1 Chronicles 4

1 The descendants of Judah: Perez, Hezron, and Caleb, and Hur, and Shobal.

The descendants of Judah were Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal.

2 Reaiah the son of Shobal became the father of Jahath; and Jahath became the father of Ahumai and Lahad. These are the families of the Zorathites.

Shobal’s son was Reaiah. Reaiah was the father of Jahath, and Jahath was the father of Ahumai and Lahad. They were the ancestors of the Zorath people-group.

3 These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, and Ishma, and Idbash; and the name of their sister was Hazzelelponi;

The oldest son of Caleb and his wife Ephrathah was Hur. Hur was the one who started/founded Bethlehem [town]. His three sons were Etam, Penuel, and Ezer. Etam’s sons were Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash. Their sister was Hazzelelponi. Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah.

4 and Penuel the father of Gedor, and Ezer the father of Hushah. These are the sons of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah, the father of Bethlehem.

5 Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

[Hezron’s son] Ashhur, the father of Tekoa, had two wives whose names were Helah and Naarah.

6 Naarah bore him Ahuzzam, and Hepher, and Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were the sons of Naarah.

The sons of Asshur and his wife Naarah were Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari.

7 The sons of Helah were Zereth, and Zohar, and Ethnan, and Koz.

The sons of [Ashhur and his wife] Helah were Zereth, Zohar, Ethnan,

8 And Koz became the father of Anub, and Zobebah, and the families of Aharhel the son of Harum.

and Koz. Koz was the father of Anub, Hazzobebah, and the ancestor of the clans descended from Aharhel. Aharhel was the son of Harum.

9 And Jabez was more honorable than his brothers, and his mother named him Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him with pain."

[There was another descendant of Judah whose name was] Jabez. [He] was more respected than his brothers were. His mother named him Jabez [which means ‘pain’] because she said, “I was enduring much pain when I gave birth to him.”

10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, "Oh that you would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, and that your hand might be with me, and that you would keep me from evil, so that it might not cause me pain." And God granted him that which he requested.

[One day] he prayed to God whom his fellow Israelis [worshiped], saying, “Please greatly bless me and (enlarge my land/give me a lot of land/property). Remain [IDM] with me, and do not allow anyone to harm me. If you do that for me, I will not have any pain.” And God did what Jabez requested him to do.

11 Chelub the brother of Shuhah became the father of Mehir, who was the father of Eshton.

[Another descendant of Judah was] Shuhah. His [younger] brother Kelub was the father of Mehir. Mehir was the father of Eshton.

12 Eshton became the father of Beth Rapha, and Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir Nahash. These are the men of Rechab.

Eshton was the father of Beth-Rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah. Tehinnah founded Nahash [town], but their families lived in Recah [town].

13 The sons of Kenaz: Othniel, and Seraiah. The sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai.

[Another descendant of Judah was] Jephunneh. His son was Caleb. Caleb’s sons were Iru, Elah, and Naam. Elah’s son was Kenaz. The sons of Kenaz were Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel’s sons were Hathath and Meonothai. Meonothai was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab. Joab was the ancestor of the people who lived in Craftsmen’s Valley. The valley was named that because many of the people who lived there were (craftsmen/men who were experts in making things).

14 And Meonothai became the father of Ophrah, and Seraiah became the father of Joab the father of Ge Harashim; for they were craftsmen.

15 The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh: Ir, and Elah, and Naam; and the sons of Elah: Kenaz.

16 The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, and Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.

[Another descendant of Judah was] Jehallelel. His sons were Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.

17 The sons of Ezrah: Jether, and Mered, and Epher, and Jalon. And Jether became the father of Miriam, and Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa.

[Another descendant of Judah was Ezrah.] Ezrah’s sons were Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered married Bithiah, who was the daughter of the king of Egypt. The children of Mered and Bithiah were Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah. Ishbah was the father of Eshtemoa. Ezrah also had a wife from Judah. She gave birth to Jered, Heber, and Jekuthiel. Jered was the father of (OR, founded the town of) Gedor, Heber was the father of (OR, founded the town of) Soco, and Jekuthiel was the father of (OR, founded the town of) Zanoah.

18 His Judean wife bore Jered the father of Gedor, and Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. These are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, whom Mered took.

19 The sons of his Judean wife, the sister of Naham, were the father of Keilah the Garmite, and Eshtemoa the Maacathite.

Hodiah’s wife, who was Naham’s sister, bore two sons. One of them was the father of Keilah, the ancestor of the Gar people-group, and the other one was the father of Eshtemoa, the ancestor of the Maacath people-group.

