Simeon’s Descendants

²⁴ The descendants of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, Shaul, ²⁵ his son Shallum, his son Mibsam, and his son Mishma.

²⁶ The descendants of Mishma: 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 sons, so their whole clan was not as numerous as the sons of Judah. 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 towns until the reign of David. ³² Their settlements also included Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five towns, ³³ along with all their settlements that surrounded these towns as far as Baal.^[a] These were the places where they lived; they kept genealogical records.

³⁴ Their clan leaders were:^[b] Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, ³⁵ Joel, Jehu son of Joshibiah (son of Seraiah, son of Asiel), ³⁶ Eleoenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, ³⁷ Ziza son of Shipi (son of Allon, son of Jedaiah, son of Shimri, son of Shemaiah). ³⁸ These who are named above were the leaders of their clans.

Their extended families increased greatly in numbers. ³⁹ They went to the entrance of Gedor, to the east of the valley, looking for pasture for their sheep. ⁴⁰ They found fertile and rich pasture; the land was very broad, undisturbed and peaceful. Indeed some Hamites had been living there before that. ⁴¹ The men whose names are listed came during the time of King Hezekiah of Judah and attacked the Hamites’ settlements,^[c] as well as the Meunites they discovered there, and they wiped them out, as can be seen to this very day. They dispossessed them,^[d] for they found pasture for their sheep there. ⁴² Five hundred men of Simeon, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, went to the hill country of Seir ⁴³ and defeated the rest of the Amalekite refugees;^[e] they live there to this very day.