The Daily Audio Bible

⁵ Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah. ⁶ Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni and Haahashtari. These were Naarah’s sons. ⁷ The sons of Helah: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan. ⁸ Koz fathered Anub, Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum. ⁹ Jabez was more honorable than his brothers; but his mother named him Jabez, saying, “Because I gave birth to him in pain.” ¹⁰ Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, saying, “Oh that You would indeed bless me and enlarge my border [property], and that Your hand would be with me, and You would keep me from evil so that it does not hurt me!” And God granted his request.

¹¹ Chelub the brother of Shuhah became the father of Mehir, the father of Eshton. ¹² Eshton became the father of Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash. These are the men of Recah.

¹³ The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai. ¹⁴ Meonothai became the father of Ophrah, and Seraiah became the father of Joab the father of Ge-harashim [the Valley of Craftsmen, so named] because they were craftsmen. ¹⁵ The sons of Caleb [Joshua’s companion] the son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam. The son of Elah: Kenaz. ¹⁶ The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. ¹⁷ The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. These are the sons of Bithia daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took: she conceived and gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. ¹⁸ Mered’s Jewish wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. ¹⁹ The sons of the wife of Hodiah, the sister of Naham, were: the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. ²⁰ The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth. ²¹ The sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah and Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the families of the house of the linen workers at Beth-ashbea; ²² and Jokim, the men of Cozeba, Joash, and Saraph, who ruled in Moab, and Jashubi-lehem. These are ancient words (genealogical records). ²³ These were the potters and those who lived [among plantations and hedges] at Netaim and Gederah; they lived there with the king for his work.

Descendants of Simeon

²⁴ The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul; ²⁵ Shallum was Shaul’s son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. ²⁶ The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son. ²⁷ Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many sons, neither did all their family multiply like the sons of Judah. ²⁸ They lived at Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, ²⁹ Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, ³⁰ Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹ Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until the reign of David. ³² These were their villages: Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five cities— ³³ and all their villages that were around these towns as far as Baal. These were their settlements, and they have their genealogical record.

³⁴ Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah, ³⁵ Joel, Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, ³⁶ also Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, 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 fathers’ houses increased greatly [so they needed more land]. ³⁹ So they journeyed to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks. ⁴⁰ They found rich, good pasture, and the [cleared] land was wide, quiet, and peaceful; for those who had lived there previously came from Ham [and had left it a better place for those who came after them]. ⁴¹ These, registered by name, came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and they attacked their tents and the Meunites (foreigners) who were found there, and utterly destroyed them to this day; and they settled in their place, because there was pasture there for their flocks. ⁴² From them, from the sons of Simeon, five hundred men went to Mount Seir, with Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi, as their leaders. ⁴³ They destroyed the remnant of the Amalekites who escaped, and they have lived there to this day (the date of this writing).

Descendants of Reuben

5 Now [we come to] the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel—for Reuben was the eldest, but because he defiled his father’s bed [with Bilhah his father’s ^[a]concubine], his birthright was given to [Manasseh and Ephraim] the sons of Joseph [the favorite] son of Israel, so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright.^{(A) 2} Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came [David] the leader [and eventually the Messiah], yet the birthright was Joseph’s—^{(B) 3} the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ⁴ The sons of Joel: Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, Shimei his son, ⁵ Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, ⁶ Beerah his son, whom Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria carried away into exile; he was a leader of the tribe of Reuben. ⁷ And his brothers (relatives) by their families, in the genealogy of their generations, were the chief Jeiel, and Zechariah, ⁸ Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who lived in Aroer as far as Nebo and Baal-meon. ⁹ To the east Bela settled as far as the entrance into the desert from the river Euphrates, because their cattle had multiplied in the land of Gilead. ¹⁰ In the days of King Saul they made war with the ^[b]Hagrites, who fell by their hands; and they lived in their tents throughout all the land east of Gilead.

