1 Chronicles 2:25-41

The Voice

²⁵Jerahmeel (the firstborn of Hezron) had five sons: Ram (the firstborn), Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah. ²⁶Jerahmeel had another wife, Atarah, who gave birth to Onam. ²⁷Ram fathered Maaz, Jamin, and Eker. ²⁸Onam fathered Shammai and Jada. Shammai’s sons were Nadab and Abishur. ²⁹Abishur’s wife was Abihail, and she gave birth to Ahban and Molid. ³⁰Nadab’s sons were Seled and Appaim. Seled died without sons, ³¹but Appaim fathered Ishi. The son of Ishi was Sheshan, who fathered Ahlai. ³²Shammai’s brother, Jada, fathered Jether and Jonathan. Jether died without sons, but ³³Jonathan fathered Peleth and Zaza. They were the generation of Jerahmeel.^[a] ³⁴Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, and he had a servant named Jarha, who was Egyptian.

Although many of the Jews’ female ancestors are influential in the development of the nation of Israel—women such as Rahab, Jael, and Deborah who perform feats even men are too faint of heart to accomplish—the men are the ones who build wealth and power over the generations. Because of the way inheritances work, only a son can continue his family’s lineage. When a father dies, his property is divided among his sons, with the first son inheriting a double portion of the assets. Daughters are typically married off and take on the identities of their husbands’ families; so when a man dies without any sons, his family line ends and his assets are disbursed to the nearest male relatives.

³⁵Sheshan married one daughter to Jarha (his Egyptian servant), and she gave birth to Attai. ³⁶Attai fathered Nathan, and here are the 11 generations that descended from Nathan: Zabad, ³⁷Ephlal, Obed, ³⁸Jehu, Azariah, ³⁹Helez, Eleasah, ⁴⁰Sismai, Shallum, ⁴¹Jekamiah, and Elishama.