GNT: The Good News Translation | GNB: The Good News Bible
[8:29] Jeiel founded the city of Gibeon and settled there. His wife was named Maacah,
[8:30] and his oldest son, Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
[8:31] Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah,
[8:32] and Mikloth, the father of Shimeah. Their descendants lived in Jerusalem near other families of their clan.
[8:33] Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of King Saul. Saul had four sons: Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
[8:34] Jonathan was the father of Meribbaal, who was the father of Micah.
[8:35] Micah had four sons: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.
[8:36] Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, who was the father of three sons: Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza,
[8:37] Moza the father of Binea, Binea of Raphah, Raphah of Eleasah, and Eleasah of Azel.
[8:38] Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan.
[8:39] Azel's brother Eshek had three sons: Ulam, Jeush, and Eliphelet.
[8:40] Ulam's sons were outstanding soldiers and archers. He had a hundred and fifty sons and grandsons in all. All those named above were members of the tribe of Benjamin.
[9:1] All the people of Israel were listed according to their families, and this information was recorded in The Book of the Kings of Israel. The people of Judah had been deported to Babylon as punishment for their sins.
[9:2] The first to return to their property in the cities included Israelite citizens, priests, Levites, and Temple workers.
[9:3] People from the tribes of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh went to live in Jerusalem. The descendants of Judah's son Perez had as their leader Uthai, the son of Ammihud and grandson of Omri. His other ancestors included Imri and Bani. The descendants of Judah's son Shelah had as their leader Asaiah, who was the head of his family. The descendants of Judah's son Zerah had Jeuel as their leader. – Sallu son of Meshullam, who was the son of Hodaviah, the son of Hassenuah – Ibneiah son of Jeroham – Elah, the son of Uzzi and grandson of Michri – Meshullam son of Shephatiah, who was the son of Reuel, the son of Ibnijah
[9:9] There were 956 families of this tribe living there. All the men named above were heads of families.
[9:9] – Jedaiah, Jehoiarib, and Jachin – Azariah son of Hilkiah (the chief official in the Temple), whose ancestors included Meshullam, Zadok, Meraioth, and Ahitub – Adaiah son of Jeroham, whose ancestors included Pashhur and Malchijah – Maasai son of Adiel, whose ancestors included Jahzerah, Meshullam, Meshillemith, and Immer
[9:13] The priests who were heads of families totaled 1,760. They were experts in all the work carried on in the Temple.
[9:13] – Shemaiah son of Hasshub, whose ancestors included Azrikam and Hashabiah, of the clan of Merari – Bakbakkar, Heresh, and Galal – Mattaniah son of Mica, whose ancestors included Zichri and Asaph – Obadiah son of Shemaiah, whose ancestors included Galal and Jeduthun – Berechiah, the son of Asa and grandson of Elkanah, who lived in the territory that belonged to the town of Netophah
[9:17] The following Temple guards lived in Jerusalem: Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, and Ahiman. Shallum was their leader.
[9:18] Down to that time members of their clans had been stationed at the eastern entrance to the King's Gate. Formerly they had stood guard at the gates to the camps of the Levites.
[9:19] Shallum, the son of Kore and grandson of Ebiasaph, together with his fellow members of the clan of Korah, was responsible for guarding the entrance to the Tent of the Lord's presence, just as their ancestors had been when they were in charge of the Lord's camp.
[9:20] Phinehas son of Eleazar—may the Lord be with him!—had supervised them at one time.
[9:21] Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was also a guard at the entrance to the Tent of the Lord's presence.
[9:22] In all, 212 men were chosen as guards for the entrances and gates. They were registered according to the villages where they lived. It was King David and the prophet Samuel who had put their ancestors in these responsible positions.
[9:23] They and their descendants continued to guard the gates to the Temple.
[9:24] There was a gate facing in each direction, north, south, east, and west, and each had a chief guard.
[9:25] These guards were assisted by their relatives, who lived in the villages and who had to take turns at guard duty for seven days at a time.
[9:26] The four chief guards were Levites and had the final responsibility. They were also responsible for the rooms in the Temple and for the supplies kept there.
[9:27] They lived near the Temple, because it was their duty to guard it and to open the gates every morning.
