jerusalem:

Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and Solomon.(D) These four were born to him by Bath-shua(E) daughter of Ammiel.

David’s other sons: Ibhar, Elishua,[a](F) Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet—nine sons.

These were all David’s sons, with their sister Tamar,(G) in addition to the sons by his concubines.

Judah’s Kings

10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam;

his son was Abijah, his son Asa,

his son Jehoshaphat, 11 his son Jehoram,[b][c]

his son Ahaziah, his son Joash,

12 his son Amaziah, his son Azariah,

his son Jotham, 13 his son Ahaz,

his son Hezekiah, his son Manasseh,

14 his son Amon, and his son Josiah.

15 Josiah’s sons:

Johanan was the firstborn, Jehoiakim second,

Zedekiah third, and Shallum fourth.

16 Jehoiakim’s sons:

his sons Jeconiah and Zedekiah.

David’s Line after the Exile

17 The sons of Jeconiah the captive:

his sons Shealtiel, 18 Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.

19 Pedaiah’s sons: Zerubbabel and Shimei.

Zerubbabel’s sons: Meshullam and Hananiah, with their sister Shelomith; 20 and five others—Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-hesed.

21 Hananiah’s descendants: Pelatiah, Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, Arnan, Obadiah, and Shecaniah.[d]

22 The son[e] of Shecaniah: Shemaiah.

Shemaiah’s sons: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat—six.

23 Neariah’s sons: Elioenai, Hizkiah, and Azrikam—three.

24 Elioenai’s sons: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani—seven.

Judah’s Descendants

Judah’s sons:(H) Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.

Reaiah son of Shobal fathered Jahath, and Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad.

These were the families of the Zorathites.

These were Etam’s sons:[f] Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, and their sister was named Hazzelelponi.

Penuel fathered Gedor, and Ezer fathered Hushah.

These were the sons of Hur, Ephrathah’s firstborn and the father of Bethlehem:

Ashhur fathered Tekoa and had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

Naarah bore Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari to him. These were Naarah’s sons.

Helah’s sons: Zereth, Zohar,[g] and Ethnan. Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah,[h] and the families of Aharhel son of Harum.

Jabez[i] was more honored than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez and said, “I gave birth to him in pain.”

10 Jabez called out to the God of Israel, “If only you would bless me, extend my border, let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm, so that I will not experience pain.”[j] And God granted his request.

11 Chelub brother of Shuhah fathered Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12 Eshton fathered Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Irnahash. These were the men of Recah.

13 Kenaz’s sons: Othniel and Seraiah.

Othniel’s sons: Hathath and Meonothai.[k]

14 Meonothai fathered Ophrah,

and Seraiah fathered Joab, the ancestor of those in the Craftsmen’s Valley,[l] for they were craftsmen.

15 The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam.

Elah’s son: Kenaz.

16 Jehallelel’s sons: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.

17 Ezrah’s sons: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered’s wife Bithiah gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18 These were the sons of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithiah; Mered had married her. His Judean wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. 19 The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham: the father of Keilah the Garmite and the father of Eshtemoa the Maacathite.

20 Shimon’s sons: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon.

Ishi’s sons: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.

21 The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, the families of the guild[m] of linen workers at Beth-ashbea, 22 Jokim, the men of Cozeba; and Joash and Saraph, who married Moabites[n] and returned to Lehem.[o] These names are from ancient records. 23 They were the potters and residents of Netaim and Gederah. They lived there in the service of the king.

Simeon’s Descendants

24 Simeon’s sons:(I) Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul;

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

26 Mishma’s sons: his son Hammuel, his son Zaccur, and his son Shimei.

27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children, so their whole family did not become as numerous as the Judeans. 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 until David became king. 32 Their villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five cities, 33 and all their surrounding villages as far as Baal. These were their settlements, and they kept a genealogical record for themselves.

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 and Ziza son of Shiphi, son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah—

38 these mentioned by name were leaders in their families. Their ancestral houses increased greatly. 39 They went to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley to seek pasture for their flocks. 40 They found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, peaceful, and quiet,(J) for some Hamites had lived there previously.

41 These(K) who were recorded by name came in the days of King Hezekiah of Judah, attacked the Hamites’ tents and the Meunites who were found there, and set them apart for destruction,(L) as they are today. Then they settled in their place because there was pasture for their flocks. 42 Now five hundred men from these sons of Simeon went with Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the descendants of Ishi, as their leaders to Mount Seir.(M) 43 They struck down(N) the remnant of the Amalekites who had escaped, and they still live there today.

Reuben’s Descendants

These were the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel. He was the firstborn,(O) but his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph(P) son of Israel, because Reuben defiled his father’s bed.(Q) He is not listed in the genealogy according to birthright. Although Judah became strong among his brothers(R) and a ruler came from him,(S) the birthright was given to Joseph.

The sons of Reuben, Israel’s firstborn:(T)

Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

Joel’s sons: his son Shemaiah,

his son Gog, his son Shimei,

his son Micah, his son Reaiah,

his son Baal, and his son Beerah.

Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites, and King Tiglath-pileser[p] of Assyria took him into exile. His relatives by their families as they are recorded in their family records:(U)

Jeiel the chief, Zechariah,

and Bela son of Azaz,

son of Shema, son of Joel.

They settled in Aroer(V) as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. They also settled in the east as far as the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates River, because their herds had increased in the land of Gilead.(W) 10 During Saul’s reign they waged war against the Hagrites,(X) who were defeated by their power. And they lived in their tents throughout the region east of Gilead.

Gad’s Descendants

11 The sons(Y) of Gad lived next to them in the land of Bashan as far as Salecah:(Z)

12 Joel the chief, Shapham the second in command, Janai, and Shaphat in Bashan.

13 Their relatives according to their ancestral houses: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven.

14 These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri,

son of Jaroah, son of Gilead,

son of Michael, son of Jeshishai,

son of Jahdo, son of Buz.

15 Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni, was head of their ancestral family.[q] 16 They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its surrounding villages, and throughout the pasturelands of Sharon.(AA) 17 All of them were registered in the genealogies during the reigns of Judah’s King Jotham(AB) and Israel’s King Jeroboam.(AC)

18 The descendants of Reuben and Gad and half the tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 warriors who could serve(AD) in the army—men who carried shield and sword, drew the bow, and were trained for war. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites,(AE) Jetur,(AF) Naphish, and Nodab. 20 They received help against these enemies because they cried out to God in battle, and the Hagrites and all their allies were handed over to them.(AG) He was receptive to their prayer because they trusted in him.(AH) 21 They captured the Hagrites’ livestock—fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep, and two thousand donkeys—as well as one hundred thousand people. 22 Many of the Hagrites were killed because it was God’s battle.(AI) And they lived there in the Hagrites’ place(AJ) until the exile.(AK)

Half the Tribe of Manasseh

23 The descendants of half the tribe of Manasseh settled in the land from Bashan to Baal-hermon (that is, Senir(AL) or Mount Hermon); they were numerous. 24 These were the heads of their ancestral families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were valiant warriors, famous men, and heads of their ancestral houses. 25 But they were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors. They prostituted themselves(AM) with the gods of the nations[r] God had destroyed before them.(AN) 26 So the God of Israel roused the spirit of King Pul(AO) (that is, Tiglath-pileser[s]) of Assyria, and he took the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and Gozan’s river, where they are until today.

Footnotes

  1. 3:6 Lit Elishama; 2Sm 5:15; 1Ch 14:5
  2. 3:11 Lit Joram
  3. 3:11 = The Lord is Exalted
  4. 3:21 LXX reads Jeshaiah, his son Rephaiah, his son Arnan, his son Obadiah, and his son Shecaniah
  5. 3:22 LXX; MT reads sons
  6. 4:3 LXX; MT reads father
  7. 4:7 Alt Hb tradition reads Izhar
  8. 4:8 Or Hazzobebah
  9. 4:9 In Hb, the name Jabez sounds like “he causes pain.”
  10. 4:10 Or not cause any pain
  11. 4:13 LXX, Vg; MT omits and Meonothai
  12. 4:14 Or the Ge-harashim
  13. 4:21 Lit house
  14. 4:22 Or who ruled over Moab
  15. 4:22 Tg, Vg; MT reads and Jashubi Lehem
  16. 5:6 LXX; MT reads Tilgath-pilneser
  17. 5:15 Lit the house of their fathers, also in v. 24
  18. 5:25 Lit the peoples of the land
  19. 5:26 LXX; MT reads Tilgath-pilneser

The Sons of David(A)(B)

These were the sons of David(C) born to him in Hebron:

The firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam(D) of Jezreel;(E)

the second, Daniel the son of Abigail(F) of Carmel;

the third, Absalom the son of Maakah daughter of Talmai king of Geshur;

the fourth, Adonijah(G) the son of Haggith;

the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.

These six were born to David in Hebron,(H) where he reigned seven years and six months.(I)

David reigned in Jerusalem thirty-three years, and these were the children born to him there:

Shammua,[a] Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. These four were by Bathsheba[b](J) daughter of Ammiel. There were also Ibhar, Elishua,[c] Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet—nine in all. All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar(K) was their sister.(L)

The Kings of Judah

10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam,(M)

Abijah(N) his son,

Asa(O) his son,

Jehoshaphat(P) his son,

11 Jehoram[d](Q) his son,

Ahaziah(R) his son,

Joash(S) his son,

12 Amaziah(T) his son,

Azariah(U) his son,

Jotham(V) his son,

13 Ahaz(W) his son,

Hezekiah(X) his son,

Manasseh(Y) his son,

14 Amon(Z) his son,

Josiah(AA) his son.

15 The sons of Josiah:

Johanan the firstborn,

Jehoiakim(AB) the second son,

Zedekiah(AC) the third,

Shallum(AD) the fourth.

