Judah Overrun by Enemies

24 In ^(A)his days Nebuchadnezzar king of ^(B)Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his vassal for three years. Then he turned and rebelled against him. ^2 (C)And the Lord sent against him raiding ^[a]bands of Chaldeans, bands of Syrians, bands of Moabites, and bands of the people of Ammon; He sent them against Judah to destroy it, ^(D)according to the word of the Lord which He had spoken by His servants the prophets. ³ Surely at the commandment of the Lord this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight ^(E)because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, ^4 (F)and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the Lord would not pardon.

⁵ Now the rest of the acts of Jehoiakim, and all that he did, are they not written in the book of the chronicles of the kings of Judah? ^6 (G)So Jehoiakim rested with his fathers. Then Jehoiachin his son reigned in his place.

⁷ And ^(H)the king of Egypt did not come out of his land anymore, for ^(I)the king of Babylon had taken all that belonged to the king of Egypt from the Brook of Egypt to the River Euphrates.

The Reign and Captivity of Jehoiachin^(J)

^8 (K)Jehoiachin^[b] was eighteen years old when he became king, and he reigned in Jerusalem three months. His mother’s name was Nehushta the daughter of Elnathan of Jerusalem. ⁹ And he did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that his father had done.

^10 (L)At that time the servants of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up against Jerusalem, and the city ^[c]was besieged. ¹¹ And Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came against the city, as his servants were besieging it. ^12 (M)Then Jehoiachin king of Judah, his mother, his servants, his princes, and his officers went out to the king of Babylon; and the king of Babylon, ^(N)in the eighth year of his reign, took him prisoner.

The Captivity of Jerusalem

^13 (O)And he carried out from there all the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king’s house, and he ^(P)cut in pieces all the articles of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the temple of the Lord, ^(Q)as the Lord had said. ¹⁴ Also ^(R)he carried into captivity all Jerusalem: all the captains and all the mighty men of valor, ^(S)ten thousand captives, and ^(T)all the craftsmen and smiths. None remained except ^(U)the poorest people of the land. ¹⁵ And ^(V)he carried Jehoiachin captive to Babylon. The king’s mother, the king’s wives, his officers, and the mighty of the land he carried into captivity from Jerusalem to Babylon. ^16 (W)All the valiant men, seven thousand, and craftsmen and smiths, one thousand, all who were strong and fit for war, these the king of Babylon brought captive to Babylon.

Zedekiah Reigns in Judah^(X)

¹⁷ Then ^(Y)the king of Babylon made Mattaniah, ^(Z)Jehoiachin’s^[d] uncle, king in his place, and ^(AA)changed his name to Zedekiah.

^18 (AB)Zedekiah was twenty-one years old when he became king, and he reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. His mother’s name was ^(AC)Hamutal the daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. ^19 (AD)He also did evil in the sight of the Lord, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. ²⁰ For because of the anger of the Lord this happened in Jerusalem and Judah, that He finally cast them out from His presence. ^(AE)Then Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon.

The Fall and Captivity of Judah^(AF)

25 Now it came to pass ^(AG)in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, on the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and all his army came against Jerusalem and encamped against it; and they built a siege wall against it all around. ² So the city was besieged until the eleventh year of King Zedekiah. ³ By the ninth day of the ^(AH)fourth month the famine had become so severe in the city that there was no food for the people of the land.

⁴ Then ^(AI)the city wall was broken through, and all the men of war fled at night by way of the gate between two walls, which was by the king’s garden, even though the Chaldeans were still encamped all around against the city. And ^(AJ)the king^[e] went by way of the ^[f]plain. ⁵ But the army of the Chaldeans pursued the king, and they overtook him in the plains of Jericho. All his army was scattered from him. ⁶ So they took the king and brought him up to the king of Babylon ^(AK)at Riblah, and they pronounced judgment on him. ⁷ Then they killed the sons of Zedekiah before his eyes, ^(AL)put^[g] out the eyes of Zedekiah, bound him with bronze fetters, and took him to Babylon.

⁸ And in the fifth month, ^(AM)on the seventh day of the month (which was ^(AN)the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), ^(AO)Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. ^9 (AP)He burned the house of the Lord ^(AQ)and the king’s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, ^(AR)he burned with fire. ¹⁰ And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard ^(AS)broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.

¹¹ Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive ^(AT)the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. ¹² But the captain of the guard ^(AU)left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers. ^13 (AV)The bronze ^(AW)pillars that were in the house of the Lord, and ^(AX)the carts and ^(AY)the bronze Sea that were in the house of the Lord, the Chaldeans broke in pieces, and ^(AZ)carried their bronze to Babylon. ¹⁴ They also took away ^(BA)the pots, the shovels, the trimmers, the spoons, and all the bronze utensils with which the priests ministered. ¹⁵ The firepans and the basins, the things of solid gold and solid silver, the captain of the guard took away. ¹⁶ The two pillars, one Sea, and the carts, which Solomon had made for the house of the Lord, ^(BB)the bronze of all these articles was beyond measure. ^17 (BC)The height of one pillar was ^[h]eighteen cubits, and the capital on it was of bronze. The height of the capital was three cubits, and the network and pomegranates all around the capital were all of bronze. The second pillar was the same, with a network.

^18 (BD)And the captain of the guard took ^(BE)Seraiah the chief priest, ^(BF)Zephaniah the second priest, and the three doorkeepers. ¹⁹ He also took out of the city an officer who had charge of the men of war, ^(BG)five men of ^[i]the king’s close associates who were found in the city, the chief recruiting officer of the army, who mustered the people of the land, and sixty men of the people of the land who were found in the city. ²⁰ So Nebuzaradan, captain of the guard, took these and brought them to the king of Babylon at Riblah. ²¹ Then the king of Babylon struck them and put them to death at Riblah in the land of Hamath. ^(BH)Thus Judah was carried away captive from its own land.

Gedaliah Made Governor of Judah^(BI)

²² Then he made Gedaliah the son of ^(BJ)Ahikam, the son of Shaphan, governor over ^(BK)the people who remained in the land of Judah, whom Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon had left. ²³ Now when all the ^(BL)captains of the armies, they and their men, heard that the king of Babylon had made Gedaliah governor, they came to Gedaliah at Mizpah—Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, Johanan the son of Careah, Seraiah the son of Tanhumeth the Netophathite, and ^[j]Jaazaniah the son of a Maachathite, they and their men. ²⁴ And Gedaliah took an oath before them and their men, and said to them, “Do not be afraid of the servants of the Chaldeans. Dwell in the land and serve the king of Babylon, and it shall be well with you.”

²⁵ But ^(BM)it happened in the seventh month that Ishmael the son of Nethaniah, the son of Elishama, of the royal family, came with ten men and struck and killed Gedaliah, the Jews, as well as the Chaldeans who were with him at Mizpah. ²⁶ And all the people, small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose ^(BN)and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.

Jehoiachin Released from Prison^(BO)

^27 (BP)Now it came to pass in the thirty-seventh year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, that ^[k]Evil-Merodach king of Babylon, in the year that he began to reign, ^(BQ)released Jehoiachin king of Judah from prison. ²⁸ He spoke kindly to him, and gave him a more prominent seat than those of the kings who were with him in Babylon. ²⁹ So Jehoiachin changed from his prison garments, and he ^(BR)ate ^[l]bread regularly before the king all the days of his life. ³⁰ And as for his ^[m]provisions, there was a ^[n]regular ration given him by the king, a portion for each day, all the days of his life.

The Family of Adam—Seth to Abraham^(A)

1 Adam,^{(B) (C)}Seth, Enosh, ² Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, ³ Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech, ^4 (D)Noah,^[a] Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

^5 (E)The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. ⁶ The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, ^[b]Diphath, and Togarmah. ⁷ The sons of Javan were Elishah, ^[c]Tarshishah, Kittim, and ^[d]Rodanim.

^8 (F)The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. ⁹ The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, ^[e]Sabta, ^[f]Raama, and Sabtecha. The sons of Raama were Sheba and Dedan. ¹⁰ Cush ^(G)begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. ¹¹ Mizraim begot Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, ¹² Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines and the ^(H)Caphtorim). ^13 (I)Canaan begot Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth; ¹⁴ the Jebusite, the Amorite, and the Girgashite; ¹⁵ the Hivite, the Arkite, and the Sinite; ¹⁶ the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite.

¹⁷ The sons of ^(J)Shem were Elam, Asshur, ^(K)Arphaxad, Lud, Aram, Uz, Hul, Gether, and ^[g]Meshech. ¹⁸ Arphaxad begot Shelah, and Shelah begot Eber. ¹⁹ To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was ^[h]Peleg, for in his days the ^[i]earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. ^20 (L)Joktan begot Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²¹ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ^22 [j]Ebal, Abimael, Sheba, ²³ Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

^24 (M)Shem, Arphaxad, Shelah, ^25 (N)Eber, Peleg, Reu, ²⁶ Serug, Nahor, Terah, ²⁷ and ^(O)Abram, who is Abraham. ^28 (P)The sons of Abraham were ^(Q)Isaac and ^(R)Ishmael.

The Family of Ishmael^(S)

²⁹ These are their genealogies: The ^(T)firstborn of Ishmael was Nebajoth; then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam, ³⁰ Mishma, Dumah, Massa, ^[k]Hadad, Tema, ³¹ Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.

The Family of Keturah^(U)

³² Now ^(V)the sons born to Keturah, Abraham’s concubine, were Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan were Sheba and Dedan. ³³ The sons of Midian were Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were the children of Keturah.

The Family of Isaac^(W)

³⁴ And ^(X)Abraham begot Isaac. ^(Y)The sons of Isaac were Esau and Israel. ³⁵ The sons of ^(Z)Esau were Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jaalam, and Korah. ³⁶ And the sons of Eliphaz were Teman, Omar, ^[l]Zephi, Gatam, and Kenaz; and by ^(AA)Timna, Amalek. ³⁷ The sons of Reuel were Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.