Descendants of Gad

¹¹ The sons of Gad lived opposite them in the land of Bashan, as far as Salecah: ¹² Joel was the chief, Shapham the second, then Janai and Shaphat in Bashan. ¹³ Their relatives from the households of their fathers: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber—seven in all. ¹⁴ These were the sons 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 in their fathers’ households. ¹⁶ They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the [surrounding] pasture lands of Sharon, as far as their borders. ¹⁷ All these were enrolled in the genealogies in the days of Jotham king of Judah and in the days of Jeroboam [II] king of Israel.

Paul before Festus

25 Now Festus arrived in the province, and three days later he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea [Maritima]. ² And [there in Jerusalem] the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews brought charges against Paul [before Festus], and they repeatedly pleaded with him, ³ asking as a concession against Paul, that he would have him brought to Jerusalem; (meanwhile planning an ambush to kill him on the way). ⁴ Festus answered that Paul was being held in custody in Caesarea [Maritima] and that he himself was about to leave shortly. ⁵ “So,” he said, “let those who are in a position of authority among you go there with me, and if there is anything criminal about the man, let them bring charges against him.”

⁶ Now after Festus had spent no more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the next day he took his seat on the tribunal (the judicial bench), and ordered Paul to be brought [before him]. ⁷ After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him which they were not able to prove, ⁸ while Paul declared in his own defense, “I have done no wrong and committed no offense either against the Law of the Jews or against the temple or against Caesar.” ⁹ But Festus, wishing to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul, “^[a]Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial there in my presence [before the Jewish Sanhedrin] on these charges?” ¹⁰ Paul said, “I am standing before Caesar’s tribunal, where I ought to be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also very well know. ¹¹ Therefore, if I am guilty and have committed anything worthy of death, I do not try to escape death; but if there is nothing to the accusations which these men are bringing against me, no one can hand me over to them. I ^[b]appeal to Caesar (Emperor Nero).” ¹² Then Festus, after conferring with [the men who formed] his council, answered, “You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you shall go.”

¹³ Now several days later, ^[c]Agrippa [II] the king and ^[d]Bernice [his sister] arrived at Caesarea and paid their respects to Festus [the new governor]. ¹⁴ While they were spending many days there, Festus laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man here who was left as a prisoner by Felix. ¹⁵ When I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews [told me about him and] brought charges against him, petitioning for a sentence of condemnation against him. ¹⁶ I told them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over any man [for punishment] before the accused meets his accusers face to face and has the opportunity to defend himself against the charges. ¹⁷ So after they arrived together here, I did not delay, but on the next day took my place on the tribunal and ordered that the man be brought before me. ¹⁸ When his accusers stood up, they brought no charges against him of crimes that I was expecting [neither civil nor criminal actions], ¹⁹ instead they had some points of disagreement with him about their own ^[e]religion and about one Jesus, a man who had died, but whom Paul kept asserting and insisting [over and over] to be alive. ²⁰ And I, being at a loss as to how to investigate these things, asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding these matters. ²¹ But when Paul appealed to be held in custody for a decision by the Emperor [Nero], I ordered him to be kept in custody until I could send him to Caesar.” ²² Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” Festus replied, “you will hear him.”

Paul before Agrippa

²³ So the next day Agrippa and [his sister] Bernice came with great pageantry, and they went into the auditorium accompanied by the military commanders and the prominent men of the city. At the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. ²⁴ Then Festus said, “King Agrippa and all you gentlemen present with us, you see this man [Paul] about whom all the Jewish people appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly insisting that he ought not to live any longer. ²⁵ But I found that he had done nothing worthy of death; however, since he appealed to the Emperor [Nero], I decided to send him [to Rome]. ²⁶ But I have nothing specific about him to write to my lord. So I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I will have something to put in writing. ²⁷ For it seems absurd and unreasonable to me to send a prisoner [to Rome] without indicating the charges against him.”

Prayer for Protection from the Wicked.

To the Chief Musician; on wind instruments. A Psalm of David.