16 The successors of Jehoiakim:

Jehoiachin[e](AE) his son,

and Zedekiah.(AF)

The Royal Line After the Exile

17 The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive:

Shealtiel(AG) his son, 18 Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar,(AH) Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah.(AI)

19 The sons of Pedaiah:

Zerubbabel(AJ) and Shimei.

The sons of Zerubbabel:

Meshullam and Hananiah.

Shelomith was their sister.

20 There were also five others:

Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah and Jushab-Hesed.

21 The descendants of Hananiah:

Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of Obadiah and of Shekaniah.

22 The descendants of Shekaniah:

Shemaiah and his sons:

Hattush,(AK) Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat—six in all.

23 The sons of Neariah:

Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam—three in all.

24 The sons of Elioenai:

Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah and Anani—seven in all.

Other Clans of Judah

The descendants of Judah:(AL)

Perez, Hezron,(AM) Karmi, Hur and Shobal.

Reaiah son of Shobal was the father of Jahath, and Jahath the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites.

These were the sons[f] of Etam:

Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash. Their sister was named Hazzelelponi. Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah.

These were the descendants of Hur,(AN) the firstborn of Ephrathah and father[g] of Bethlehem.(AO)

Ashhur(AP) the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah.

The sons of Helah:

Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan, and Koz, who was the father of Anub and Hazzobebah and of the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.

Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez,[h] saying, “I gave birth to him in pain.” 10 Jabez 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.

11 Kelub, 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.[i] These were the men of Rekah.

13 The sons of Kenaz:

Othniel(AQ) and Seraiah.

The sons of Othniel:

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

Seraiah was the father of Joab,

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

15 The sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh:

Iru, Elah and Naam.

The son of Elah:

Kenaz.

16 The sons of Jehallelel:

Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel.

17 The sons of Ezrah:

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

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

the father of Keilah(AT) the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maakathite.(AU)

20 The sons of Shimon:

Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan and Tilon.

The descendants of Ishi:

Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.

21 The sons of Shelah(AV) son of Judah:

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

Simeon(AW)

24 The descendants of Simeon:(AX)

Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib,(AY) Zerah and Shaul;

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

26 The descendants of Mishma:

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

27 Shimei 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. 28 They lived in Beersheba,(AZ) Moladah,(BA) Hazar Shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem,(BB) Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah,(BC) Ziklag,(BD) 31 Beth Markaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri and Shaaraim.(BE) These were their towns until the reign of David. 32 Their surrounding villages were Etam, Ain,(BF) Rimmon, Token and Ashan(BG)—five towns— 33 and all the villages around these towns as far as Baalath.[l] These were their settlements. And they kept a genealogical record.

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

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

41 The 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(BJ) who were there and completely destroyed[m] them, as is evident to this day. Then they settled in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks. 42 And five hundred of these Simeonites, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, invaded the hill country of Seir.(BK) 43 They killed the remaining Amalekites(BL) who had escaped, and they have lived there to this day.

Reuben

The sons of Reuben(BM) the firstborn of Israel (he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s marriage bed,(BN) his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph(BO) son of Israel;(BP) so he could not be listed in the genealogical record in accordance with his birthright,(BQ) and though Judah(BR) was the strongest of his brothers and a ruler(BS) came from him, the rights of the firstborn(BT) belonged to Joseph)— the sons of Reuben(BU) the firstborn of Israel:

Hanok, Pallu,(BV) Hezron(BW) and Karmi.

The descendants of Joel:

Shemaiah his son, Gog his son,

Shimei his son, Micah his son,

Reaiah his son, Baal his son,

and Beerah his son, whom Tiglath-Pileser[n](BX) king of Assyria took into exile. Beerah was a leader of the Reubenites.

Their relatives by clans,(BY) listed according to their genealogical records:

Jeiel the chief, Zechariah, and Bela son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel. They settled in the area from Aroer(BZ) to Nebo(CA) and Baal Meon.(CB) To the east they occupied the land up to the edge of the desert that extends to the Euphrates(CC) River, because their livestock had increased in Gilead.(CD)

10 During Saul’s reign they waged war against the Hagrites(CE), who were defeated at their hands; they occupied the dwellings of the Hagrites throughout the entire region east of Gilead.

Gad

11 The Gadites(CF) lived next to them in Bashan, as far as Salekah:(CG)

12 Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then Janai and Shaphat, in Bashan.

13 Their relatives, by families, were:

Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jakan, Zia and Eber—seven in all.

14 These were the sons of Abihail 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 son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was head of their family.

16 The Gadites lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its outlying villages, and on all the pasturelands of Sharon as far as they extended.

17 All these were entered in the genealogical records during the reigns of Jotham(CH) king of Judah and Jeroboam(CI) king of Israel.