The Family of Seir^(AB)

^38 (AC)The sons of Seir were Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan. ³⁹ And the sons of Lotan were Hori and ^[m]Homam; Lotan’s sister was Timna. ⁴⁰ The sons of Shobal were ^[n]Alian, Manahath, Ebal, ^[o]Shephi, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon were Ajah and Anah. ⁴¹ The son of Anah was ^(AD)Dishon. The sons of Dishon were ^[p]Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran. ⁴² The sons of Ezer were Bilhan, Zaavan, and ^[q]Jaakan. The sons of Dishan were Uz and Aran.

The Kings of Edom^(AE)

⁴³ Now these were the ^(AF)kings who reigned in the land of Edom before a king reigned over the children of Israel: Bela the son of Beor, and the name of his city was Dinhabah. ⁴⁴ And when Bela died, Jobab the son of Zerah of Bozrah reigned in his place. ⁴⁵ When Jobab died, Husham of the land of the Temanites reigned in his place. ⁴⁶ And when Husham died, Hadad the son of Bedad, who ^[r]attacked Midian in the field of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith. ⁴⁷ When Hadad died, Samlah of Masrekah reigned in his place. ^48 (AG)And when Samlah died, Saul of Rehoboth-by-the-River reigned in his place. ⁴⁹ When Saul died, Baal-Hanan the son of Achbor reigned in his place. ⁵⁰ And when Baal-Hanan died, ^[s]Hadad reigned in his place; and the name of his city was ^[t]Pai. His wife’s name was Mehetabel the daughter of Matred, the daughter of Mezahab. ⁵¹ Hadad died also. And the chiefs of Edom were Chief Timnah, Chief ^[u]Aliah, Chief Jetheth, ⁵² Chief Aholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon, ⁵³ Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar, ⁵⁴ Chief Magdiel, and Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.

The Family of Israel^(AH)

2 These were the ^(AI)sons of ^[v]Israel: ^(AJ)Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, ² Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.

From Judah to David^(AK)

³ The sons of ^(AL)Judah were Er, Onan, and Shelah. These three were born to him by the daughter of ^(AM)Shua, the Canaanitess. ^(AN)Er, the firstborn of Judah, was wicked in the sight of the Lord; so He killed him. ⁴ And ^(AO)Tamar, his daughter-in-law, ^(AP)bore him Perez and Zerah. All the sons of Judah were five.

⁵ The sons of ^(AQ)Perez were Hezron and Hamul. ⁶ The sons of Zerah were ^[w]Zimri, ^(AR)Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and ^[x]Dara—five of them in all.

⁷ The son of ^(AS)Carmi was ^[y]Achar, the troubler of Israel, who transgressed in the ^(AT)accursed^[z] thing.

⁸ The son of Ethan was Azariah.

⁹ Also the sons of Hezron who were born to him were Jerahmeel, ^[aa]Ram, and ^[ab]Chelubai. ¹⁰ Ram ^(AU)begot Amminadab, and Amminadab begot Nahshon, ^(AV)leader of the children of Judah; ¹¹ Nahshon begot ^[ac]Salma, and Salma begot Boaz; ¹² Boaz begot Obed, and Obed begot Jesse; ^13 (AW)Jesse begot Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, ^[ad]Shimea the third, ¹⁴ Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth, ¹⁵ Ozem the sixth, and David the ^(AX)seventh.

¹⁶ Now their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. ^(AY)And the sons of Zeruiah were Abishai, Joab, and Asahel—three. ¹⁷ Abigail bore Amasa; and the father of Amasa was ^[ae]Jether the Ishmaelite.

The Family of Hezron

¹⁸ Caleb the son of Hezron had children by Azubah, his wife, and by Jerioth. Now these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon. ¹⁹ When Azubah died, Caleb ^[af]took ^(AZ)Ephrath^[ag] as his wife, who bore him Hur. ²⁰ And Hur begot Uri, and Uri begot ^(BA)Bezalel.

²¹ Now afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of ^(BB)Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old; and she bore him Segub. ²² Segub begot ^(BC)Jair,^[ah] who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead. ^23 (BD)(Geshur and Syria took from them the towns of Jair, with Kenath and its towns—sixty towns.) All these belonged to the sons of Machir the father of Gilead. ²⁴ After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Hezron’s wife Abijah bore him ^(BE)Ashhur the father of Tekoa.

The Family of Jerahmeel

²⁵ The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron, were Ram, the firstborn, and Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. ²⁶ Jerahmeel had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam. ²⁷ The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel, were Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. ²⁸ The sons of Onam were Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai were Nadab and Abishur.

²⁹ And the name of the wife of Abishur was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid. ³⁰ The sons of Nadab were Seled and Appaim; Seled died without children. ³¹ The son of Appaim was Ishi, the son of Ishi was Sheshan, and ^(BF)Sheshan’s son was Ahlai. ³² The sons of Jada, the brother of Shammai, were Jether and Jonathan; Jether died without children. ³³ The sons of Jonathan were Peleth and Zaza. These were the sons of Jerahmeel.

³⁴ Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. And Sheshan had an Egyptian servant whose name was Jarha. ³⁵ Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant as wife, and she bore him Attai. ³⁶ Attai begot Nathan, and Nathan begot ^(BG)Zabad; ³⁷ Zabad begot Ephlal, and Ephlal begot ^(BH)Obed; ³⁸ Obed begot Jehu, and Jehu begot Azariah; ³⁹ Azariah begot Helez, and Helez begot Eleasah; ⁴⁰ Eleasah begot Sismai, and Sismai begot Shallum; ⁴¹ Shallum begot Jekamiah, and Jekamiah begot Elishama.

The Family of Caleb

⁴² The descendants of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel were Mesha, his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and the sons of Mareshah the father of Hebron. ⁴³ The sons of Hebron were Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema. ⁴⁴ Shema begot Raham the father of Jorkoam, and Rekem begot Shammai. ⁴⁵ And the son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.

⁴⁶ Ephah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran begot Gazez. ⁴⁷ And the sons of Jahdai were Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.

⁴⁸ Maachah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah. ⁴⁹ She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea. And the daughter of Caleb was ^(BI)Achsah.^[ai]

⁵⁰ These were the descendants of Caleb: The sons of ^(BJ)Hur, the firstborn of ^[aj]Ephrathah, were Shobal the father of ^(BK)Kirjath Jearim, ⁵¹ Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.

⁵² And Shobal the father of Kirjath Jearim had descendants: ^[ak]Haroeh, and half of the ^[al]families of Manuhoth. ⁵³ The families of Kirjath Jearim were the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. From these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites.

⁵⁴ The sons of Salma were Bethlehem, the Netophathites, ^[am]Atroth Beth Joab, half of the Manahethites, and the Zorites.

⁵⁵ And the families of the scribes who dwelt at Jabez were the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Suchathites. These were the ^(BL)Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of ^(BM)Rechab.

The Family of David^(BN)

3 Now these were the sons of David who were born to him in Hebron: The firstborn was ^(BO)Amnon, by ^(BP)Ahinoam the ^(BQ)Jezreelitess; the second, ^[an]Daniel, by ^(BR)Abigail the Carmelitess; ² the third, ^(BS)Absalom the son of Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; the fourth, ^(BT)Adonijah the son of Haggith; ³ the fifth, Shephatiah, by Abital; the sixth, Ithream, by his wife ^(BU)Eglah.

⁴ These six were born to him in Hebron. ^(BV)There he reigned seven years and six months, and ^(BW)in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years. ^5 (BX)And these were born to him in Jerusalem: ^[ao]Shimea, Shobab, Nathan, and ^(BY)Solomon—four by ^[ap]Bathshua the daughter of ^[aq]Ammiel. ⁶ Also there were Ibhar, ^[ar]Elishama, ^[as]Eliphelet, ⁷ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁸ Elishama, ^[at]Eliada, and Eliphelet—^(BZ)nine in all. ⁹ These were all the sons of David, besides the sons of the concubines, and ^(CA)Tamar their sister.

The Family of Solomon^(CB)

¹⁰ Solomon’s son was ^(CC)Rehoboam; ^[au]Abijah was his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, ^11 [av]Joram his son, ^[aw]Ahaziah his son, ^[ax]Joash his son, ¹² Amaziah his son, ^[ay]Azariah his son, Jotham his son, ¹³ Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, ¹⁴ Amon his son, and Josiah his son. ¹⁵ The sons of Josiah were Johanan the firstborn, the second ^[az]Jehoiakim, the third Zedekiah, and the fourth ^[ba]Shallum. ¹⁶ The sons of ^(CD)Jehoiakim were ^[bb]Jeconiah his son and ^[bc]Zedekiah his son.

The Family of Jeconiah

¹⁷ And the sons of ^[bd]Jeconiah ^[be]were Assir, Shealtiel ^(CE)his son, ¹⁸ and Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jecamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah. ¹⁹ The sons of Pedaiah were Zerubbabel and Shimei. The sons of Zerubbabel were Meshullam, Hananiah, Shelomith their sister, ²⁰ and Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and Jushab-Hesed—five in all.

²¹ The sons of Hananiah were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, the sons of Rephaiah, the sons of Arnan, the sons of Obadiah, and the sons of Shechaniah. ²² The son of Shechaniah was Shemaiah. The sons of Shemaiah were ^(CF)Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat—six in all. ²³ The sons of Neariah were Elioenai, Hezekiah, and Azrikam—three in all. ²⁴ The sons of Elioenai were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and Anani—seven in all.

The Family of Judah

4 The sons of Judah were ^(CG)Perez, Hezron, ^[bf]Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. ² And ^[bg]Reaiah the son of Shobal begot Jahath, and Jahath begot Ahumai and Lahad. These were the families of the Zorathites. ³ These were the sons of the father of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazelelponi; ⁴ and Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah.

