The mouths of fools are their undoing,
    and their lips are a snare to their very lives.

The words of a gossip are like choice morsels;
    they go down to the inmost parts.

One who is slack in his work
    is brother to one who destroys.

10 The name of the Lord is a fortified tower;
    the righteous run to it and are safe.

11 The wealth of the rich is their fortified city;
    they imagine it a wall too high to scale.

12 Before a downfall the heart is haughty,
    but humility comes before honour.

13 To answer before listening –
    that is folly and shame.

14 The human spirit can endure in times of illness,
    but a crushed spirit who can bear?

15 The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge,
    for the ears of the wise seek it out.

16 A gift opens the way
    and ushers the giver into the presence of the great.

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Moses writes this about the righteousness that is by the law: ‘The person who does these things will live by them.’[a] But the righteousness that is by faith says: ‘Do not say in your heart, “Who will ascend into heaven?”’[b] (that is, to bring Christ down) ‘or “Who will descend into the deep?”’[c] (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? ‘The word is near you; it is in your mouth and in your heart,’[d] that is, the message concerning faith that we proclaim: if you declare with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you profess your faith and are saved. 11 As Scripture says, ‘Anyone who believes in him will never be put to shame.’[e] 12 For there is no difference between Jew and Gentile – the same Lord is Lord of all and richly blesses all who call on him, 13 for, ‘Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.’[f]

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? 15 And how can anyone preach unless they are sent? As it is written: ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who bring good news!’[g]

16 But not all the Israelites accepted the good news. For Isaiah says, ‘Lord, who has believed our message?’[h] 17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. 18 But I ask: did they not hear? Of course they did:

‘Their voice has gone out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.’[i]

19 Again I ask: did Israel not understand? First, Moses says,

‘I will make you envious by those who are not a nation;
    I will make you angry by a nation that has no understanding.’[j]

20 And Isaiah boldly says,

‘I was found by those who did not seek me;
    I revealed myself to those who did not ask for me.’[k]

21 But concerning Israel he says,

‘All day long I have held out my hands
    to a disobedient and obstinate people.’[l]

The remnant of Israel

11 I ask then: did God reject his people? By no means! I am an Israelite myself, a descendant of Abraham, from the tribe of Benjamin. God did not reject his people, whom he foreknew. Don’t you know what Scripture says in the passage about Elijah – how he appealed to God against Israel: ‘Lord, they have killed your prophets and torn down your altars; I am the only one left, and they are trying to kill me’[m]? And what was God’s answer to him? ‘I have reserved for myself seven thousand who have not bowed the knee to Baal.’[n] So too, at the present time there is a remnant chosen by grace. And if by grace, then it cannot be based on works; if it were, grace would no longer be grace.

What then? What the people of Israel sought so earnestly they did not obtain. The elect among them did, but the others were hardened, as it is written:

‘God gave them a spirit of stupor,
    eyes that could not see
    and ears that could not hear,
to this very day.’[o]

And David says:

‘May their table become a snare and a trap,
    a stumbling-block and a retribution for them.
10 May their eyes be darkened so they cannot see,
    and their backs be bent for ever.’[p]

Footnotes

  1. Romans 10:5 Lev. 18:5
  2. Romans 10:6 Deut. 30:12
  3. Romans 10:7 Deut. 30:13
  4. Romans 10:8 Deut. 30:14
  5. Romans 10:11 Isaiah 28:16 (see Septuagint)
  6. Romans 10:13 Joel 2:32
  7. Romans 10:15 Isaiah 52:7
  8. Romans 10:16 Isaiah 53:1
  9. Romans 10:18 Psalm 19:4
  10. Romans 10:19 Deut. 32:21
  11. Romans 10:20 Isaiah 65:1
  12. Romans 10:21 Isaiah 65:2
  13. Romans 11:3 1 Kings 19:10,14
  14. Romans 11:4 1 Kings 19:18
  15. Romans 11:8 Deut. 29:4; Isaiah 29:10
  16. Romans 11:10 Psalm 69:22,23

Caleb son of Hezron

18 Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah (and by Jerioth). These were her sons: Jesher, Shobab and Ardon. 19 When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur. 20 Hur was the father of Uri, and Uri the father of Bezalel.

21 Later, Hezron, when he was sixty years old, married the daughter of Makir the father of Gilead. He made love to her, and she bore him Segub. 22 Segub was the father of Jair, who controlled twenty-three towns in Gilead. 23 (But Geshur and Aram captured Havvoth Jair,[a] as well as Kenath with its surrounding settlements – sixty towns.) All these were descendants of Makir the father of Gilead.

24 After Hezron died in Caleb Ephrathah, Abijah the wife of Hezron bore him Ashhur the father[b] of Tekoa.

Jerahmeel son of Hezron

25 The sons of Jerahmeel the firstborn of Hezron:

Ram his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem and[c] 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:

Maaz, Jamin and Eker.

28 The sons of Onam:

Shammai and Jada.

The sons of Shammai:

Nadab and Abishur.

29 Abishur’s wife was named Abihail, who bore him Ahban and Molid.

30 The sons of Nadab:

Seled and Appaim. Seled died without children.

31 The son of Appaim:

Ishi, who was the father of Sheshan.

Sheshan was the father of Ahlai.

