Beginning
David’s Family
3 These are David’s sons who were born in Hebron. David’s first son was Amnon. Amnon’s mother was Ahinoam from the town of Jezreel. David’s second son was Daniel. His mother was Abigail from Carmel. 2 David’s third son was Absalom. His mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai king of Geshur. David’s fourth son was Adonijah. His mother was Haggith. 3 David’s fifth son was Shephatiah. His mother was Abital. David’s sixth son was Ithream. David’s wife Eglah was his mother. 4 These six sons of David were born to him in Hebron. David ruled there 7 years and 6 months.
David ruled in Jerusalem 33 years. 5 These were David’s children who were born in Jerusalem: David and Bathsheba, Ammiel’s daughter, had four children. They were Shammua, Shobab, Nathan and Solomon. 6-8 David’s other nine children were Ibhar, Elishua, Eliphelet, Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia, Elishama, Eliada and Eliphelet. 9 Those are all of David’s sons, except for those born to his slave women. David also had a daughter named Tamar.
The Kings of Judah
10 Solomon’s son was Rehoboam. Rehoboam’s son was Abijah. Abijah’s son was Asa. Asa’s son was Jehoshaphat. 11 Jehoshaphat’s son was Jehoram. Jehoram’s son was Ahaziah. Ahaziah’s son was Joash. 12 Joash’s son was Amaziah. Amaziah’s son was Azariah. Azariah’s son was Jotham. 13 Jotham’s son was Ahaz. Ahaz’s son was Hezekiah. Hezekiah’s son was Manasseh. 14 Manasseh’s son was Amon. Amon’s son was Josiah.
15 These were Josiah’s sons: Josiah’s first son was Johanan. His second son was Jehoiakim. His third son was Zedekiah. His fourth son was Shallum.
16 Jehoiakim was followed by Jehoiachin. Jehoiachin was followed by Zedekiah.
David’s Descendants After the Babylonian Captivity
17 Jehoiachin was taken as a prisoner. His sons were Shealtiel, 18 Malkiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama and Nedabiah.
19 Pedaiah’s sons were Zerubbabel and Shimei.
Zerubbabel’s sons were Meshullam and Hananiah. Their sister was Shelomith. 20 Zerubbabel also had five other sons. Their names were Hashubah, Ohel, Berekiah, Hasadiah and Jushab-Hesed.
21 Hananiah’s descendants were Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, Arnan, Obadiah and Shecaniah.
22 Shecaniah’s son was Shemaiah. Shemaiah’s sons were Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah and Shaphat. There were six in all.
23 Neariah had three sons. They were Elioenai, Hizkiah and Azrikam.
24 Elioenai had seven sons. They were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah and Anani.
Other Family Groups of Judah
4 Judah’s descendants were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur and Shobal.
2 Reaiah was Shobal’s son. Reaiah was the father of Jahath. Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. They were the family groups of the Zorathite people.
3-4 Hur was the oldest son of Caleb and his wife Ephrath. Hur was the leader of Bethlehem. Hur’s three sons were Etam, Penuel and Ezer. Etam’s sons were Jezreel, Ishma and Idbash. They had a sister named Hazzelelponi. Penuel was the father of Gedor. Ezer was the father of Hushah.
5 Tekoa’s father was Ashhur. Ashhur had two wives named Helah and Naarah.
6 The sons of Ashhur and Naarah were Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These were the descendants of Naarah.
7 Helah’s sons were Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan 8 and Koz. Koz was the father of Anub and Hazzobebah. He was also the father of the Aharhel family group. Aharhel was the son of Harum.
9 There was a man named Jabez. He was respected more than his brothers. His mother named him Jabez[a] because she said, “I was in much pain when I gave birth to him.” 10 Jabez prayed to the God of Israel. Jabez said, “Please do good things for me. Please give me more land. Stay with me, and don’t let anyone hurt me. Then I won’t have any pain.” And God did what Jabez had asked.
11 Kelub was Shuhah’s brother. Kelub was the father of Mehir. Mehir was the father of Eshton. 12 Eshton was the father of Beth Rapha, Paseah and Tehinnah. Tehinnah was the father of the people from the town of Nahash. These people were from Recah.
13 The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah.
Othniel’s sons were Hathath and Meonothai. 14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah.
Seraiah was the father of Joab. Joab was the ancestor of the people from Craftsmen’s Valley. It is called Craftsmen’s Valley because the people living there were craftsmen.
15 Caleb was Jephunneh’s son. Caleb’s sons were Iru, Elah and Naam. Elah’s son was Kenaz.
16 Jehallelel’s sons were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria and Asarel.
17-18 Ezrah’s sons were Jether, Mered, Epher and Jalon. Mered married Bithiah, the daughter of the king of Egypt. The children of Mered and Bithiah were Miriam, Shammai and Ishbah. Ishbah was the father of Eshtemoa. Mered also had a wife from Judah. She gave birth to Jered, Heber and Jekuthiel. Jered became the father of Gedor. Heber became the father of Soco. And Jekuthiel became the father of Zanoah.
19 Hodiah’s wife was Naham’s sister. The sons of Hodiah’s wife were Eshtemoa and the father of Keilah. Keilah was from the Garmite people. And Eshtemoa was from the Maacathite people.
20 Shimon’s sons were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan and Tilon.
Ishi’s sons were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.
21-22 Shelah was Judah’s son. Shelah’s sons were Er, Laadah, Jokim, the men from Cozeba, Joash and Saraph. Er was the father of Lecah. Laadah was the father of Mareshah and the family groups of linen workers at Beth Ashbea. Joash and Saraph ruled in Moab and Jashubi Lehem. The writings about this family are very old. 23 These sons of Shelah made things from clay. They lived in Netaim and Gederah. They stayed there and worked for the king.
