1 Chronicles 4
New Life Version
The Family of Judah
4 The sons of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal. 2 Shobal’s son Reaiah was the father of Jahath. And Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. 3 The sons of Etam were Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash. The name of their sister was Hazzelelponi. 4 Penuel was the father of Gedor. Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the sons of Hur, the first-born of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem. 5 Tekoa’s father Ashhur had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6 Naarah gave birth to Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These 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 families of Aharhel the son of Harum. 9 Jabez was more a man of honor than his brothers. His mother gave him the name Jabez, saying, “Because I gave birth to him in pain.” 10 Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, “O, if only You would bring good to me and give me more land! If only Your hand might be with me, that You would keep me from being hurt!” And God gave him what he asked for.
11 Shuhah’s brother Chelub was the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. 12 Eshton was the father of Beth-rapha and Paseah. Tehinnah was the father of Irnahash. These are the men of Recah.
13 The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel’s son was Hathath. 14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, who was the father of Ge-harashim. They were good at making things. 15 Jephunneh’s son Caleb was the father of Iru, Elah and Naam. Elah’s son was Kenaz. 16 The sons of Jehallel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel. 17 The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. These are the sons of Pharaoh’s daughter Bithia, whom Mered married. She gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. 18 Mered’s Jewish 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, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. 20 Shimon’s sons were Amnon, Rinnah, Benhanan and Tilon. The sons 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 families of the house of those who worked with linen at Bethashbea. 22 Shelah’s other sons were Jokim, the men of Cozeba, Joash, Saraph who ruled in Moab, and Jaashubi-lehem. The writings of these times are old. 23 These were the people who made pots and lived in Netaim and Gederah. They lived there with the king for his work.
The Family of Simeon
24 The sons of Simeon were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Saul. 25 Saul’s son was Shallum. His son was Mibsam. And his son was Mishma. 26 Mishma’s sons were Hammuel, Zaccur his son, and Shimei his son. 27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters. But his brothers did not have many children. Their whole family did not have many children, like the sons of Judah. 28 They lived at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their cities until David ruled. 32 Their towns were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen and Ashan, five towns. 33 And they had all the small towns that were around these towns as far as Baal. These were the places where they lived. And they wrote down all the names of their families. 34 The heads of their families were Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah, 35 Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel. 36 And there were 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 heads of their families. And many were added to their fathers’ houses. 39 They went to the gate of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, to look for fields for their flocks. 40 There they found good fields rich with grass. The land was wide and quiet, and there they had peace. For Hamites had lived there before. 41 These whose names have been written down came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah. They destroyed their tents and the Meunites who were found there. They destroyed all of them to this day, and lived in their place because there were fields for their flocks. 42 Then some of them, 500 sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir. Their leaders were Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. 43 They destroyed the rest of the Amalekites who had run away to be safe. And they have lived there to this day.
1 Chronicles 4
Good News Translation
The Descendants of Judah
4 These are some of the descendants of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. 2 Shobal was the father of Reaiah, who was the father of Jahath, the father of Ahumai and Lahad, the ancestors of the people who lived in Zorah.
3-4 Hur was the oldest son of his father Caleb's wife Ephrath, and his descendants founded the city of Bethlehem. Hur had three sons: Etam, Penuel, and Ezer. Etam had three sons:[a] Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, and one daughter, Hazzelelponi. Penuel founded the city of Gedor, and Ezer founded Hushah.
5 Ashhur, who founded the town of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6 He and Naarah had four sons: Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. 7 Ashhur and Helah had three sons: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.
8 Koz was the father of Anub and Zobebah, and the ancestor of the clans descended from Aharhel son of Harum.
9 There was a man named Jabez, who was the most respected member of his family. His mother had given him the name Jabez,[b] because his birth had been very painful. 10 But Jabez prayed to the God of Israel, “Bless me, God, and give me much land. Be with me and keep me from anything evil that might cause me pain.” And God gave him what he prayed for.