These were the sons of ^(CH)Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah the father of Bethlehem.

⁵ And ^(CI)Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. ⁶ Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah. ⁷ The sons of Helah were Zereth, Zohar, and Ethnan; ⁸ and Koz begot Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.

⁹ Now Jabez was ^(CJ)more honorable than his brothers, and his mother called his name ^[bh]Jabez, saying, “Because I bore him in pain.” ¹⁰ And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, “Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my ^[bi]territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!” So God granted him what he requested.

¹¹ Chelub the brother of ^(CK)Shuhah begot Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. ¹² And Eshton begot Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of ^[bj]Ir-Nahash. These were the men of Rechah.

¹³ The sons of Kenaz were ^(CL)Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel were ^[bk]Hathath, ¹⁴ and Meonothai who begot Ophrah. Seraiah begot Joab the father of ^(CM)Ge Harashim,^[bl] for they were craftsmen. ¹⁵ The sons of ^(CN)Caleb the son of Jephunneh were Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah was ^[bm]Kenaz. ¹⁶ The sons of Jehallelel were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. ¹⁷ The sons of Ezrah were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. And ^[bn]Mered’s wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. ¹⁸ (^[bo]His wife Jehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Sochoh, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah.) And these were the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took.

¹⁹ The sons of Hodiah’s wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and of Eshtemoa the ^(CO)Maachathite. ²⁰ And the sons of Shimon were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. And the sons of Ishi were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.

²¹ The sons of ^(CP)Shelah ^(CQ)the son of Judah were Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of the linen workers of the house of Ashbea; ²² also Jokim, the men of Chozeba, and Joash; Saraph, who ruled in Moab, and Jashubi-Lehem. Now the ^[bp]records are ancient. ²³ These were the potters and those who dwell at ^[bq]Netaim and ^[br]Gederah; there they dwelt with the king for his work.

The Family of Simeon^(CR)

²⁴ The ^(CS)sons of Simeon were ^[bs]Nemuel, Jamin, ^[bt]Jarib, ^[bu]Zerah, and Shaul, ²⁵ Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, and Mishma his son. ²⁶ And the sons of Mishma were Hamuel his son, Zacchur his son, and Shimei his son. ²⁷ Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, ^(CT)nor did any of their families multiply as much as the children of Judah.

²⁸ They dwelt at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, ^29 [bv]Bilhah, Ezem, ^[bw]Tolad, ³⁰ Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹ Beth Marcaboth, ^[bx]Hazar Susim, Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David. ³² And their villages were ^[by]Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five cities— ³³ and all the villages that were around these cities as far as ^[bz]Baal. These were their dwelling places, and they maintained their genealogy: ³⁴ Meshobab, Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah; ³⁵ Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel; ³⁶ Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, and Benaiah; ³⁷ Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah— ³⁸ these mentioned by name were leaders in their families, and their father’s house increased greatly.

³⁹ So they went to the entrance of Gedor, as far as the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. ⁴⁰ And they found rich, good pasture, and the land was broad, quiet, and peaceful; for some Hamites formerly lived there.

⁴¹ These recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah; and they ^(CU)attacked^[ca] their tents and the Meunites who were found there, and ^(CV)utterly destroyed them, as it is to this day. So they dwelt in their place, because there was pasture for their flocks there. ⁴² Now some of them, five hundred men of the sons of Simeon, went to Mount Seir, having as their captains Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. ⁴³ And they ^[cb]defeated ^(CW)the rest of the Amalekites who had escaped. They have dwelt there to this day.

The Family of Reuben^(CX)

5 Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—^(CY)he was indeed the firstborn, but because he ^(CZ)defiled his father’s bed, ^(DA)his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Israel, so that the genealogy is not listed according to the birthright; ² yet ^(DB)Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came a ^(DC)ruler, although ^[cc]the birthright was Joseph’s— ³ the sons of ^(DD)Reuben the firstborn of Israel were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

⁴ The sons of Joel were Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, ⁵ Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, ⁶ and Beerah his son, whom ^[cd]Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria ^(DE)carried into captivity. He was leader of the Reubenites. ⁷ And his brethren by their families, ^(DF)when the genealogy of their generations was registered: the chief, Jeiel, and Zechariah, ⁸ and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in ^(DG)Aroer, as far as Nebo and Baal Meon. ⁹ Eastward they settled as far as the ^[ce]entrance of the wilderness this side of the River Euphrates, because their cattle had ^[cf]multiplied ^(DH)in the land of Gilead.

¹⁰ Now in the days of Saul they made war ^(DI)with the Hagrites, who fell by their hand; and they dwelt in their tents throughout the entire area east of Gilead.

The Family of Gad

¹¹ And the ^(DJ)children of Gad dwelt next to them in the land of ^(DK)Bashan as far as ^(DL)Salcah: ¹² Joel was the chief, Shapham the next, then Jaanai and Shaphat in Bashan, ¹³ and their brethren of their father’s house: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jachan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all. ¹⁴ These were the children of Abihail the 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 the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was chief of their father’s house. ¹⁶ And the Gadites dwelt in Gilead, in Bashan and in its villages, and in all the ^[cg]common-lands of ^(DM)Sharon within their borders. ¹⁷ All these were registered by genealogies in the days of ^(DN)Jotham king of Judah, and in the days of ^(DO)Jeroboam king of Israel.

¹⁸ The sons of Reuben, the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh had forty-four thousand seven hundred and sixty valiant men, men able to bear shield and sword, to shoot with the bow, and skillful in war, who went to war. ¹⁹ They made war with the Hagrites, ^(DP)Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab. ²⁰ And ^(DQ)they were helped against them, and the Hagrites were delivered into their hand, and all who were with them, for they ^(DR)cried out to God in the battle. He ^[ch]heeded their prayer, because they ^(DS)put their trust in Him. ²¹ Then they took away their livestock—fifty thousand of their camels, two hundred and fifty thousand of their sheep, and two thousand of their donkeys—also one hundred thousand of their men; ²² for many fell dead, because the war ^(DT)was God’s. And they dwelt in their place until ^(DU)the captivity.

The Family of Manasseh (East)

²³ So the children of the half-tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land. Their numbers increased from Bashan to Baal Hermon, that is, to ^(DV)Senir, or Mount Hermon. ²⁴ These were the heads of their fathers’ houses: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were mighty men of valor, famous men, and heads of their fathers’ houses.

²⁵ And they were unfaithful to the God of their fathers, and ^(DW)played the harlot after the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. ²⁶ So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of ^(DX)Pul king of Assyria, that is, ^(DY)Tiglath-Pileser^[ci] king of Assyria. He carried the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh into captivity. He took them to ^(DZ)Halah, Habor, Hara, and the river of Gozan to this day.

The Family of Levi^(EA)

6 The sons of Levi were ^(EB)Gershon,^[cj] Kohath, and Merari. ² The sons of Kohath were Amram, ^(EC)Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ³ The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron were ^(ED)Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ⁴ Eleazar begot Phinehas, and Phinehas begot Abishua; ⁵ Abishua begot Bukki, and Bukki begot Uzzi; ⁶ Uzzi begot Zerahiah, and Zerahiah begot Meraioth; ⁷ Meraioth begot Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub; ^8 (EE)Ahitub begot ^(EF)Zadok, and Zadok begot Ahimaaz; ⁹ Ahimaaz begot Azariah, and Azariah begot Johanan; ¹⁰ Johanan begot Azariah (it was he ^(EG)who ministered as priest in the ^(EH)temple^[ck] that Solomon built in Jerusalem); ^11 (EI)Azariah begot ^(EJ)Amariah, and Amariah begot Ahitub; ¹² Ahitub begot Zadok, and Zadok begot ^[cl]Shallum; ¹³ Shallum begot Hilkiah, and Hilkiah begot Azariah; ¹⁴ Azariah begot ^(EK)Seraiah, and Seraiah begot Jehozadak. ¹⁵ Jehozadak went into captivity ^(EL)when the Lord carried Judah and Jerusalem into captivity by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

¹⁶ The sons of Levi were ^(EM)Gershon,^[cm] Kohath, and Merari. ¹⁷ These are the names of the sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁸ The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ¹⁹ The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. Now these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers: ²⁰ Of Gershon were Libni his son, Jahath his son, ^(EN)Zimmah his son, ^21 [cn]Joah his son, ^[co]Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and ^[cp]Jeatherai his son. ²² The sons of Kohath were ^[cq]Amminadab his son, ^(EO)Korah his son, Assir his son, ²³ Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, ²⁴ Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. ²⁵ The sons of Elkanah were ^(EP)Amasai and Ahimoth. ²⁶ As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah were ^[cr]Zophai his son, ^[cs]Nahath his son, ^27 [ct]Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son. ²⁸ The sons of Samuel were ^[cu]Joel the firstborn, and Abijah ^[cv]the second. ²⁹ The sons of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, ³⁰ Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, and Asaiah his son.

Musicians in the House of the Lord

³¹ Now these are ^(EQ)the men whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the Lord, after the ^(ER)ark came to rest. ³² They were ministering with music before the dwelling place of the tabernacle of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of the Lord in Jerusalem, and they served in their office according to their order.

³³ And these are the ones who ^[cw]ministered with their sons: Of the sons of the ^(ES)Kohathites were Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel, ³⁴ the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of ^[cx]Eliel, the son of ^[cy]Toah, ³⁵ the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, ³⁶ the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, ³⁷ the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of ^(ET)Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, ³⁸ the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. ³⁹ And his brother ^(EU)Asaph, who stood at his right hand, was Asaph the son of Berachiah, the son of Shimea, ⁴⁰ the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, ⁴¹ the son of ^(EV)Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, ⁴² the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, ⁴³ the son of Jahath, the son of Gershon, the son of Levi.