18 The Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh had 44,760 men ready for military service(CJ)—able-bodied men who could handle shield and sword, who could use a bow, and who were trained for battle. 19 They waged war against the Hagrites, Jetur,(CK) Naphish and Nodab. 20 They were helped(CL) in fighting them, and God delivered the Hagrites and all their allies into their hands, because they cried(CM) out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers, because they trusted(CN) in him. 21 They seized the livestock of the Hagrites—fifty thousand camels, two hundred fifty thousand sheep and two thousand donkeys. They also took one hundred thousand people captive, 22 and many others fell slain, because the battle(CO) was God’s. And they occupied the land until the exile.(CP)

The Half-Tribe of Manasseh

23 The people of the half-tribe of Manasseh(CQ) were numerous; they settled in the land from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to Senir (Mount Hermon).(CR)

24 These were the heads of their families: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. They were brave warriors, famous men, and heads of their families. 25 But they were unfaithful(CS) to the God of their ancestors and prostituted(CT) themselves to the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. 26 So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit(CU) of Pul(CV) king of Assyria (that is, Tiglath-Pileser(CW) king of Assyria), who took the Reubenites, the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh into exile. He took them to Halah,(CX) Habor, Hara and the river of Gozan, where they are to this day.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 3:5 Hebrew Shimea, a variant of Shammua
  2. 1 Chronicles 3:5 One Hebrew manuscript and Vulgate (see also Septuagint and 2 Samuel 11:3); most Hebrew manuscripts Bathshua
  3. 1 Chronicles 3:6 Two Hebrew manuscripts (see also 2 Samuel 5:15 and 1 Chron. 14:5); most Hebrew manuscripts Elishama
  4. 1 Chronicles 3:11 Hebrew Joram, a variant of Jehoram
  5. 1 Chronicles 3:16 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 17
  6. 1 Chronicles 4:3 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Vulgate); Hebrew father
  7. 1 Chronicles 4:4 Father may mean civic leader or military leader; also in verses 12, 14, 17, 18 and possibly elsewhere.
  8. 1 Chronicles 4:9 Jabez sounds like the Hebrew for pain.
  9. 1 Chronicles 4:12 Or of the city of Nahash
  10. 1 Chronicles 4:13 Some Septuagint manuscripts and Vulgate; Hebrew does not have and Meonothai.
  11. 1 Chronicles 4:14 Ge Harashim means valley of skilled workers.
  12. 1 Chronicles 4:33 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Joshua 19:8); Hebrew Baal
  13. 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.
  14. 1 Chronicles 5:6 Hebrew Tilgath-Pilneser, a variant of Tiglath-Pileser; also in verse 26

BOOK III

(Psalms 73–89)

Psalm 73

God’s Ways Vindicated

A psalm of Asaph.(A)

God is indeed good to Israel,
to the pure in heart.(B)
But as for me, my feet almost slipped;
my steps nearly went astray.(C)
For I envied the arrogant;
I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(D)

They have an easy time until they die,[a]
and their bodies are well fed.[b](E)
They are not in trouble like others;
they are not afflicted like most people.(F)
Therefore, pride is their necklace,
and violence covers them like a garment.(G)
Their eyes bulge out from fatness;
the imaginations of their hearts run wild.(H)
They mock, and they speak maliciously;
they arrogantly threaten oppression.(I)
They set their mouths against heaven,
and their tongues strut across the earth.(J)
10 Therefore his people turn to them[c]
and drink in their overflowing words.[d](K)
11 The wicked say, “How can God know?
Does the Most High know everything?” (L)
12 Look at them—the wicked!
They are always at ease,
and they increase their wealth.(M)

13 Did I purify my heart
and wash my hands in innocence for nothing?(N)
14 For I am afflicted all day long
and punished every morning.(O)
15 If I had decided to say these things aloud,
I would have betrayed your people.[e](P)
16 When I tried to understand all this,
it seemed hopeless[f](Q)
17 until I entered God’s sanctuary.
Then I understood their destiny.(R)
18 Indeed, you put them in slippery places;
you make them fall into ruin.(S)
19 How suddenly they become a desolation!
They come to an end, swept away by terrors.(T)
20 Like one waking from a dream,
Lord, when arising, you will despise their image.(U)

21 When I became embittered
and my innermost being[g] was wounded,(V)
22 I was stupid and didn’t understand;
I was an unthinking animal toward you.(W)
23 Yet I am always with you;
you hold my right hand.(X)
24 You guide me with your counsel,
and afterward you will take me up in glory.[h](Y)
25 Who do I have in heaven but you?
And I desire nothing on earth but you.(Z)
26 My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength[i] of my heart,
my portion forever.(AA)
27 Those far from you will certainly perish;
you destroy all who are unfaithful to you.(AB)
28 But as for me, God’s presence is my good.
I have made the Lord God my refuge,
so I can tell about all you do.(AC)

Footnotes

  1. 73:4 Lit For there are no pangs to their death
  2. 73:4 Lit fat
  3. 73:10 Lit turn here
  4. 73:10 Lit and waters of fullness are drained by them
  5. 73:15 Lit betrayed the generation of your sons
  6. 73:16 Lit it was trouble in my eyes
  7. 73:21 Lit my kidneys
  8. 73:24 Or will receive me with honor
  9. 73:26 Lit rock

BOOK III

Psalms 73–89

Psalm 73

A psalm of Asaph.