Other Family Lists
11 Caleb, the brother of Shuhah, had a son, Mehir. Mehir was the father of Eshton, 12 who had three sons: Bethrapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah. Tehinnah was the founder of the city of Nahash. The descendants of these men lived in Recah.
13 Kenaz had two sons, Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel also had two sons, Hathath and Meonothai.[c] 14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah.
Seraiah was the father of Joab, the founder of Handcraft Valley, where all the people were skilled workers.
15 Caleb son of Jephunneh had three sons: Iru, Elah, and Naam. And Elah was the father of Kenaz.
16 Jehallelel had four sons: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17-18 Ezrah had four sons: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered married Bithiah, a daughter of the king of Egypt, and they had a daughter, Miriam, and two sons, Shammai and Ishbah. Ishbah founded the town of Eshtemoa. Mered also married a woman from the tribe of Judah, and they had three sons: Jered, who founded the town of Gedor; Heber, founder of the town of Soco; and Jekuthiel, founder of the town of Zanoah.
19 Hodiah married the sister of Naham. Their descendants founded the clan of Garm, which lived in the town of Keilah, and the clan of Maacath, which lived in the town of Eshtemoa.[d]
20 Shimon had four sons: Amnon, Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon.
Ishi had two sons: Zoheth and Benzoheth.
The Descendants of Shelah
21 Shelah was one of Judah's sons. His descendants included Er, who founded the town of Lecah; Laadah, founder of the town of Mareshah; the clan of linen weavers, who lived in the town of Beth Ashbea; 22 Jokim and the people who lived in the town of Cozeba; and Joash and Saraph, who married Moabite women and then settled in Bethlehem.[e] (These traditions are very old.) 23 They were potters in the service of the king and lived in the towns of Netaim and Gederah.
The Descendants of Simeon
24 Simeon had five sons: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul. 25 Shaul's son was Shallum, his grandson was Mibsam, and his great-grandson was Mishma. 26 Then from Mishma the line descended through Hammuel, Zaccur, and Shimei. 27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his relatives had fewer children, and the tribe of Simeon did not grow as much as the tribe of Judah did.
28 (A)Down to the time of King David the descendants of Simeon lived in the following towns: Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazarsusim, Bethbiri, and Shaaraim. 32 They also lived in five other places: Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, 33 and the surrounding villages, as far southwest as the town of Baalath. These are the records which they kept of their families and of the places where they lived.
34-38 The following men were the heads of their clans:
Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, Joel,
Jehu (the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel),
Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah,
Ziza (the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, a descendant of Jedaiah, Shimri, and Shemaiah).
Because their families continued to grow, 39 they spread out westward almost to Gerar[f] and pastured their sheep on the eastern side of the valley in which that city is located. 40 They found plenty of fertile pasture lands there in a stretch of open country that was quiet and peaceful. The people who had lived there before were Hamites.
41 In the time of King Hezekiah of Judah, the men named above went to Gerar and destroyed the tents and huts of the people who lived there.[g] They drove the people out and settled there permanently because there was plenty of pasture for their sheep. 42 Five hundred other members of the tribe of Simeon went east to Edom. They were led by the sons of Ishi: Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel. 43 There they killed the surviving Amalekites, and they have lived there ever since.
Footnotes
- 1 Chronicles 4:3 Some ancient translations sons; Hebrew fathers.
- 1 Chronicles 4:9 This name sounds like the Hebrew for “pain.”
- 1 Chronicles 4:13 Some ancient translations Meonothai; Hebrew does not have this name.
- 1 Chronicles 4:19 Verse 19 in Hebrew is unclear.
- 1 Chronicles 4:22 Probable text settled in Bethlehem; Hebrew unclear.
- 1 Chronicles 4:39 Some ancient translations Gerar; Hebrew Gedor.
- 1 Chronicles 4:41 the tents and huts … there; or the tents of the people who lived there, and the Meunites also.
Copyright © 1969, 2003 by Barbour Publishing, Inc.
Good News Translation® (Today’s English Version, Second Edition) © 1992 American Bible Society. All rights reserved. For more information about GNT, visit www.bibles.com and www.gnt.bible.