⁴⁴ Their brethren, the sons of Merari, on the left hand, were ^[cz]Ethan the son of ^[da]Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, ⁴⁵ the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, ⁴⁶ the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shamer, ⁴⁷ the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

⁴⁸ And their brethren, the Levites, were appointed to every ^(EW)kind of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

The Family of Aaron

^49 (EX)But Aaron and his sons offered sacrifices ^(EY)on the altar of burnt offering and ^(EZ)on the altar of incense, for all the work of the Most Holy Place, and to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. ⁵⁰ Now these are the ^(FA)sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son, ⁵¹ Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, ⁵² Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, ⁵³ Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his son.

Dwelling Places of the Levites^(FB)

^54 (FC)Now these are their dwelling places throughout their settlements in their territory, for they were given by lot to the sons of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites: ^55 (FD)They gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, with its surrounding ^[db]common-lands. ^56 (FE)But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. ⁵⁷ And ^(FF)to the sons of Aaron they gave one of the cities of refuge, Hebron; also Libnah with its common-lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its common-lands, ^58 [dc]Hilen with its common-lands, Debir with its common-lands, ^59 [dd]Ashan with its common-lands, and Beth Shemesh with its common-lands. ⁶⁰ And from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its common-lands, ^[de]Alemeth with its common-lands, and Anathoth with its common-lands. All their cities among their families were thirteen.

^61 (FG)To the rest of the family of the tribe of the Kohathites they gave ^(FH)by lot ten cities from half the tribe of Manasseh. ⁶² And to the sons of Gershon, throughout their families, they gave thirteen cities from the tribe of Issachar, from the tribe of Asher, from the tribe of Naphtali, and from the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan. ⁶³ To the sons of Merari, throughout their families, they gave ^(FI)twelve cities from the tribe of Reuben, from the tribe of Gad, and from the tribe of Zebulun. ⁶⁴ So the children of Israel gave these cities with their ^[df]common-lands to the Levites. ⁶⁵ And they gave by lot from the tribe of the children of Judah, from the tribe of the children of Simeon, and from the tribe of the children of Benjamin these cities which are called by their names.

⁶⁶ Now ^(FJ)some of the families of the sons of Kohath were given cities as their territory from the tribe of Ephraim. ^67 (FK)And they gave them one of the cities of refuge, Shechem with its common-lands, in the mountains of Ephraim, also Gezer with its common-lands, ^68 (FL)Jokmeam with its common-lands, Beth Horon with its common-lands, ⁶⁹ Aijalon with its common-lands, and Gath Rimmon with its common-lands. ⁷⁰ And from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its common-lands and Bileam with its common-lands, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath.

⁷¹ From the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh the sons of Gershon were given Golan in Bashan with its common-lands and ^[dg]Ashtaroth with its common-lands. ⁷² And from the tribe of Issachar: ^[dh]Kedesh with its common-lands, Daberath with its common-lands, ⁷³ Ramoth with its common-lands, and Anem with its common-lands. ⁷⁴ And from the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its common-lands, Abdon with its common-lands, ⁷⁵ Hukok with its common-lands, and Rehob with its common-lands. ⁷⁶ And from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its common-lands, Hammon with its common-lands, and Kirjathaim with its common-lands.

⁷⁷ From the tribe of Zebulun the rest of the children of Merari were given ^[di]Rimmon with its common-lands and Tabor with its common-lands. ⁷⁸ And on the other side of the Jordan, across from Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, they were given from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its common-lands, Jahzah with its common-lands, ⁷⁹ Kedemoth with its common-lands, and Mephaath with its common-lands. ⁸⁰ And from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its common-lands, Mahanaim with its common-lands, ⁸¹ Heshbon with its common-lands, and Jazer with its common-lands.

The Family of Issachar^(FM)

7 The sons of Issachar were ^(FN)Tola, ^[dj]Puah, ^[dk]Jashub, and Shimron—four in all. ² The sons of Tola were Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father’s house. The sons of Tola were mighty men of valor in their generations; ^(FO)their number in the days of David was twenty-two thousand six hundred. ³ The son of Uzzi was Izrahiah, and the sons of Izrahiah were Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Ishiah. All five of them were chief men. ⁴ And with them, by their generations, according to their fathers’ houses, were thirty-six thousand troops ready for war; for they had many wives and sons.

⁵ Now their brethren among all the families of Issachar were mighty men of valor, listed by their genealogies, eighty-seven thousand in all.

The Family of Benjamin^(FP)

⁶ The sons of ^(FQ)Benjamin were Bela, Becher, and Jediael—three in all. ⁷ The sons of Bela were Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri—five in all. They were heads of their fathers’ houses, and they were listed by their genealogies, twenty-two thousand and thirty-four mighty men of valor.

⁸ The sons of Becher were Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jerimoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. All these are the sons of Becher. ⁹ And they were recorded by genealogy according to their generations, heads of their fathers’ houses, twenty thousand two hundred mighty men of valor. ¹⁰ The son of Jediael was Bilhan, and the sons of Bilhan were Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tharshish, and Ahishahar.

¹¹ All these sons of Jediael were heads of their fathers’ houses; there were seventeen thousand two hundred mighty men of valor fit to go out for war and battle. ^12 [dl]Shuppim and ^[dm]Huppim were the sons of ^[dn]Ir, and Hushim was the son of ^[do]Aher.

The Family of Naphtali^(FR)

¹³ The ^(FS)sons of Naphtali were ^[dp]Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and ^[dq]Shallum, the sons of Bilhah.

The Family of Manasseh (West)

¹⁴ The ^(FT)descendants of Manasseh: his Syrian concubine bore him ^(FU)Machir the father of Gilead, the father of Asriel. ¹⁵ Machir took as his wife the sister of ^[dr]Huppim and ^[ds]Shuppim, whose name was Maachah. The name of Gilead’s ^[dt]grandson was ^(FV)Zelophehad, but Zelophehad begot only daughters. ¹⁶ (Maachah the wife of Machir bore a son, and she called his name Peresh. The name of his brother was Sheresh, and his sons were Ulam and Rakem. ¹⁷ The son of Ulam was ^(FW)Bedan.) These were the descendants of Gilead the son of Machir, the son of Manasseh.

¹⁸ His sister Hammoleketh bore Ishhod, ^[du]Abiezer, and Mahlah.

¹⁹ And the sons of Shemida were Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.

The Family of Ephraim

^20 (FX)The sons of Ephraim were Shuthelah, Bered his son, Tahath his son, Eladah his son, Tahath his son, ²¹ Zabad his son, Shuthelah his son, and Ezer and Elead. The men of Gath who were born in that land killed them because they came down to take away their cattle. ²² Then Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.

²³ And when he went in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son; and he called his name ^[dv]Beriah, because tragedy had come upon his house. ²⁴ Now his daughter was Sheerah, who built Lower and Upper ^(FY)Beth Horon and Uzzen Sheerah; ²⁵ and Rephah was his son, as well as Resheph, and Telah his son, Tahan his son, ²⁶ Laadan his son, Ammihud his son, ^(FZ)Elishama his son, ^27 [dw]Nun his son, and ^(GA)Joshua his son.

²⁸ Now their ^(GB)possessions and dwelling places were Bethel and its towns: to the east ^[dx]Naaran, to the west Gezer and its towns, and Shechem and its towns, as far as ^[dy]Ayyah and its towns; ²⁹ and by the borders of the children of ^(GC)Manasseh were Beth Shean and its towns, Taanach and its towns, ^(GD)Megiddo and its towns, Dor and its towns. In these dwelt the children of Joseph, the son of Israel.

The Family of Asher^(GE)

^30 (GF)The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, and their sister Serah. ³¹ The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel, who was the father of ^[dz]Birzaith. ³² And Heber begot Japhlet, ^[ea]Shomer, ^[eb]Hotham, and their sister Shua. ³³ The sons of Japhlet were Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath. These were the children of Japhlet. ³⁴ The sons of ^(GG)Shemer were Ahi, Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram. ³⁵ And the sons of his brother Helem were Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal. ³⁶ The sons of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, ³⁷ Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, ^[ec]Jithran, and Beera. ³⁸ The sons of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispah, and Ara. ³⁹ The sons of Ulla were Arah, Haniel, and Rizia.

⁴⁰ All these were the children of Asher, heads of their fathers’ houses, choice men, mighty men of valor, chief leaders. And they were recorded by genealogies among the army fit for battle; their number was twenty-six thousand.

The Family Tree of King Saul of Benjamin^(GH)

8 Now Benjamin begot ^(GI)Bela his firstborn, Ashbel the second, ^[ed]Aharah the third, ² Nohah the fourth, and Rapha the fifth. ³ The sons of Bela were ^[ee]Addar, Gera, Abihud, ⁴ Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, ⁵ Gera, ^[ef]Shephuphan, and Huram.

⁶ These are the sons of Ehud, who were the heads of the fathers’ houses of the inhabitants of ^(GJ)Geba, and who forced them to move to ^(GK)Manahath: ⁷ Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera who forced them to move. He begot Uzza and Ahihud.

⁸ Also Shaharaim had children in the country of Moab, after he had sent away Hushim and Baara his wives. ⁹ By Hodesh his wife he begot Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, ¹⁰ Jeuz, Sachiah, and Mirmah. These were his sons, heads of their fathers’ houses.

¹¹ And by Hushim he begot Abitub and Elpaal. ¹² The sons of Elpaal were Eber, Misham, and Shemed, who built Ono and Lod with its towns; ¹³ and Beriah and ^(GL)Shema, who were heads of their fathers’ houses of the inhabitants of Aijalon, who drove out the inhabitants of Gath. ¹⁴ Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, ¹⁵ Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, ¹⁶ Michael, Ispah, and Joha were the sons of Beriah. ¹⁷ Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, ¹⁸ Ishmerai, Jizliah, and Jobab were the sons of Elpaal. ¹⁹ Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, ²⁰ Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, ²¹ Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath were the sons of ^[eg]Shimei. ²² Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, ²³ Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, ²⁴ Hananiah, Elam, Antothijah, ²⁵ Iphdeiah, and Penuel were the sons of Shashak. ²⁶ Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, ²⁷ Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri were the sons of Jeroham.