Simeon’s Children
24 Simeon’s sons were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah and Shaul. 25 Shaul’s son was Shallum. Shallum’s son was Mibsam. Mibsam’s son was Mishma.
26 Mishma’s son was Hammuel. Hammuel’s son was Zaccur. Zaccur’s son was Shimei. 27 Shimei had 16 sons and 6 daughters. But his brothers did not have many children. So there were not as many people in their family group as there were in Judah.
28 Shimei’s children lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar Shual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem and Tolad. 30 They also lived in Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazar Susim, Beth Biri and Shaaraim. They lived in these cities until David became king. 32 The five villages near these cities were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token and Ashan. 33 There were also other villages as far away as Baalath. This is where they lived. And they wrote the history of their family.
34-38 This is the list of men who were leaders of their family groups. There were Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, Joel and Jehu son of Joshibiah. (Joshibiah was the son of Seraiah, who was the son of Asiel.) There were also Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah and Ziza. (Ziza was the son of Shiphi, who was the son of Allon. Allon was the son of Jedaiah, who was the son of Shimri. And Shimri was the son of Shemaiah.)
These men’s families grew to be very large. 39 They went to the area outside the city of Gedor to the east side of the valley. They went there to look for pasture for their sheep. 40 They found good pastures with plenty of grass. The land was open country and peaceful and quiet. Ham’s descendants had lived there in the past.
41 These men listed above came to Gedor while Hezekiah was king of Judah. They fought against the Hamite people and destroyed their tents. They also fought against the Meunite people who lived there and completely destroyed them. So there are no Meunites there even today. Then these men began to live there, because there was pasture for their sheep. 42 Ishi’s sons, Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel, led 500 of the Simeonite people. They attacked the people living in the mountains of Edom. 43 They killed the few Amalekite people who were still alive. From that time until now these Simeonites have lived in Edom.
Reuben’s Children
5 Reuben was Israel’s first son. Reuben should have received the special privileges of the oldest son. But he had physical relations with his father’s slave woman. So those special privileges were given to Joseph’s sons. (Joseph was a son of Israel.) In the family history Reuben’s name is not listed as the first son. 2 Judah became stronger than his brothers. And a leader came from his family. But Joseph’s family received the privileges that belonged to the oldest son. 3 Reuben was the first son born to Israel. Reuben’s sons were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.
4 These were the children of Joel: Shemaiah was Joel’s son. Gog was Shemaiah’s son. Shimei was Gog’s son. 5 Micah was Shimei’s son. Reaiah was Micah’s son. Baal was Reaiah’s son. 6 Beerah was Baal’s son. Beerah was a leader of the tribe of Reuben. Tiglath-Pileser king of Assyria captured Beerah and took him away.
7 Joel’s brothers and all his family groups are listed just as they are written in their family histories: Jeiel was the first, then Zechariah 8 and Bela. (Bela was the son of Azaz. Azaz was Shema’s son. Shema was Joel’s son.) They lived in the area of Aroer all the way to Nebo and Baal Meon. 9 Bela’s people lived to the east. Their land went as far as the edge of the desert, which is beside the Euphrates River. They lived there because they had too many cattle for the land of Gilead.
10 When Saul was king, Bela’s people fought a war against the Hagrite people. And they defeated the Hagrites. Then Bela’s people lived in the tents that had belonged to the Hagrites. They lived in all the area east of Gilead.
Gad’s Children
11 The people from the tribe of Gad lived near the Reubenite people. The Gadites lived in the area of Bashan all the way to Salecah. 12 Joel was the main leader in Bashan. Shapham was the second leader. Then Janai and Shaphat were leaders.
13 The seven relatives in their families were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia and Eber. 14 They were the descendants of Abihail. Abihail was Huri’s son. Huri was Jaroah’s son. Jaroah was Gilead’s son. Gilead was Michael’s son. Michael was Jeshishai’s son. Jeshishai was Jahdo’s son. Jahdo was the son of Buz. 15 Ahi was Abdiel’s son. Abdiel was Guni’s son. Ahi was the leader of their family.
16 The Gadite people lived in Gilead, Bashan and in the small towns around Bashan. They also lived on all the pasturelands in the Plain of Sharon all the way to the borders.
17 All these people’s names were written in the family history of Gad. This was done during the time Jotham was king of Judah and Jeroboam was king of Israel.
Soldiers Skilled in War
18 There were 44,760 fighters from the tribes of Reuben and Gad and the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh. They were brave men who could use shields and swords. They could use their bows well. They were skilled in war. 19 They started a war against the Hagrites and the people of Jetur, Naphish and Nodab. 20 The men from the tribes of Manasseh, Reuben and Gad prayed to God in the war. They asked God to help them. So he helped them because they trusted him. He allowed them to defeat the Hagrites. And they also defeated all those who were with the Hagrites. 21 They took the animals that belonged to the Hagrites. They took 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep and 2,000 donkeys. They also captured 100,000 people. 22 Many Hagrites were killed. This is because God helped the people of Reuben, Gad and Manasseh. Then they lived there until Babylon captured them and took them away.
The Eastern Half-Tribe of Manasseh
23 There were many people in the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh. They lived in the area of Bashan all the way to Baal Hermon, Senir and Mount Hermon.
24 These were the family leaders: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah and Jahdiel. They were all strong, brave and famous men. And they were leaders in their families. 25 But they sinned against the God that their ancestors had worshiped. They began worshiping the gods of the people in that land. And those were the people God was destroying. 26 So the God of Israel made Pul king of Assyria want to go to war. Pul was also called Tiglath-Pileser. He captured the people of Reuben, Gad and the eastern half-tribe of Manasseh. And he took them away to Halah, Habor, Hara and near the Gozan River. And they have lived there from that time until this day.
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.