32 The sons of Jada, Shammai’s brother:

Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without children.

33 The sons of Jonathan:

Peleth and Zaza.

These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.

34 Sheshan had no sons – only daughters.

He had an Egyptian servant named Jarha. 35 Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to his servant Jarha, and she bore him Attai.

36 Attai was the father of Nathan,

Nathan the father of Zabad,

37 Zabad the father of Ephlal,

Ephlal the father of Obed,

38 Obed the father of Jehu,

Jehu the father of Azariah,

39 Azariah the father of Helez,

Helez the father of Eleasah,

40 Eleasah the father of Sismai,

Sismai the father of Shallum,

41 Shallum the father of Jekamiah,

and Jekamiah the father of Elishama.

The clans of Caleb

42 The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel:

Mesha his firstborn, who was the father of Ziph, and his son Mareshah,[d] who was the father of Hebron.

43 The sons of Hebron:

Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema. 44 Shema was the father of Raham, and Raham the father of Jorkeam. Rekem was the father of Shammai. 45 The son of Shammai was Maon, and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.

46 Caleb’s concubine Ephah was the mother of Haran, Moza and Gazez. Haran was the father of Gazez.

47 The sons of Jahdai:

Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah and Shaaph.

48 Caleb’s concubine Maakah was the mother of Sheber and Tirhanah. 49 She also gave birth to Shaaph the father of Madmannah and to Sheva the father of Makbenah and Gibea. Caleb’s daughter was Aksah. 50 These were the descendants of Caleb.

The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah:

Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim, 51 Salma the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth Gader.

52 The descendants of Shobal the father of Kiriath Jearim were:

Haroeh, half the Manahathites, 53 and the clans of Kiriath Jearim: the Ithrites, Puthites, Shumathites and Mishraites. From these descended the Zorathites and Eshtaolites.

54 The descendants of Salma:

Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half the Manahathites, the Zorites, 55 and the clans of scribes[e] who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, Shimeathites and Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the Rekabites.[f]

The sons of David

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

the firstborn was Amnon the son of Ahinoam of Jezreel;

the second, Daniel the son of Abigail of Carmel;

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

the fourth, Adonijah the son of Haggith;

the fifth, Shephatiah the son of Abital;

and the sixth, Ithream, by his wife Eglah.

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

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

Shammua,[g] Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. These four were by Bathsheba[h] daughter of Ammiel. There were also Ibhar, Elishua,[i] Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet – nine in all. All these were the sons of David, besides his sons by his concubines. And Tamar was their sister.

The kings of Judah

10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam,

Abijah his son,

Asa his son,

Jehoshaphat his son,

11 Jehoram[j] his son,

Ahaziah his son,

Joash his son,

12 Amaziah his son,

Azariah his son,

Jotham his son,

13 Ahaz his son,

Hezekiah his son,

Manasseh his son,

14 Amon his son,

Josiah his son.

15 The sons of Josiah:

Johanan the firstborn,

Jehoiakim the second son,

Zedekiah the third,

Shallum the fourth.

16 The successors of Jehoiakim:

Jehoiachin[k] his son,

and Zedekiah.

The royal line after the exile

17 The descendants of Jehoiachin the captive:

Shealtiel his son, 18 Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah.

19 The sons of Pedaiah:

Zerubbabel and Shimei.

The sons of Zerubbabel:

Meshullam and Hananiah.

Shelomith was their sister.

20 There were also five others:

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

21 The descendants of Hananiah:

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

22 The descendants of Shekaniah:

Shemaiah and his sons:

Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat – six in all.

23 The sons of Neariah:

Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam – three in all.

24 The sons of Elioenai:

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

Other clans of Judah

The descendants of Judah:

Perez, Hezron, Karmi, Hur and Shobal.

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

These were the sons[l] of Etam:

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

These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and father[m] of Bethlehem.

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

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

The sons of Helah:

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

Footnotes

  1. 1 Chronicles 2:23 Or captured the settlements of Jair
  2. 1 Chronicles 2:24 Father may mean civic leader or military leader; also in verses 42, 45, 49-52 and possibly elsewhere.
  3. 1 Chronicles 2:25 Or Oren and Ozem, by
  4. 1 Chronicles 2:42 The meaning of the Hebrew for this phrase is uncertain.
  5. 1 Chronicles 2:55 Or of the Sopherites
  6. 1 Chronicles 2:55 Or father of Beth Rekab
  7. 1 Chronicles 3:5 Hebrew Shimea, a variant of Shammua
  8. 1 Chronicles 3:5 One Hebrew manuscript and Vulgate (see also Septuagint and 2 Sam. 11:3); most Hebrew manuscripts Bathshua
  9. 1 Chronicles 3:6 Two Hebrew manuscripts (see also 2 Samuel 5:15 and 1 Chron. 14:5); most Hebrew manuscripts Elishama
  10. 1 Chronicles 3:11 Hebrew Joram, a variant of Jehoram
  11. 1 Chronicles 3:16 Hebrew Jeconiah, a variant of Jehoiachin; also in verse 17
  12. 1 Chronicles 4:3 Some Septuagint manuscripts (see also Vulgate); Hebrew father
  13. 1 Chronicles 4:4 Father may mean civic leader or military leader; also in verses 12, 14, 17, 18 and possibly elsewhere.