²⁸ These were heads of the fathers’ houses by their generations, chief men. These dwelt in Jerusalem.

²⁹ Now ^[eh]the father of Gibeon, whose ^(GM)wife’s name was Maacah, dwelt at Gibeon. ³⁰ And his firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Nadab, ³¹ Gedor, Ahio, ^[ei]Zecher, ³² and Mikloth, who begot ^[ej]Shimeah. They also dwelt ^[ek]alongside their ^[el]relatives in Jerusalem, with their brethren. ^33 (GN)Ner^[em] begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, ^[en]Abinadab, and ^[eo]Esh-Baal. ³⁴ The son of Jonathan was ^[ep]Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal begot ^(GO)Micah. ³⁵ The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, ^[eq]Tarea, and Ahaz. ³⁶ And Ahaz begot ^[er]Jehoaddah; Jehoaddah begot Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begot Moza. ³⁷ Moza begot Binea, ^[es]Raphah his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.

³⁸ Azel had six sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. All these were the sons of Azel. ³⁹ And the sons of Eshek his brother were Ulam his firstborn, Jeush the second, and Eliphelet the third.

⁴⁰ The sons of Ulam were mighty men of valor—archers. They had many sons and grandsons, one hundred and fifty in all. These were all sons of Benjamin.

Priests and Levites in Jerusalem

9 So ^(GP)all Israel was ^[et]recorded by genealogies, and indeed, they were inscribed in the book of the kings of Israel. But Judah was carried away captive to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness. ^2 (GQ)And the first inhabitants who dwelt in their possessions in their cities were Israelites, priests, Levites, and ^(GR)the Nethinim.

Dwellers in Jerusalem

³ Now in ^(GS)Jerusalem the children of Judah dwelt, and some of the children of Benjamin, and of the children of Ephraim and Manasseh: ⁴ Uthai the son of Ammihud, the son of Omri, the son of Imri, the son of Bani, of the descendants of Perez, the son of Judah. ⁵ Of the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons. ⁶ Of the sons of Zerah: Jeuel, and their brethren—six hundred and ninety. ⁷ Of the sons of Benjamin: Sallu the son of Meshullam, the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah; ⁸ Ibneiah the son of Jeroham; Elah the son of Uzzi, the son of Michri; Meshullam the son of Shephatiah, the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah; ⁹ and their brethren, according to their generations—nine hundred and fifty-six. All these men were heads of a father’s house in their fathers’ houses.

The Priests at Jerusalem

^10 (GT)Of the priests: Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin; ^11 [eu]Azariah the son of Hilkiah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Zadok, the son of Meraioth, the son of Ahitub, the ^(GU)officer over the house of God; ¹² Adaiah the son of Jeroham, the son of Pashur, the son of Malchijah; Maasai the son of Adiel, the son of Jahzerah, the son of Meshullam, the son of Meshillemith, the son of Immer; ¹³ and their brethren, heads of their fathers’ houses—one thousand seven hundred and sixty. They were ^[ev]very able men for the work of the service of the house of God.

The Levites at Jerusalem

¹⁴ Of the Levites: Shemaiah the son of Hasshub, the son of Azrikam, the son of Hashabiah, of the sons of Merari; ¹⁵ Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah the son of Micah, the son of ^(GV)Zichri, the son of Asaph; ^16 (GW)Obadiah the son of ^(GX)Shemaiah, the son of Galal, the son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah the son of Asa, the son of Elkanah, who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

The Levite Gatekeepers

¹⁷ And the gatekeepers were Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their brethren. Shallum was the chief. ¹⁸ Until then they had been gatekeepers for the camps of the children of Levi at the King’s Gate on the east.

¹⁹ Shallum the son of Kore, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, and his brethren, from his father’s house, the Korahites, were in charge of the work of the service, ^[ew]gatekeepers of the tabernacle. Their fathers had been keepers of the entrance to the camp of the Lord. ²⁰ And ^(GY)Phinehas the son of Eleazar had been the officer over them in time past; the Lord was with him. ^21 (GZ)Zechariah the son of Meshelemiah was ^[ex]keeper of the door of the tabernacle of meeting.

²² All those chosen as gatekeepers were two hundred and twelve. ^(HA)They were recorded by their genealogy, in their villages. David and Samuel ^(HB)the seer had appointed them to their trusted office. ²³ So they and their children were in charge of the gates of the house of the Lord, the house of the tabernacle, by assignment. ²⁴ The gatekeepers were assigned to the four directions: the east, west, north, and south. ²⁵ And their brethren in their villages had to come with them from time to time ^(HC)for seven days. ²⁶ For in this trusted office were four chief gatekeepers; they were Levites. And they had charge over the chambers and treasuries of the house of God. ²⁷ And they lodged all around the house of God because ^[ey]they had the ^(HD)responsibility, and they were in charge of opening it every morning.

Other Levite Responsibilities

²⁸ Now some of them were in charge of the serving vessels, for they brought them in and took them out by count. ²⁹ Some of them were appointed over the furnishings and over all the implements of the sanctuary, and over the ^(HE)fine flour and the wine and the oil and the incense and the spices. ³⁰ And some of the sons of the priests made ^(HF)the ointment of the spices.

³¹ Mattithiah of the Levites, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, had the trusted office ^(HG)over the things that were baked in the pans. ³² And some of their brethren of the sons of the Kohathites ^(HH)were in charge of preparing the showbread for every Sabbath.

³³ These are ^(HI)the singers, heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites, who lodged in the chambers, and were free from other duties; for they were employed in that work day and night. ³⁴ These heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites were heads throughout their generations. They dwelt at Jerusalem.

The Family of King Saul

³⁵ Jeiel the father of Gibeon, whose wife’s name was ^(HJ)Maacah, dwelt at Gibeon. ³⁶ His firstborn son was Abdon, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, ³⁷ Gedor, Ahio, ^[ez]Zechariah, and Mikloth. ³⁸ And Mikloth begot ^[fa]Shimeam. They also dwelt alongside their relatives in Jerusalem, with their brethren. ^39 (HK)Ner begot Kish, Kish begot Saul, and Saul begot Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-Baal. ⁴⁰ The son of Jonathan was Merib-Baal, and Merib-Baal begot Micah. ⁴¹ The sons of Micah were Pithon, Melech, ^[fb]Tahrea, ^(HL)and^[fc] Ahaz. ⁴² And Ahaz begot ^[fd]Jarah; Jarah begot Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; and Zimri begot Moza; ⁴³ Moza begot Binea, ^[fe]Rephaiah his son, Eleasah his son, and Azel his son.

⁴⁴ And Azel had six sons whose names were these: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan; these were the sons of Azel.

Tragic End of Saul and His Sons^(HM)

10 Now ^(HN)the Philistines fought against Israel; and the men of Israel fled from before the Philistines, and fell slain on Mount Gilboa. ² Then the Philistines followed hard after Saul and his sons. And the Philistines killed Jonathan, ^[ff]Abinadab, and Malchishua, Saul’s sons. ³ The battle became fierce against Saul. The archers hit him, and he was wounded by the archers. ⁴ Then Saul said to his armorbearer, “Draw your sword, and thrust me through with it, lest these uncircumcised men come and abuse me.” But his armorbearer would not, for he was greatly afraid. Therefore Saul took a sword and fell on it. ⁵ And when his armorbearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his sword and died. ⁶ So Saul and his three sons died, and all his house died together. ⁷ And when all the men of Israel who were in the valley saw that they had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they forsook their cities and fled; then the Philistines came and dwelt in them.

⁸ So it happened the next day, when the Philistines came to ^[fg]strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen on Mount Gilboa. ⁹ And they stripped him and took his head and his armor, and sent word throughout the land of the Philistines to proclaim the news in the temple of their idols and among the people. ^10 (HO)Then they put his armor in the ^[fh]temple of their gods, and fastened his head in the temple of Dagon.

¹¹ And when all Jabesh Gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul, ¹² all the ^(HP)valiant men arose and took the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons; and they brought them to ^(HQ)Jabesh, and buried their bones under the tamarisk tree at Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

¹³ So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had ^[fi]committed against the Lord, ^(HR)because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because ^(HS)he consulted a medium for guidance. ¹⁴ But he did not inquire of the Lord; therefore He killed him, and ^(HT)turned the kingdom over to David the son of Jesse.

David Made King over All Israel^(HU)

11 Then ^(HV)all Israel came together to David at Hebron, saying, “Indeed we are your bone and your flesh. ² Also, in time past, even when Saul was king, you were the one who led Israel out and brought them in; and the Lord your ^(HW)God said to you, ‘You shall ^(HX)shepherd My people Israel, and be ruler over My people Israel.’ ” ³ Therefore all the elders of Israel came to the king at Hebron, and David made a covenant with them at Hebron before the Lord. And ^(HY)they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the Lord ^[fj]by ^(HZ)Samuel.

The City of David^(IA)

⁴ And David and all Israel ^(IB)went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus, ^(IC)where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land. ⁵ But the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, “You shall not come in here!” Nevertheless David took the stronghold of Zion (that is, the City of David). ⁶ Now David said, “Whoever attacks the Jebusites first shall be ^[fk]chief and captain.” And Joab the son of Zeruiah went up first, and became chief. ⁷ Then David dwelt in the stronghold; therefore they called it ^[fl]the City of David. ⁸ And he built the city around it, from ^[fm]the Millo to the surrounding area. Joab ^[fn]repaired the rest of the city. ⁹ So David ^(ID)went on and became great, and the Lord of hosts was with ^(IE)him.