Surely God is good to Israel,
    to those who are pure in heart.(A)

But as for me, my feet had almost slipped;(B)
    I had nearly lost my foothold.(C)
For I envied(D) the arrogant
    when I saw the prosperity of the wicked.(E)

They have no struggles;
    their bodies are healthy and strong.[a]
They are free(F) from common human burdens;
    they are not plagued by human ills.
Therefore pride(G) is their necklace;(H)
    they clothe themselves with violence.(I)
From their callous hearts(J) comes iniquity[b];
    their evil imaginations have no limits.
They scoff, and speak with malice;(K)
    with arrogance(L) they threaten oppression.(M)
Their mouths lay claim to heaven,
    and their tongues take possession of the earth.
10 Therefore their people turn to them
    and drink up waters in abundance.[c]
11 They say, “How would God know?
    Does the Most High know anything?”

12 This is what the wicked are like—
    always free of care,(N) they go on amassing wealth.(O)

13 Surely in vain(P) I have kept my heart pure
    and have washed my hands in innocence.(Q)
14 All day long I have been afflicted,(R)
    and every morning brings new punishments.

15 If I had spoken out like that,
    I would have betrayed your children.
16 When I tried to understand(S) all this,
    it troubled me deeply
17 till I entered the sanctuary(T) of God;
    then I understood their final destiny.(U)

18 Surely you place them on slippery ground;(V)
    you cast them down to ruin.(W)
19 How suddenly(X) are they destroyed,
    completely swept away(Y) by terrors!
20 They are like a dream(Z) when one awakes;(AA)
    when you arise, Lord,
    you will despise them as fantasies.(AB)

21 When my heart was grieved
    and my spirit embittered,
22 I was senseless(AC) and ignorant;
    I was a brute beast(AD) before you.

23 Yet I am always with you;
    you hold me by my right hand.(AE)
24 You guide(AF) me with your counsel,(AG)
    and afterward you will take me into glory.
25 Whom have I in heaven but you?(AH)
    And earth has nothing I desire besides you.(AI)
26 My flesh and my heart(AJ) may fail,(AK)
    but God is the strength(AL) of my heart
    and my portion(AM) forever.

27 Those who are far from you will perish;(AN)
    you destroy all who are unfaithful(AO) to you.
28 But as for me, it is good to be near God.(AP)
    I have made the Sovereign Lord my refuge;(AQ)
    I will tell of all your deeds.(AR)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 73:4 With a different word division of the Hebrew; Masoretic Text struggles at their death; / their bodies are healthy
  2. Psalm 73:7 Syriac (see also Septuagint); Hebrew Their eyes bulge with fat
  3. Psalm 73:10 The meaning of the Hebrew for this verse is uncertain.

Psalm 77

Confidence in a Time of Crisis

For the choir director: according to Jeduthun. Of Asaph.(A) A psalm.

I cry aloud to God,
aloud to God, and he will hear me.(B)
I sought the Lord in my day of trouble.
My hands were continually lifted up
all night long;
I refused to be comforted.(C)
I think of God; I groan;
I meditate; my spirit becomes weak.(D)Selah

You have kept me from closing my eyes;
I am troubled and cannot speak.(E)
I consider days of old,
years long past.(F)
At night I remember my music;
I meditate in my heart, and my spirit ponders.(G)

“Will the Lord reject forever
and never again show favor?(H)
Has his faithful love ceased forever?
Is his promise at an end for all generations?(I)
Has God forgotten to be gracious?
Has he in anger withheld his compassion?” (J)Selah

10 So I say, “I am grieved
that the right hand of the Most High has changed.”[a](K)
11 I will remember the Lord’s works;
yes, I will remember your ancient wonders.(L)
12 I will reflect on all you have done
and meditate on your actions.(M)

13 God, your way is holy.
What god is great like God?(N)
14 You are the God who works wonders;
you revealed your strength among the peoples.(O)
15 With power you redeemed your people,
the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.(P)Selah

16 The water saw you, God.
The water saw you; it trembled.
Even the depths shook.(Q)
17 The clouds poured down water.
The storm clouds thundered;
your arrows flashed back and forth.(R)
18 The sound of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
lightning lit up the world.(S)
The earth shook and quaked.(T)
19 Your way went through the sea
and your path through the vast water,
but your footprints were unseen.(U)
20 You led your people like a flock(V)
by the hand of Moses and Aaron.(W)

Psalm 78

Lessons from Israel’s Past

A Maskil of Asaph.(X)

My people, hear my instruction;
listen to the words from my mouth.(Y)
I will declare wise sayings;
I will speak mysteries from the past(Z)
things we have heard and known
and that our ancestors have passed down to us.(AA)
We will not hide them from their children,
but will tell a future generation
the praiseworthy acts of the Lord,
his might, and the wondrous works
he has performed.(AB)
He established a testimony in Jacob
and set up a law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
to teach to their children(AC)
so that a future generation—
children yet to be born—might know.
They were to rise and tell their children(AD)
so that they might put their confidence in God
and not forget God’s works,
but keep his commands.(AE)
Then they would not be like their ancestors,
a stubborn and rebellious generation,
a generation whose heart was not loyal
and whose spirit was not faithful to God.(AF)

