The Holy Bible

[4:24] Simeon had five sons: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul.

[4:25] Shaul's son was Shallum, his grandson was Mibsam, and his great-grandson was Mishma.

[4:26] Then from Mishma the line descended through Hammuel, Zaccur, and Shimei.

[4:27] Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his relatives had fewer children, and the tribe of Simeon did not grow as much as the tribe of Judah did.

[4:28] Down to the time of King David the descendants of Simeon lived in the following towns: Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual,

[4:29] Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,

[4:30] Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,

[4:31] Beth Marcaboth, Hazarsusim, Bethbiri, and Shaaraim.

[4:32] They also lived in five other places: Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan,

[4:33] and the surrounding villages, as far southwest as the town of Baalath. These are the records which they kept of their families and of the places where they lived. – Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, Joel, – Jehu (the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel), – Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, – Ziza (the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, a descendant of Jedaiah, Shimri, and Shemaiah). Because their families continued to grow,

[4:39] they spread out westward almost to Gerar and pastured their sheep on the eastern side of the valley in which that city is located.

[4:40] They found plenty of fertile pasture lands there in a stretch of open country that was quiet and peaceful. The people who had lived there before were Hamites.

[4:41] In the time of King Hezekiah of Judah, the men named above went to Gerar and destroyed the tents and huts of the people who lived there. They drove the people out and settled there permanently because there was plenty of pasture for their sheep.

[4:42] Five hundred other members of the tribe of Simeon went east to Edom. They were led by the sons of Ishi: Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel.

[4:43] There they killed the surviving Amalekites, and they have lived there ever since.

[5:1] These are the descendants of Reuben, the oldest of Jacob's sons. (Because he had sex with one of his father's concubines, he lost the rights belonging to the first-born son, and those rights were given to Joseph.

[5:2] It was the tribe of Judah, however, that became the strongest and provided a ruler for all the tribes.)

[5:3] Reuben, the oldest of Jacob's sons, had four sons: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.

[5:7] The family records list the following clan leaders in the tribe of Reuben: Jeiel, Zechariah,

[5:8] and Bela, the son of Azaz and grandson of Shema, of the clan of Joel. This clan lived in Aroer and in the territory from there north to Nebo and Baal Meon.

[5:9] They had large herds in the land of Gilead, and so they occupied the land as far east as the desert that stretches all the way to the Euphrates River.

[5:10] In the time of King Saul the tribe of Reuben attacked the Hagrites, killed them in battle, and occupied their land in the eastern part of Gilead.

[5:11] The tribe of Gad lived to the north of Reuben in the land of Bashan as far east as Salecah.

[5:12] Joel was the founder of the leading clan, and Shapham of the second most important clan. Janai and Shaphat were founders of other clans in Bashan.

[5:13] The other members of the tribe belonged to the following seven clans: Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber.

[5:14] They were descendants of Abihail son of Huri, whose ancestors were traced back as follows: Abihail, Huri, Jaroah, Gilead, Michael, Jeshishai, Jahdo, Buz.

[5:15] Ahi, the son of Abdiel and grandson of Guni, was head of these clans.

[5:16] They lived in the territory of Bashan and Gilead, in the towns there and all over the pasture lands of Sharon. (

[5:17] These records were compiled in the days of King Jotham of Judah and King Jeroboam II of Israel.)

[5:18] In the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh there were 44,760 soldiers, well-trained in the use of shields, swords, and bows.

[5:19] They went to war against the Hagrite tribes of Jetur, Naphish, and Nodab.

[5:20] They put their trust in God and prayed to him for help, and God answered their prayers and made them victorious over the Hagrites and their allies.

[5:21] They captured from the enemy 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, and 2,000 donkeys, and took 100,000 prisoners of war.

[5:22] They killed many of the enemy, because the war was God's will. And they went on living in that territory until the exile.

[5:23] The people of East Manasseh settled in the territory of Bashan as far north as Baal Hermon, Senir, and Mount Hermon, and their population increased greatly.

[5:24] The following were the heads of their clans: Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel. They were all outstanding soldiers, well-known leaders of their clans.

[5:25] But the people were unfaithful to the God of their ancestors and deserted him to worship the gods of the nations whom God had driven out of the land.