The Mighty Men of David^(IF)

¹⁰ Now ^(IG)these were the heads of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, with all Israel, to make him king, according to ^(IH)the word of the Lord concerning Israel.

¹¹ And this is the number of the mighty men whom David had: ^(II)Jashobeam the son of a Hachmonite, ^(IJ)chief of ^[fo]the captains; he had lifted up his spear against three hundred, killed by him at one time.

¹² After him was Eleazar the son of ^(IK)Dodo, the Ahohite, who was one of the three mighty men. ¹³ He was with David at ^[fp]Pasdammim. Now there the Philistines were gathered for battle, and there was a piece of ground full of barley. So the people fled from the Philistines. ¹⁴ But they ^[fq]stationed themselves in the middle of that field, defended it, and killed the Philistines. So the Lord brought about a great victory.

¹⁵ Now three of the thirty chief men ^(IL)went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the army of the Philistines encamped ^(IM)in the Valley of ^[fr]Rephaim. ¹⁶ David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then in Bethlehem. ¹⁷ And David said with longing, “Oh, that someone would give me a drink of water from the well of Bethlehem, which is by the gate!” ¹⁸ So the three broke through the camp of the Philistines, drew water from the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate, and took it and brought it to David. Nevertheless David would not drink it, but poured it out to the Lord. ¹⁹ And he said, “Far be it from me, O my God, that I should do this! Shall I drink the blood of these men who have put their lives in jeopardy? For at the risk of their lives they brought it.” Therefore he would not drink it. These things were done by the three mighty men.

^20 (IN)Abishai the brother of Joab was chief of another ^[fs]three. He had lifted up his spear against three hundred men, killed them, and won a name among these three. ^21 (IO)Of the three he was more honored than the other two men. Therefore he became their captain. However he did not attain to the first three.

²² Benaiah was the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man from Kabzeel, who ^[ft]had done many deeds. ^(IP)He had killed two lion-like heroes of Moab. He also had gone down and killed a lion in the midst of a pit on a snowy day. ²³ And he killed an Egyptian, a man of great height, ^[fu]five cubits tall. In the Egyptian’s hand there was a spear like a weaver’s beam; and he went down to him with a staff, wrested the spear out of the Egyptian’s hand, and killed him with his own spear. ²⁴ These things Benaiah the son of Jehoiada did, and won a name among three mighty men. ²⁵ Indeed he was more honored than the thirty, but he did not attain to the first three. And David appointed him over his guard.

²⁶ Also the mighty warriors were ^(IQ)Asahel the brother of Joab, Elhanan the son of Dodo of Bethlehem, ^27 [fv]Shammoth the Harorite, ^(IR)Helez the ^[fw]Pelonite, ^28 (IS)Ira the son of Ikkesh the Tekoite, ^(IT)Abiezer the Anathothite, ^29 [fx]Sibbechai the Hushathite, ^[fy]Ilai the Ahohite, ^30 (IU)Maharai the Netophathite, ^[fz]Heled the son of Baanah the Netophathite, ^31 [ga]Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, of the sons of Benjamin, ^(IV)Benaiah the Pirathonite, ^32 [gb]Hurai of the brooks of Gaash, ^[gc]Abiel the Arbathite, ³³ Azmaveth the ^[gd]Baharumite, Eliahba the Shaalbonite, ³⁴ the sons of ^[ge]Hashem the Gizonite, Jonathan the son of Shageh the Hararite, ³⁵ Ahiam the son of ^[gf]Sacar the Hararite, ^[gg]Eliphal the son of ^[gh]Ur, ³⁶ Hepher the Mecherathite, Ahijah the Pelonite, ^37 [gi]Hezro the Carmelite, ^[gj]Naarai the son of Ezbai, ³⁸ Joel the brother of Nathan, Mibhar the son of Hagri, ³⁹ Zelek the Ammonite, Naharai the ^[gk]Berothite (the armorbearer of Joab the son of Zeruiah), ⁴⁰ Ira the Ithrite, Gareb the Ithrite, ^41 (IW)Uriah the Hittite, ^[gl]Zabad the son of Ahlai, ⁴² Adina the son of Shiza the Reubenite (a chief of the Reubenites) and thirty with him, ⁴³ Hanan the son of Maachah, Joshaphat the Mithnite, ⁴⁴ Uzzia the Ashterathite, Shama and Jeiel the sons of Hotham the Aroerite, ⁴⁵ Jediael the son of Shimri, and Joha his brother, the Tizite, ⁴⁶ Eliel the Mahavite, Jeribai and Joshaviah the sons of Elnaam, Ithmah the Moabite, ⁴⁷ Eliel, Obed, and Jaasiel the Mezobaite.

The Growth of David’s Army^(IX)

12 Now ^(IY)these were the men who came to David at ^(IZ)Ziklag while he was still a fugitive from Saul the son of Kish; and they were among the mighty men, helpers in the war, ² armed with bows, using both the right hand and ^(JA)the left in hurling stones and shooting arrows with the bow. They were of Benjamin, Saul’s brethren.

³ The chief was Ahiezer, then Joash, the sons of ^[gm]Shemaah the Gibeathite; Jeziel and Pelet the sons of Azmaveth; Berachah, and Jehu the Anathothite; ⁴ Ishmaiah the Gibeonite, a mighty man among the thirty, and over the thirty; Jeremiah, Jahaziel, Johanan, and Jozabad the Gederathite; ⁵ Eluzai, Jerimoth, Bealiah, Shemariah, and Shephatiah the Haruphite; ⁶ Elkanah, Jisshiah, Azarel, Joezer, and Jashobeam, the Korahites; ⁷ and Joelah and Zebadiah the sons of Jeroham of Gedor.

⁸ Some Gadites ^[gn]joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were ^(JB)as swift as gazelles on the mountains: ⁹ Ezer the first, Obadiah the second, Eliab the third, ¹⁰ Mishmannah the fourth, Jeremiah the fifth, ¹¹ Attai the sixth, Eliel the seventh, ¹² Johanan the eighth, Elzabad the ninth, ¹³ Jeremiah the tenth, and Machbanai the eleventh. ¹⁴ These were from the sons of Gad, captains of the army; the least was over a hundred, and the greatest was over a ^(JC)thousand. ¹⁵ These are the ones who crossed the Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its ^(JD)banks; and they put to flight all those in the valleys, to the east and to the west.

¹⁶ Then some of the sons of Benjamin and Judah came to David at the stronghold. ¹⁷ And David went out ^[go]to meet them, and answered and said to them, “If you have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart will be united with you; but if to betray me to my enemies, since there is no ^[gp]wrong in my hands, may the God of our fathers look and bring judgment.” ¹⁸ Then the Spirit ^[gq]came upon ^(JE)Amasai, chief of the captains, and he said:

So David received them, and made them captains of the troop.

¹⁹ And some from Manasseh defected to David ^(JF)when he was going with the Philistines to battle against Saul; but they did not help them, for the lords of the Philistines sent him away by agreement, saying, ^(JG)“He may defect to his master Saul and endanger our heads.” ²⁰ When he went to Ziklag, those of Manasseh who defected to him were Adnah, Jozabad, Jediael, Michael, Jozabad, Elihu, and Zillethai, captains of the thousands who were from Manasseh. ²¹ And they helped David against ^(JH)the bands of raiders, for they were all mighty men of valor, and they were captains in the army. ²² For at that time they came to David day by day to help him, until it was a great army, ^(JI)like the army of God.

David’s Army at Hebron

²³ Now these were the numbers of the ^[gr]divisions that were equipped for war, and ^(JJ)came to David at ^(JK)Hebron to ^(JL)turn over the kingdom of Saul to him, ^(JM)according to the word of the Lord: ²⁴ of the sons of Judah bearing shield and spear, six thousand eight hundred ^[gs]armed for war; ²⁵ of the sons of Simeon, mighty men of valor fit for war, seven thousand one hundred; ²⁶ of the sons of Levi four thousand six hundred; ²⁷ Jehoiada, the leader of the Aaronites, and with him three thousand seven hundred; ^28 (JN)Zadok, a young man, a valiant warrior, and from his father’s house twenty-two captains; ²⁹ of the sons of Benjamin, relatives of Saul, three thousand (until then ^(JO)the greatest part of them had remained loyal to the house of Saul); ³⁰ of the sons of Ephraim twenty thousand eight hundred, mighty men of valor, ^[gt]famous men throughout their father’s house; ³¹ of the half-tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were designated by name to come and make David king; ³² of the sons of Issachar ^(JP)who had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do, their chiefs were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command; ³³ of Zebulun there were fifty thousand who went out to battle, expert in war with all weapons of war, ^(JQ)stouthearted men who could keep ranks; ³⁴ of Naphtali one thousand captains, and with them thirty-seven thousand with shield and spear; ³⁵ of the Danites who could keep battle formation, twenty-eight thousand six hundred; ³⁶ of Asher, those who could go out to war, able to keep battle formation, forty thousand; ³⁷ of the Reubenites and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, from the other side of the Jordan, one hundred and twenty thousand armed for battle with every kind of weapon of war.

³⁸ All these men of war, who could keep ranks, came to Hebron with a loyal heart, to make David king over all Israel; and all the rest of Israel were of ^(JR)one mind to make David king. ³⁹ And they were there with David three days, eating and drinking, for their brethren had prepared for them. ⁴⁰ Moreover those who were near to them, from as far away as Issachar and Zebulun and Naphtali, were bringing food on donkeys and camels, on mules and oxen—provisions of flour and cakes of figs and cakes of raisins, wine and oil and oxen and sheep abundantly, for there was joy in Israel.