The Ephraimite archers turned back
on the day of battle.(AG)
10 They did not keep God’s covenant
and refused to live by his law.(AH)
11 They forgot what he had done,
the wondrous works he had shown them.(AI)
12 He worked wonders in the sight of their ancestors
in the land of Egypt, the territory of Zoan.(AJ)
13 He split the sea and brought them across;
the water stood firm like a wall.(AK)
14 He led them with a cloud by day
and with a fiery light throughout the night.(AL)
15 He split rocks in the wilderness
and gave them drink as abundant as the depths.(AM)
16 He brought streams out of the stone
and made water flow down like rivers.(AN)

17 But they continued to sin against him,
rebelling in the desert against the Most High.(AO)
18 They deliberately[b] tested God,
demanding the food they craved.(AP)
19 They spoke against God, saying,
“Is God able to provide food in the wilderness?
20 Look! He struck the rock and water gushed out;
torrents overflowed.(AQ)
But can he also provide bread
or furnish meat for his people?” (AR)
21 Therefore, the Lord heard and became furious;
then fire broke out against Jacob,
and anger flared up against Israel(AS)
22 because they did not believe God
or rely on his salvation.(AT)
23 He gave a command to the clouds above
and opened the doors of heaven.(AU)
24 He rained manna for them to eat;
he gave them grain from heaven.(AV)
25 People[c] ate the bread of angels.[d]
He sent them an abundant supply of food.(AW)
26 He made the east wind blow in the skies
and drove the south wind by his might.(AX)
27 He rained meat on them like dust,
and winged birds like the sand of the seas.
28 He made them fall in the camp,
all around the tents.(AY)
29 The people ate and were completely satisfied,
for he gave them what they craved.(AZ)
30 Before they had turned from what they craved,
while the food was still in their mouths,
31 God’s anger flared up against them,
and he killed some of their best men.
He struck down Israel’s fit young men.(BA)

32 Despite all this, they kept sinning
and did not believe his wondrous works.(BB)
33 He made their days end in futility,
their years in sudden disaster.(BC)
34 When he killed some of them,
the rest began to seek him;
they repented and searched for God.(BD)
35 They remembered that God was their rock,
the Most High God, their Redeemer.(BE)
36 But they deceived him with their mouths,
they lied to him with their tongues,(BF)
37 their hearts were insincere toward him,
and they were unfaithful to his covenant.(BG)
38 Yet he was compassionate;
he atoned for their iniquity
and did not destroy them.
He often turned his anger aside
and did not unleash[e] all his wrath.(BH)
39 He remembered that they were only flesh,
a wind that passes and does not return.(BI)

40 How often they rebelled against him
in the wilderness
and grieved him in the desert.
41 They constantly tested God(BJ)
and provoked the Holy One of Israel.(BK)
42 They did not remember his power shown
on the day he redeemed them from the foe,(BL)
43 when he performed his miraculous signs in Egypt
and his wonders in the territory of Zoan.(BM)
44 He turned their rivers into blood,
and they could not drink from their streams.(BN)
45 He sent among them swarms of flies,(BO)
which fed on them,
and frogs, which devastated them.(BP)
46 He gave their crops to the caterpillar
and the fruit of their labor to the locust.(BQ)
47 He killed their vines with hail
and their sycamore fig trees with a flood.
48 He handed over their livestock to hail
and their cattle to lightning bolts.(BR)
49 He sent his burning anger against them:
fury, indignation, and calamity—
a band of deadly messengers.[f](BS)
50 He cleared a path for his anger.
He did not spare them from death
but delivered their lives to the plague.(BT)
51 He struck all the firstborn(BU) in Egypt,
the first progeny of the tents of Ham.(BV)
52 He led his people out like sheep
and guided them like a flock in the wilderness.(BW)
53 He led them safely, and they were not afraid;
but the sea covered their enemies.(BX)
54 He brought them to his holy territory,
to the mountain his right hand acquired.(BY)
55 He drove out nations before them.(BZ)
He apportioned their inheritance by lot
and settled the tribes of Israel in their tents.(CA)

56 But they rebelliously tested the Most High God,
for they did not keep his decrees.(CB)
57 They treacherously turned away like their ancestors;
they became warped like a faulty bow.(CC)
58 They enraged him with their high places
and provoked his jealousy with their carved images.(CD)
59 God heard and became furious;
he completely rejected Israel.(CE)
60 He abandoned the tabernacle at Shiloh,
the tent where he resided among mankind.(CF)
61 He gave up his strength to captivity
and his splendor to the hand of a foe.(CG)
62 He surrendered his people to the sword
because he was enraged with his heritage.(CH)
63 Fire consumed his chosen young men,
and his young women had no wedding songs.[g](CI)
64 His priests fell by the sword,
and the widows could not lament.(CJ)