20 The sons of Shimon: Amnon, and Rinnah, Ben Hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben Zoheth.

[Another descendant of Judah was Shimon]. Shimon’s sons were Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-Hanan, and Tilon. [Another descendant of Judah was] Ishi. His descendants were Zoheth and Ben-Zoheth.

21 The sons of Shelah the 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;

One of Judah’s sons was Shelah. Shelah’s sons were Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, the families of those who made things from linen at Beth-Ashbea,

22 and Jokim, and the men of Cozeba, and Joash, and Saraph, who had married in Moab, and returned to Lehem. The records are ancient.

Jokim, and the men of Cozeba [town], and Joash and Saraph, two men who married women from [the] Moab [region] and later lived in Bethlehem (OR, and ruled in Jashubi-Lehem). All their names and a record of what they did are written in very old scrolls.

23 These were the potters, and the inhabitants of Netaim and Gederah. They lived there with the king in his service.

They made pottery for the king; some of them lived in Netaim [town] and some of them lived in Gederah [town].

24 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, and Jamin, Jakin, Zohar, Shaul;

Simeon’s sons were Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul.

25 Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son.

Shaul’s son was Shallum. Shallum’s son was Mibsam. Mibsam’s son was Mishma.

26 The descendants of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zakkur his son, Shimei his son.

Mishma’s son was Hammuel. Hammuel’s son was Zaccur. Zaccur’s son was Shimei.

27 Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters; but his brothers did not have many children, neither did all their families multiply like the people of Judah.

Shimei had 16 sons and six daughters, but none of his brothers had many children. So the descendants of Simeon never were as many as the descendants of [his younger brother] Judah.

28 They lived at Beersheba, and Shema, and Moladah, and Hazar Shual,

The descendants of Simeon lived in [these cities and towns]: Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-Shual,

29 and at Balah, and at Ezem, and at Tolad,

Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad,

30 and at Bethuel, and at Hormah, and at Ziklag,

Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag,

31 and at Beth Marcaboth, and Hazar Susim, and at Beth Biri, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities until David became king.

Beth-Marcaboth, Hazar-Susim, Beth-Biri, and Shaaraim. They lived in those places until David became king.

32 Their villages were Etam, and Ain, Rimmon, and Token, and Ashan, five cities;

They also lived in villages near those towns: Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Token, and Ashan.

33 and all their villages that were around the same cities as far as Baal. These were their habitations, and they have their genealogy.

There were other villages where they lived, as far [southwest] as Baalath [town]. Those were the places where they lived, and their names, according to the family records.

34 Meshobab, and Jamlech, and Joshah the son of Amaziah,

The men in the following list were the leaders of their clans: Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah, Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah. Joshibiah was the son of Seraiah and the grandson of Asiel. Other clan leaders were Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, and Ziza. Ziza was the son of Shiphi and the grandson of Allon, who was the son of Jedaiah, who was the son of Shimri, who was the son of Shemaiah. Those families became very large/numerous.

35 and Joel, and Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel,

36 and Elioenai, and Jaakobah, and Jeshohaiah, and Asaiah, and Adiel, and Jesimiel, and Benaiah,

37 and 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 ancestral houses increased greatly.

39 They went to the entrance of Gerar, even to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.

They went outside of Gedor [town] on the east side of the valley to look for pastureland for their flocks of sheep.

40 They found fat pasture and good, and the land was wide, and quiet, and peaceable; for those who lived there before were of Ham.

They found good pastureland with plenty of grass. The place was peaceful and quiet. Previously the descendants of [Noah’s son] Ham had lived there.

41 These written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and struck their tents, and The Meunites who were found there, and destroyed them utterly to this day, and lived in their place; because there was pasture there for their flocks.

But while Hezekiah was the king of Judah, the leaders of the tribe of Simeon came to Gedor and fought against the descendants of Ham and destroyed their tents. They also fought against the descendants of Meun who were living there, and they killed all of them. So now there are no descendants of Meun living there. The descendants of Simeon started to live there, because there was good pastureland there for their sheep.

42 Some of them, even of the descendants of Simeon, five hundred men, went to Mount Seir, having for their leaders Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.

Ishi’s four sons Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah and Uzziel led 500 other descendants of Simeon [and attacked the people who were living] in the hilly area of the Edom [region].

43 They struck the remnant of the Amalekites who escaped, and have lived there to this day.

They killed the few descendants of Amalek who were still alive. From that time until now, the descendants of Simeon have lived in [the] Edom [region].