The Ark Brought from Kirjath Jearim^(JS)

13 Then David consulted with the ^(JT)captains of thousands and hundreds, and with every leader. ² And David said to all the assembly of Israel, “If it seems good to you, and if it is of the Lord our God, let us send out to our brethren everywhere who are ^(JU)left in all the land of Israel, and with them to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and their common-lands, that they may gather together to us; ³ and let us bring the ark of our God back to us, ^(JV)for we have not inquired at it since the days of Saul.” ⁴ Then all the assembly said that they would do so, for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.

⁵ So ^(JW)David gathered all Israel together, from ^(JX)Shihor in Egypt to as far as the entrance of Hamath, to bring the ark of God ^(JY)from Kirjath Jearim. ⁶ And David and all Israel went up to ^(JZ)Baalah,^[gu] to Kirjath Jearim, which belonged to Judah, to bring up from there the ark of God the Lord, ^(KA)who dwells between the cherubim, where His name is proclaimed. ⁷ So they ^[gv]carried the ark of God ^(KB)on a new cart ^(KC)from the house of Abinadab, and Uzza and Ahio drove the cart. ⁸ Then ^(KD)David and all Israel played music before God with all their might, with ^[gw]singing, on harps, on stringed instruments, on tambourines, on cymbals, and with trumpets.

⁹ And when they came to ^[gx]Chidon’s threshing floor, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, for the oxen ^[gy]stumbled. ¹⁰ Then the anger of the Lord was aroused against Uzza, and He struck him ^(KE)because he put his hand to the ark; and he ^(KF)died there before God. ¹¹ And David became angry because of the Lord’s outbreak against Uzza; therefore that place is called ^[gz]Perez Uzza to this day. ¹² David was afraid of God that day, saying, “How can I bring the ark of God to me?”

¹³ So David would not move the ark with him into the City of David, but took it aside into the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite. ^14 (KG)The ark of God remained with the family of Obed-Edom in his house three months. And the Lord blessed ^(KH)the house of Obed-Edom and all that he had.

David Established at Jerusalem^(KI)

14 Now ^(KJ)Hiram king of Tyre sent messengers to David, and cedar trees, with masons and carpenters, to build him a house. ² So David knew that the Lord had established him as king over Israel, for his kingdom was ^(KK)highly exalted for the sake of His people Israel.

³ Then David took more wives in Jerusalem, and David begot more sons and daughters. ⁴ And ^(KL)these are the names of his children whom he had in Jerusalem: ^[ha]Shammua, Shobab, Nathan, Solomon, ⁵ Ibhar, ^[hb]Elishua, ^[hc]Elpelet, ⁶ Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, ⁷ Elishama, ^[hd]Beeliada, and Eliphelet.

The Philistines Defeated^(KM)

⁸ Now when the Philistines heard that ^(KN)David had been anointed king over all Israel, all the Philistines went up to search for David. And David heard of it and went out against them. ⁹ Then the Philistines went and made a raid ^(KO)on the Valley of ^[he]Rephaim. ¹⁰ And David ^(KP)inquired of God, saying, “Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand?”

The Lord said to him, “Go up, for I will deliver them into your hand.”

¹¹ So they went up to Baal Perazim, and David defeated them there. Then David said, “God has broken through my enemies by my hand like a breakthrough of water.” Therefore they called the name of that place ^[hf]Baal Perazim. ¹² And when they left their gods there, David gave a commandment, and they were burned with fire.

^13 (KQ)Then the Philistines once again made a raid on the valley. ¹⁴ Therefore David inquired again of God, and God said to him, “You shall not go up after them; circle around them, ^(KR)and come upon them in front of the mulberry trees. ¹⁵ And it shall be, when you hear a sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then you shall go out to battle, for God has gone out before you to strike the camp of the Philistines.” ¹⁶ So David did as God commanded him, and they drove back the army of the Philistines from ^[hg]Gibeon as far as Gezer. ¹⁷ Then ^(KS)the fame of David went out into all lands, and the Lord ^(KT)brought the fear of him upon all nations.

The Ark Brought to Jerusalem^(KU)

15 David built houses for himself in the City of David; and he prepared a place for the ark of God, ^(KV)and pitched a tent for it. ² Then David said, “No one may carry the ^(KW)ark of God but the Levites, for ^(KX)the Lord has chosen them to carry the ark of God and to minister before Him forever.” ³ And David ^(KY)gathered all Israel together at Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the Lord to its place, which he had prepared for it. ⁴ Then David assembled the children of Aaron and the Levites: ⁵ of the sons of Kohath, Uriel the chief, and one hundred and twenty of his ^[hh]brethren; ⁶ of the sons of Merari, Asaiah the chief, and two hundred and twenty of his brethren; ⁷ of the sons of Gershom, Joel the chief, and one hundred and thirty of his brethren; ⁸ of the sons of ^(KZ)Elizaphan, Shemaiah the chief, and two hundred of his brethren; ⁹ of the sons of ^(LA)Hebron, Eliel the chief, and eighty of his brethren; ¹⁰ of the sons of Uzziel, Amminadab the chief, and one hundred and twelve of his brethren.

¹¹ And David called for ^(LB)Zadok and ^(LC)Abiathar the priests, and for the Levites: for Uriel, Asaiah, Joel, Shemaiah, Eliel, and Amminadab. ¹² He said to them, “You are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites; ^[hi]sanctify yourselves, you and your brethren, that you may bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel to the place I have prepared for it. ¹³ For ^(LD)because you did not do it the first time, ^(LE)the Lord our God broke out against us, because we did not consult Him ^[hj]about the proper order.”

¹⁴ So the priests and the Levites ^[hk]sanctified themselves to bring up the ark of the Lord God of Israel. ¹⁵ And the children of the Levites bore the ark of God on their shoulders, by its poles, as ^(LF)Moses had commanded according to the word of the Lord.

¹⁶ Then David spoke to the leaders of the Levites to appoint their brethren to be the singers accompanied by instruments of music, stringed instruments, harps, and cymbals, by raising the voice with resounding joy. ¹⁷ So the Levites appointed ^(LG)Heman the son of Joel; and of his brethren, ^(LH)Asaph the son of Berechiah; and of their brethren, the sons of Merari, ^(LI)Ethan the son of Kushaiah; ¹⁸ and with them their brethren of the second rank: Zechariah, ^[hl]Ben, Jaaziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Benaiah, Maaseiah, Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, and Jeiel, the gatekeepers; ¹⁹ the singers, Heman, Asaph, and Ethan, were to sound the cymbals of bronze; ²⁰ Zechariah, ^[hm]Aziel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Unni, Eliab, Maaseiah, and Benaiah, with strings according to ^(LJ)Alamoth; ²¹ Mattithiah, Elipheleh, Mikneiah, Obed-Edom, Jeiel, and Azaziah, to direct with harps on the ^(LK)Sheminith; ²² Chenaniah, leader of the Levites, was instructor in charge of the music, because he was skillful; ²³ Berechiah and Elkanah were doorkeepers for the ark; ²⁴ Shebaniah, Joshaphat, Nethanel, Amasai, Zechariah, Benaiah, and Eliezer, the priests, ^(LL)were to blow the trumpets before the ark of God; and ^(LM)Obed-Edom and Jehiah, doorkeepers for the ark.

²⁵ So ^(LN)David, the elders of Israel, and the captains over thousands went to bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord from the house of Obed-Edom with joy. ²⁶ And so it was, when God helped the Levites who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord, that they offered seven bulls and seven rams. ²⁷ David was clothed with a robe of fine ^(LO)linen, as were all the Levites who bore the ark, the singers, and Chenaniah the music master with the singers. David also wore a linen ephod. ^28 (LP)Thus all Israel brought up the ark of the covenant of the Lord with shouting and with the sound of the horn, with trumpets and with cymbals, making music with stringed instruments and harps.

²⁹ And it happened, ^(LQ)as the ark of the covenant of the Lord came to the City of David, that Michal, Saul’s daughter, looked through a window and saw King David whirling and playing music; and she despised him in her heart.

The Ark Placed in the Tabernacle^(LR)

16 So ^(LS)they brought the ark of God, and set it in the midst of the tabernacle that David had erected for it. Then they offered burnt offerings and peace offerings before God. ² And when David had finished offering the burnt offerings and the peace offerings, ^(LT)he blessed the people in the name of the Lord. ³ Then he distributed to everyone of Israel, both man and woman, to everyone a loaf of bread, a piece of meat, and a cake of raisins.

⁴ And he appointed some of the Levites to minister before the ark of the Lord, to ^(LU)commemorate, to thank, and to praise the Lord God of Israel: ⁵ Asaph the chief, and next to him Zechariah, then ^(LV)Jeiel, Shemiramoth, Jehiel, Mattithiah, Eliab, Benaiah, and Obed-Edom: Jeiel with stringed instruments and harps, but Asaph made music with cymbals; ⁶ Benaiah and Jahaziel the priests regularly blew the trumpets before the ark of the covenant of God.

David’s Song of Thanksgiving^(LW)

⁷ On that day ^(LX)David ^(LY)first delivered this psalm into the hand of Asaph and his brethren, to thank the Lord:

And all ^(MO)the people said, “Amen!” and praised the Lord.

Regular Worship Maintained

³⁷ So he left ^(MP)Asaph and his brothers there before the ark of the covenant of the Lord to minister before the ark regularly, as every day’s work ^(MQ)required; ³⁸ and ^(MR)Obed-Edom with his sixty-eight brethren, including Obed-Edom the son of Jeduthun, and Hosah, to be gatekeepers; ³⁹ and Zadok the priest and his brethren the priests, ^(MS)before the tabernacle of the Lord ^(MT)at the ^[ho]high place that was at Gibeon, ⁴⁰ to offer burnt offerings to the Lord on the altar of burnt offering regularly ^(MU)morning and evening, and to do according to all that is written in the Law of the Lord which He commanded Israel; ⁴¹ and with them Heman and Jeduthun and the rest who were chosen, who were designated by name, to give thanks to the Lord, ^(MV)because His mercy endures forever; ⁴² and with them Heman and Jeduthun, to sound aloud with trumpets and cymbals and the musical instruments of God. Now the sons of Jeduthun were gatekeepers.