65 The Lord awoke as if from sleep,
like a warrior from the effects of wine.(CK)
66 He beat back his foes;
he gave them lasting disgrace.(CL)
67 He rejected the tent of Joseph
and did not choose the tribe of Ephraim.
68 He chose instead the tribe of Judah,
Mount Zion, which he loved.(CM)
69 He built his sanctuary like the heights,
like the earth that he established forever.(CN)
70 He chose David his servant
and took him from the sheep pens;(CO)
71 he brought him from tending ewes
to be shepherd over his people Jacob—
over Israel, his inheritance.(CP)
72 He shepherded them with a pure heart
and guided them with his skillful hands.(CQ)

Footnotes

  1. 77:10 Hb obscure
  2. 78:18 Lit in their heart
  3. 78:25 Lit Man
  4. 78:25 Lit mighty ones
  5. 78:38 Or stir up
  6. 78:49 Or angels
  7. 78:63 Lit virgins were not praised

Psalm 77[a]

For the director of music. For Jeduthun. Of Asaph. A psalm.

I cried out to God(A) for help;
    I cried out to God to hear me.
When I was in distress,(B) I sought the Lord;
    at night(C) I stretched out untiring hands,(D)
    and I would not be comforted.(E)

I remembered(F) you, God, and I groaned;(G)
    I meditated, and my spirit grew faint.[b](H)
You kept my eyes from closing;
    I was too troubled to speak.(I)
I thought about the former days,(J)
    the years of long ago;
I remembered my songs in the night.
    My heart meditated and my spirit asked:

“Will the Lord reject forever?(K)
    Will he never show his favor(L) again?
Has his unfailing love(M) vanished forever?
    Has his promise(N) failed for all time?
Has God forgotten to be merciful?(O)
    Has he in anger withheld his compassion?(P)

10 Then I thought, “To this I will appeal:
    the years when the Most High stretched out his right hand.(Q)
11 I will remember the deeds of the Lord;
    yes, I will remember your miracles(R) of long ago.
12 I will consider(S) all your works
    and meditate on all your mighty deeds.”(T)

13 Your ways, God, are holy.
    What god is as great as our God?(U)
14 You are the God who performs miracles;(V)
    you display your power among the peoples.
15 With your mighty arm you redeemed your people,(W)
    the descendants of Jacob and Joseph.

16 The waters(X) saw you, God,
    the waters saw you and writhed;(Y)
    the very depths were convulsed.
17 The clouds poured down water,(Z)
    the heavens resounded with thunder;(AA)
    your arrows(AB) flashed back and forth.
18 Your thunder was heard in the whirlwind,(AC)
    your lightning(AD) lit up the world;
    the earth trembled and quaked.(AE)
19 Your path(AF) led through the sea,(AG)
    your way through the mighty waters,
    though your footprints were not seen.

20 You led your people(AH) like a flock(AI)
    by the hand of Moses and Aaron.(AJ)

Psalm 78

A maskil[c] of Asaph.

My people, hear my teaching;(AK)
    listen to the words of my mouth.
I will open my mouth with a parable;(AL)
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old—
things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us.(AM)
We will not hide them from their descendants;(AN)
    we will tell the next generation(AO)
the praiseworthy deeds(AP) of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders(AQ) he has done.
He decreed statutes(AR) for Jacob(AS)
    and established the law in Israel,
which he commanded our ancestors
    to teach their children,
so the next generation would know them,
    even the children yet to be born,(AT)
    and they in turn would tell their children.
Then they would put their trust in God
    and would not forget(AU) his deeds
    but would keep his commands.(AV)
They would not be like their ancestors(AW)
    a stubborn(AX) and rebellious(AY) generation,
whose hearts were not loyal to God,
    whose spirits were not faithful to him.

The men of Ephraim, though armed with bows,(AZ)
    turned back on the day of battle;(BA)
10 they did not keep God’s covenant(BB)
    and refused to live by his law.(BC)
11 They forgot what he had done,(BD)
    the wonders he had shown them.
12 He did miracles(BE) in the sight of their ancestors
    in the land of Egypt,(BF) in the region of Zoan.(BG)
13 He divided the sea(BH) and led them through;
    he made the water stand up like a wall.(BI)
14 He guided them with the cloud by day
    and with light from the fire all night.(BJ)
15 He split the rocks(BK) in the wilderness
    and gave them water as abundant as the seas;
16 he brought streams out of a rocky crag
    and made water flow down like rivers.