[5:26] So God caused Emperor Pul of Assyria (also known as Tiglath Pileser) to invade their country. He deported the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and East Manasseh and settled them permanently in Halah, Habor, and Hara, and by the Gozan River.

[6:1] Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

[6:2] Kohath had four sons: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel.

[6:3] Amram had two sons, Aaron and Moses, and one daughter, Miriam. Aaron had four sons: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.

[6:4] The descendants of Eleazar from generation to generation are as follows: Phinehas, Abishua,

[6:5] Bukki, Uzzi,

[6:6] Zerahiah, Meraioth,

[6:7] Amariah, Ahitub,

[6:8] Zadok, Ahimaaz,

[6:9] Azariah, Johanan,

[6:10] Azariah (the one who served in the Temple which King Solomon built in Jerusalem),

[6:11] Amariah, Ahitub,

[6:12] Zadok, Shallum,

[6:13] Hilkiah, Azariah,

[6:14] Seraiah, Jehozadak.

[6:15] King Nebuchadnezzar deported Jehozadak along with the other people of Judah and Jerusalem whom the Lord sent into exile.

[6:16] Levi had three sons: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

[6:17] Each of them also had sons. Gershon was the father of Libni and Shimei;

[6:18] Kohath was the father of Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel;

[6:19] and Merari was the father of Mahli and Mushi.

[6:20] These are the descendants of Gershon from generation to generation: Libni, Jahath, Zimmah,

[6:21] Joah, Iddo, Zerah, Jeatherai.

[6:22] These are the descendants of Kohath from generation to generation: Amminadab, Korah, Assir,

[6:23] Elkanah, Ebiasaph, Assir,

[6:24] Tahath, Uriel, Uzziah, Shaul.

[6:25] Elkanah had two sons, Amasai and Ahimoth.

[6:26] These are Ahimoth's descendants from generation to generation: Elkanah, Zophai, Nahath,

[6:27] Eliab, Jeroham, Elkanah.

[6:28] Samuel had two sons: Joel, the older, and Abijah, the younger.

[6:29] These are the descendants of Merari from generation to generation: Mahli, Libni, Shimei, Uzzah,

[6:30] Shimea, Haggiah, Asaiah.

[6:31] These are the men whom King David put in charge of the music at the place of worship in Jerusalem after the Covenant Box was moved there.

[6:32] They took regular turns of duty at the Tent of the Lord's presence during the time before King Solomon built the Temple.

[6:33] The family lines of those who held this office are as follows: The clan of Kohath: Heman, the leader of the first choir, was the son of Joel. His family line went back to Jacob as follows: Heman, Joel, Samuel,

[6:34] Elkanah, Jeroham, Eliel, Toah,

[6:35] Zuph, Elkanah, Mahath, Amasai,

[6:36] Elkanah, Joel, Azariah, Zephaniah,

[6:37] Tahath, Assir, Ebiasaph, Korah,

[6:38] Izhar, Kohath, Levi, Jacob.

[6:39] Asaph was leader of the second choir. His family line went back to Levi as follows: Asaph, Berechiah, Shimea,

[6:40] Michael, Baaseiah, Malchijah,

[6:41] Ethni, Zerah, Adaiah,

[6:42] Ethan, Zimmah, Shimei,

[6:43] Jahath, Gershon, Levi.

[6:44] Ethan of the clan of Merari was the leader of the third choir. His family line went back to Levi as follows: Ethan, Kishi, Abdi, Malluch,

[6:45] Hashabiah, Amaziah, Hilkiah,

[6:46] Amzi, Bani, Shemer,

[6:47] Mahli, Mushi, Merari, Levi.

[6:48] The other Levites were assigned all the other duties at the place of worship.

[6:49] Aaron and his descendants presented the offerings of incense and offered the sacrifices that were burnt on the altar. They were responsible for all the worship in the Most Holy Place and for the sacrifices by which God forgives Israel's sins. They did all this in accordance with the instructions given by Moses, God's servant.

[6:50] This is the line of Aaron's descendants: Eleazar, Phinehas, Abishua,

[6:51] Bukki, Uzzi, Zerahiah,

[6:52] Meraioth, Amariah, Ahitub,

[6:53] Zadok, Ahimaaz.