^43 (MW)Then all the people departed, every man to his house; and David returned to bless his house.

God’s Covenant with David^(MX)

17 Now ^(MY)it came to pass, when David was dwelling in his house, that David said to Nathan the prophet, “See now, I dwell in a house of cedar, but the ark of the covenant of the Lord is under tent curtains.”

² Then Nathan said to David, “Do all that is in your heart, for God is with you.”

³ But it happened that night that the word of God came to Nathan, saying, ⁴ “Go and tell My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord: “You shall ^(MZ)not build Me a house to dwell in. ⁵ For I have not dwelt in a house since the time that I brought up Israel, even to this day, but have gone from tent to tent, and from one tabernacle to another. ⁶ Wherever I have moved about with all Israel, have I ever spoken a word to any of the judges of Israel, whom I commanded to shepherd My people, saying, ‘Why have you not built Me a house of cedar?’ ” ’ ⁷ Now therefore, thus shall you say to My servant David, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts: “I took you ^(NA)from the sheepfold, from following the sheep, to be ^[hp]ruler over My people Israel. ⁸ And I have been with you wherever you have gone, and have cut off all your enemies from before you, and have ^[hq]made you a name like the name of the great men who are on the earth. ⁹ Moreover I will appoint a place for My people Israel, and will ^(NB)plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own and move no more; nor shall the sons of wickedness oppress them anymore, as previously, ¹⁰ since the time that I commanded judges to be over My people Israel. Also I will subdue all your enemies. Furthermore I tell you that the Lord will build you a ^[hr]house. ¹¹ And it shall be, when your days are ^(NC)fulfilled, when you must ^[hs]go to be with your fathers, that I will set up your ^(ND)seed after you, who will be of your sons; and I will establish his kingdom. ^12 (NE)He shall build Me a house, and I will establish his throne forever. ^13 (NF)I will be his Father, and he shall be My son; and I will not take My mercy away from him, ^(NG)as I took it from him who was before you. ¹⁴ And ^(NH)I will establish him in My house and in My kingdom forever; and his throne shall be established forever.” ’ ”

¹⁵ According to all these words and according to all this vision, so Nathan spoke to David.

^16 (NI)Then King David went in and sat before the Lord; and he said: “Who am I, O Lord God? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far? ¹⁷ And yet this was a small thing in Your sight, O God; and You have also spoken of Your servant’s house for a great while to come, and have regarded me according to the rank of a man of high degree, O Lord God. ¹⁸ What more can David say to You for the honor of Your servant? For You know Your servant. ¹⁹ O Lord, for Your servant’s sake, and according to Your own heart, You have done all this greatness, in making known all these great things. ²⁰ O Lord, there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears. ^21 (NJ)And who is like Your people Israel, the one nation on the earth whom God went to redeem for Himself as a people—to make for Yourself a name by great and awesome deeds, by driving out nations from before Your people whom You redeemed from Egypt? ²² For You have made Your people Israel Your very own people forever; and You, Lord, have become their God.

²³ “And now, O Lord, the word which You have spoken concerning Your servant and concerning his house, let it be established forever, and do as You have said. ²⁴ So let it be established, that Your name may be magnified forever, saying, ‘The Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, is Israel’s God.’ And let the house of Your servant David be established before You. ²⁵ For You, O my God, ^[ht]have revealed to Your servant that You will build him a house. Therefore Your servant has found it in his heart to pray before You. ²⁶ And now, Lord, ^[hu]You are God, and have promised this goodness to Your servant. ²⁷ Now You have been pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You have blessed it, O Lord, and it shall be blessed forever.”

David’s Further Conquests^(NK)

18 After this ^(NL)it came to pass that David ^[hv]attacked the Philistines, subdued them, and took Gath and its towns from the hand of the Philistines. ² Then he ^[hw]defeated ^(NM)Moab, and the Moabites became David’s ^(NN)servants, and brought tribute.

³ And ^(NO)David ^[hx]defeated ^[hy]Hadadezer king of Zobah as far as Hamath, as he went to establish his power by the River Euphrates. ⁴ David took from him one thousand chariots, ^[hz]seven thousand horsemen, and twenty thousand foot soldiers. Also David ^[ia]hamstrung all the chariot horses, except that he spared enough of them for one hundred chariots.

⁵ When the ^(NP)Syrians of Damascus came to help Hadadezer king of Zobah, David killed twenty-two thousand of the Syrians. ⁶ Then David put garrisons in Syria of Damascus; and the Syrians became David’s servants, and brought tribute. So the Lord preserved David wherever he went. ⁷ And David took the shields of gold that were on the servants of Hadadezer, and brought them to Jerusalem. ⁸ Also from ^[ib]Tibhath and from ^[ic]Chun, cities of ^[id]Hadadezer, David brought a large amount of ^(NQ)bronze, with which ^(NR)Solomon made the bronze ^[ie]Sea, the pillars, and the articles of bronze.

⁹ Now when ^[if]Tou king of Hamath heard that David had ^[ig]defeated all the army of Hadadezer king of Zobah, ¹⁰ he sent ^[ih]Hadoram his son to King David, to greet him and bless him, because he had fought against Hadadezer and ^[ii]defeated him (for Hadadezer had been at war with Tou); and Hadoram brought with him all kinds of ^(NS)articles of gold, silver, and bronze. ¹¹ King David also dedicated these to the Lord, along with the silver and gold that he had brought from all these nations—from Edom, from Moab, from the ^(NT)people of Ammon, from the ^(NU)Philistines, and from ^(NV)Amalek.

¹² Moreover ^(NW)Abishai the son of Zeruiah killed ^(NX)eighteen thousand ^[ij]Edomites in the Valley of Salt. ^13 (NY)He also put garrisons in Edom, and all the Edomites became David’s servants. And the Lord preserved David wherever he went.

David’s Administration^(NZ)

¹⁴ So David reigned over all Israel, and administered judgment and justice to all his people. ¹⁵ Joab the son of Zeruiah was over the army; Jehoshaphat the son of Ahilud was recorder; ¹⁶ Zadok the son of Ahitub and ^[ik]Abimelech the son of Abiathar were the priests; ^[il]Shavsha was the scribe; ^17 (OA)Benaiah the son of Jehoiada was over the Cherethites and the Pelethites; and David’s sons were ^[im]chief ministers at the king’s side.

The Ammonites and Syrians Defeated^(OB)

19 It^(OC) happened after this that Nahash the king of the people of Ammon died, and his son reigned in his place. ² Then David said, “I will show kindness to Hanun the son of Nahash, because his father showed kindness to me.” So David sent messengers to comfort him concerning his father. And David’s servants came to Hanun in the land of the people of Ammon to comfort him.

³ And the princes of the people of Ammon said to Hanun, ^[in]“Do you think that David really honors your father because he has sent comforters to you? Did his servants not come to you to search and to overthrow and to spy out the land?”

⁴ Therefore Hanun took David’s servants, shaved them, and cut off their garments ^[io]in the middle, at their ^(OD)buttocks, and sent them away. ⁵ Then some went and told David about the men; and he sent to meet them, because the men were greatly ashamed. And the king said, “Wait at Jericho until your beards have grown, and then return.”

⁶ When the people of Ammon saw that they had made themselves repulsive to David, Hanun and the people of Ammon sent a thousand talents of silver to hire for themselves chariots and horsemen from ^[ip]Mesopotamia, from Syrian Maacah, ^(OE)and from ^[iq]Zobah. ⁷ So they hired for themselves thirty-two thousand chariots, with the king of Maacah and his people, who came and encamped before Medeba. Also the people of Ammon gathered together from their cities, and came to battle.

⁸ Now when David heard of it, he sent Joab and all the army of the mighty men. ⁹ Then the people of Ammon came out and put themselves in battle array before the gate of the city, and the kings who had come were by themselves in the field.

¹⁰ When Joab saw that the battle line was against him before and behind, he chose some of Israel’s best and put them in battle array against the Syrians. ¹¹ And the rest of the people he put under the command of Abishai his brother, and they set themselves in battle array against the people of Ammon. ¹² Then he said, “If the Syrians are too strong for me, then you shall help me; but if the people of Ammon are too strong for you, then I will help you. ¹³ Be of good courage, and let us be strong for our people and for the cities of our God. And may the Lord do what is good in His sight.”

¹⁴ So Joab and the people who were with him drew near for the battle against the Syrians, and they fled before him. ¹⁵ When the people of Ammon saw that the Syrians were fleeing, they also fled before Abishai his brother, and entered the city. So Joab went to Jerusalem.

¹⁶ Now when the Syrians saw that they had been defeated by Israel, they sent messengers and brought the Syrians who were beyond ^[ir]the River, and ^[is]Shophach the commander of Hadadezer’s army went before them. ¹⁷ When it was told David, he gathered all Israel, crossed over the Jordan and came upon them, and set up in battle array against them. So when David had set up in battle array against the Syrians, they fought with him. ¹⁸ Then the Syrians fled before Israel; and David killed ^[it]seven thousand charioteers and forty thousand ^[iu]foot soldiers of the Syrians, and killed Shophach the commander of the army. ¹⁹ And when the servants of Hadadezer saw that they were defeated by Israel, they made peace with David and became his servants. So the Syrians were not willing to help the people of Ammon anymore.