⁵ Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah. ⁶ Naarah bore him Ahuzam, Hepher, Timeni and Ahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.

⁷ The sons of Helah:

Zereth, Zohar and Ethnan.

⁸ Koz fathered Anub and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel, the son of Harum.

Prayer of Jabez

⁹ Now Jabez was more honorable than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez saying, “Because I bore him with pain.” ¹⁰ Jabez called out to the God of Israel, saying, “If only You would greatly bless me, and enlarge my territory. Let Your hand be with me and keep me from harm so that I might not suffer pain.” Adonai granted what he asked.

Other Descendants of Judah

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

¹³ The sons of Kenaz:

Othniel and Seraiah.

The sons of Othniel:

Hatath ¹⁴ and Meonothai, who fathered Ophrah.

Seraiah fathered Joab, the father of Ge-harashim^[a], for they were craftsmen.

¹⁵ The sons of Caleb, son of Jephunneh:

Iru, Elah and Naam.

The son of Elah:

Kenaz.

¹⁶ The sons of Jehallelel:

Ziph, Ziphah, Tiriah and Asarel.

¹⁷ The sons of Ezrah:

Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. She also bore Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. ¹⁸ (His Judahite wife bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soho and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) These were the sons of Bithiah, Pharaoh’s daughter whom Mered married.

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

the father of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.

²⁰ The sons of Shimon:

Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan and Tilon.

The sons of Ishi:

Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.

²¹ The sons of Shelah, son of Judah:

Er the father of Lecah, Ladah the father of Mareshah, the families of the linen workers at Beth-ashbea, ²² and Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who had dominion in Moab and Jashubi-lehem (the records are ancient). ²³ These were the potters and those who lived in Netaim and Gederah; they lived there while doing the king’s work.

Descendants of Simeon

²⁴ The sons of Simeon:

Nemuel, Jamim, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul, ²⁵ his son Shallum, his son Mibsam, and his son Mishma.

²⁶ The descendants of Mishma:

Hammuel, Zaccur his son and Shimei his son. ²⁷ Now Shimei had 16 sons and six daughters. But his brothers did not have many sons, so their family did not become as numerous as the sons of Judah. ²⁸ They dwelt 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 towns until the reign of David, ³² together with their villages, Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen and Ashan—five in all, ³³ along with all the villages that surrounded these towns as far as Baal. These were their habitations.

Registered in their genealogical records were: ³⁴ Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah, ³⁵ Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah, son of Seraiah, son of Asiel, ³⁶ Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshoaiah, 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, and their clans increased greatly. ³⁹ Now they went to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. ⁴⁰ They found rich and good pasture, and the land was spacious, quiet, and peaceful. The former inhabitants were Hamites. ⁴¹ Now those whose names are recorded came during the days of King Hezekiah of Judah. They attacked the encampments of the Hamites, as well as the Meunim who were found there, and utterly wiped them out to this very day. They settled in their place because there was pasture there for their flocks. ⁴² About 500 of them from the descendants of Simeon, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, went to Mount Seir ⁴³ where they struck down the remaining Amalekites who had escaped, and they live there to this day.

Descendants of Reuben

5 The sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—he was the firstborn, but when he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph son of Israel—so he is not reckoned as the firstborn in the genealogical record. ² Though Judah was the strongest among his brothers, and a ruler came from him,^[b] the birthright belonged to Joseph.

³ The sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel:

Enoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.

⁴ The descendants of Joel:

his son Shemaiah, his son Gog, his son Shimei, ⁵ his son Micah, his son Reaiah, his son Baal ⁶ and his son Beerah whom Tillegath-pilneser king of Assyria carried into exile. He was the leader of the Reubenites.

⁷ His kinsmen by their families, as listed in their genealogical records:

the leader Jeiel, Zechariah, ⁸ and Bela son of Azaz, son of Shema, son of Joel.

They settled in Aroer as far as Nebo and Baal-meon, ⁹ while in the east they settled as far as the entrance of the wilderness from this side of the river Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead. ¹⁰ Now in the days of Saul they had made war with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand. So they lived in their encampments in the entire eastern area of Gilead.

¹¹ Now the sons of Gad lived opposite them in the land of Bashan as far as Salcah:

¹² Joel the leader, Shapham second, then Janai and Shaphat in Bashan. ¹³ Their kinsmen according to their ancestral families: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia and Eber—seven in all.

¹⁴ These were the sons of Abihail son of Huri, son of Jaroah, son of Gilead, son of Michael, son of Jehishai, son of Jahdo, son of Buz. ¹⁵ Ahi son of Abdiel, son of Guni was leader of their ancestral families. ¹⁶ They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and its surrounding villages, and in all the pasturelands of Sharon, up to their borders. ¹⁷ All these were recorded by genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam king of Israel.

Appeal to Caesar

25 Three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. ² There the ruling kohanim and the leading Judeans brought charges against Paul. They were urging him, ³ asking a favor—to have Paul sent to Jerusalem, planning an ambush to kill him on the road.

⁴ Festus then answered that Paul was being guarded at Caesarea, and that he himself was about to go there shortly. ⁵ “So then,” he said, “let the prominent men among you go down with me; and if there is any wrong in the man, let them accuse him.”

⁶ After spending not more than eight to ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea. The next day, he sat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought in. ⁷ When he arrived, the Judeans who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing against him many serious charges which they could not prove.

⁸ Paul said in his defense, “I have committed no offense against the Torah of the Jewish people, or against the Temple, or against Caesar.”

⁹ But Festus, wanting to do the Jewish leaders a favor, said to Paul, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem to be tried before me?”

¹⁰ But Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done no wrong to the Judeans, as you very well know. ¹¹ If then I am in the wrong and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not seek to escape death. But if there is nothing to their charges, no one can turn me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!”

¹² Then when Festus had consulted with the council, he responded, “You have appealed to Caesar—to Caesar you shall go!”

Festus Seeks Agrippa’s Counsel

¹³ Now after several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. ¹⁴ While they were staying there several days, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man left behind as a prisoner by Felix. ¹⁵ When I was in Jerusalem, the ruling kohanim and elders of the Judeans brought charges against him, asking for a judgment against him. ¹⁶ I answered them that it is not Roman practice to turn over anyone before the accused meets his accusers face to face and has an opportunity to make his defense concerning the charges. ¹⁷ So when they came together here, I did not delay, but on the next day sat on the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought in. ¹⁸ When the accusers stood up, they were not bringing a charge of what crimes I suspected. ¹⁹ Instead, they had certain issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Yeshua, who had died, whom Paul claimed to be alive.

²⁰ “Since I was at a loss as to how to investigate these matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem to be tried there in regard to them. ²¹ But when Paul appealed to be held in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.”

²² Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.”

“Tomorrow,” he said, “you shall hear him.”

²³ So on the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with great pageantry. They entered the audience hall with the commanders and the most prominent men of the city. Then at the order of Festus, Paul was brought in.

²⁴ Festus said, “King Agrippa and all present with us, you see this man about whom the whole Judean population petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting out that he ought not live any longer. ²⁵ But I found that he had done nothing deserving of death; and when he himself appealed to His Majesty the Emperor, I decided to send him. ²⁶ Yet I have nothing specific to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you—and especially before you, King Agrippa—so that after the investigation has taken place, I might have something to write. ²⁷ For it seems illogical to me when sending a prisoner, not to report also the charges against him.”

Morning Prayer for Justice

Psalm 5