[9:28] Other Levites were responsible for the utensils used in worship. They checked them out and checked them back in every time they were used.
[9:29] Others were in charge of the other sacred equipment, and of the flour, wine, olive oil, incense, and spices.
[9:30] But the responsibility for mixing the spices belonged to the priests.
[9:31] A Levite named Mattithiah, oldest son of Shallum, of the clan of Korah, was responsible for preparing the baked offerings.
[9:32] Members of the clan of Kohath were responsible for preparing the sacred bread for the Temple every Sabbath.
[9:33] Some Levite families were responsible for the Temple music. The heads of these families lived in some of the Temple buildings and were free from other duties, because they were on call day and night.
[9:34] The men named above were heads of Levite families, according to their ancestral lines. They were the leaders who lived in Jerusalem.
[9:35] Jeiel founded the city of Gibeon and settled there. His wife was named Maacah.
[9:36] His oldest son was Abdon, and his other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,
[9:37] Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth,
[9:38] the father of Shimeah. Their descendants lived in Jerusalem near other families of their clan.
[9:39] Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of Saul. Saul had four sons: Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal.
[9:40] Jonathan was the father of Meribbaal, who was the father of Micah.
[9:41] Micah had four sons: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz.
[9:42] Ahaz was the father of Jarah, who was the father of three sons: Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza,
[9:43] Moza the father of Binea, Binea of Rephaiah, Rephaiah of Eleasah, and Eleasah of Azel.
[9:44] Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan.
[10:1] The Philistines fought a battle against the Israelites on Mount Gilboa. Many Israelites were killed there, and the rest of them, including King Saul and his sons, fled.
[10:2] But the Philistines caught up with them and killed three of Saul's sons, Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.
[10:3] The fighting was heavy around Saul, and he was hit by enemy arrows and badly wounded.
[10:4] He said to the young man carrying his weapons, “Draw your sword and kill me, to keep these godless Philistines from gloating over me.” But the young man was too terrified to do it. So Saul took his own sword and threw himself on it.
[10:5] The young man saw that Saul was dead, so he too threw himself on his sword and died.
[10:6] So Saul and his three sons all died together, and none of his descendants ever ruled.
[10:7] When the Israelites who lived in Jezreel Valley heard that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons had died, they abandoned their towns and ran off. Then the Philistines came and occupied them.
[10:8] The day after the battle the Philistines went to plunder the corpses, and they found the bodies of Saul and his sons lying on Mount Gilboa.
[10:9] They cut off Saul's head, stripped off his armor, and sent messengers with them throughout Philistia to tell the good news to their idols and to their people.
[10:10] They put his weapons in one of their temples and hung his head in the temple of their god Dagon.
[10:11] When the people of Jabesh in Gilead heard what the Philistines had done to Saul,
[10:12] the bravest men went and got the bodies of Saul and his sons and took them to Jabesh. They buried them there under an oak and fasted for seven days.
[10:13] Saul died because he was unfaithful to the Lord. He disobeyed the Lord's commands; he tried to find guidance by consulting the spirits of the dead
[10:14] instead of consulting the Lord. So the Lord killed him and gave control of the kingdom to David son of Jesse.
[11:1] All the people of Israel went to David at Hebron and said to him, “We are your own flesh and blood.
[11:2] In the past, even when Saul was still our king, you led the people of Israel in battle, and the Lord your God promised you that you would lead his people and be their ruler.”
[11:3] So all the leaders of Israel came to King David at Hebron. He made a sacred alliance with them, they anointed him, and he became king of Israel, just as the Lord had promised through Samuel.
[11:4] King David and all the Israelites went and attacked the city of Jerusalem. It was then known as Jebus, and the Jebusites, the original inhabitants of the land, were still living there.
[11:5] The Jebusites told David he would never get inside the city, but David captured their fortress of Zion, and it became known as “David's City.”
[11:6] David said, “The first man to kill a Jebusite will be commander of the army!” Joab, whose mother was Zeruiah, led the attack and became commander.
[11:7] Because David went to live in the fortress, it came to be called “David's City.”
[11:8] He rebuilt the city, starting at the place where land was filled in on the east side of the hill, and Joab restored the rest of the city.
[11:9] David grew stronger and stronger, because the Lord Almighty was with him.