17 But they continued to sin(BL) against him,
    rebelling in the wilderness against the Most High.
18 They willfully put God to the test(BM)
    by demanding the food they craved.(BN)
19 They spoke against God;(BO)
    they said, “Can God really
    spread a table in the wilderness?
20 True, he struck the rock,
    and water gushed out,(BP)
    streams flowed abundantly,
but can he also give us bread?
    Can he supply meat(BQ) for his people?”
21 When the Lord heard them, he was furious;
    his fire broke out(BR) against Jacob,
    and his wrath rose against Israel,
22 for they did not believe in God
    or trust(BS) in his deliverance.
23 Yet he gave a command to the skies above
    and opened the doors of the heavens;(BT)
24 he rained down manna(BU) for the people to eat,
    he gave them the grain of heaven.
25 Human beings ate the bread of angels;
    he sent them all the food they could eat.
26 He let loose the east wind(BV) from the heavens
    and by his power made the south wind blow.
27 He rained meat down on them like dust,
    birds(BW) like sand on the seashore.
28 He made them come down inside their camp,
    all around their tents.
29 They ate till they were gorged—(BX)
    he had given them what they craved.
30 But before they turned from what they craved,
    even while the food was still in their mouths,(BY)
31 God’s anger rose against them;
    he put to death the sturdiest(BZ) among them,
    cutting down the young men of Israel.

32 In spite of all this, they kept on sinning;(CA)
    in spite of his wonders,(CB) they did not believe.(CC)
33 So he ended their days in futility(CD)
    and their years in terror.
34 Whenever God slew them, they would seek(CE) him;
    they eagerly turned to him again.
35 They remembered that God was their Rock,(CF)
    that God Most High was their Redeemer.(CG)
36 But then they would flatter him with their mouths,(CH)
    lying to him with their tongues;
37 their hearts were not loyal(CI) to him,
    they were not faithful to his covenant.
38 Yet he was merciful;(CJ)
    he forgave(CK) their iniquities(CL)
    and did not destroy them.
Time after time he restrained his anger(CM)
    and did not stir up his full wrath.
39 He remembered that they were but flesh,(CN)
    a passing breeze(CO) that does not return.

40 How often they rebelled(CP) against him in the wilderness(CQ)
    and grieved him(CR) in the wasteland!
41 Again and again they put God to the test;(CS)
    they vexed the Holy One of Israel.(CT)
42 They did not remember(CU) his power—
    the day he redeemed them from the oppressor,(CV)
43 the day he displayed his signs(CW) in Egypt,
    his wonders(CX) in the region of Zoan.
44 He turned their river into blood;(CY)
    they could not drink from their streams.
45 He sent swarms of flies(CZ) that devoured them,
    and frogs(DA) that devastated them.
46 He gave their crops to the grasshopper,(DB)
    their produce to the locust.(DC)
47 He destroyed their vines with hail(DD)
    and their sycamore-figs with sleet.
48 He gave over their cattle to the hail,
    their livestock(DE) to bolts of lightning.
49 He unleashed against them his hot anger,(DF)
    his wrath, indignation and hostility—
    a band of destroying angels.(DG)
50 He prepared a path for his anger;
    he did not spare them from death
    but gave them over to the plague.
51 He struck down all the firstborn of Egypt,(DH)
    the firstfruits of manhood in the tents of Ham.(DI)
52 But he brought his people out like a flock;(DJ)
    he led them like sheep through the wilderness.
53 He guided them safely, so they were unafraid;
    but the sea engulfed(DK) their enemies.(DL)
54 And so he brought them to the border of his holy land,
    to the hill country his right hand(DM) had taken.
55 He drove out nations(DN) before them
    and allotted their lands to them as an inheritance;(DO)
    he settled the tribes of Israel in their homes.

56 But they put God to the test
    and rebelled against the Most High;
    they did not keep his statutes.
57 Like their ancestors(DP) they were disloyal and faithless,
    as unreliable as a faulty bow.(DQ)
58 They angered him(DR) with their high places;(DS)
    they aroused his jealousy with their idols.(DT)
59 When God heard(DU) them, he was furious;(DV)
    he rejected Israel(DW) completely.
60 He abandoned the tabernacle of Shiloh,(DX)
    the tent he had set up among humans.(DY)
61 He sent the ark of his might(DZ) into captivity,(EA)
    his splendor into the hands of the enemy.
62 He gave his people over to the sword;(EB)
    he was furious with his inheritance.(EC)
63 Fire consumed(ED) their young men,
    and their young women had no wedding songs;(EE)
64 their priests were put to the sword,(EF)
    and their widows could not weep.

65 Then the Lord awoke as from sleep,(EG)
    as a warrior wakes from the stupor of wine.
66 He beat back his enemies;
    he put them to everlasting shame.(EH)
67 Then he rejected the tents of Joseph,
    he did not choose the tribe of Ephraim;(EI)
68 but he chose the tribe of Judah,(EJ)
    Mount Zion,(EK) which he loved.
69 He built his sanctuary(EL) like the heights,
    like the earth that he established forever.
70 He chose David(EM) his servant
    and took him from the sheep pens;
71 from tending the sheep(EN) he brought him
    to be the shepherd(EO) of his people Jacob,
    of Israel his inheritance.
72 And David shepherded them with integrity of heart;(EP)
    with skillful hands he led them.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 77:1 In Hebrew texts 77:1-20 is numbered 77:2-21.
  2. Psalm 77:3 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verses 9 and 15.
  3. Psalm 78:1 Title: Probably a literary or musical term