1 Chronicles 4

4 ¹The descendants of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. ²Reaiah son of Shobal fathered Jahath; Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad—the clans of the Zorathites. ³These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and their sister's name was Hazzelelponi. ⁴Penuel fathered Gedor, and Ezer fathered Hushah. These were sons of Hur, firstborn of Ephrathah, father of Bethlehem. ⁵Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. ⁶Naarah gave birth to Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were Naarah's sons. ⁷The sons of Helah: Zereth, Zohar, and Ethnan. ⁸Koz fathered Anub and Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.

⁹Jabez was more honored than his brothers; his mother named him Jabez, saying, "Because I bore him in pain." ^a a v9 The name Jabez sounds like the word for "pain" — the very word his mother spoke at his birth.

¹⁰Jabez called out to our Father of Israel: "Oh, that you would truly bless me and enlarge my territory! Let your hand be with me, and keep me from harm so that I suffer no pain." And our Father granted his request.

¹¹Chelub the brother of Shuhah fathered Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. ¹²Eshton fathered Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash. These were the men of Recah. ¹³The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah; and the sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai. ¹⁴Meonothai fathered Ophrah. Seraiah fathered Joab, father of Ge-harashim, the Craftsmen's Valley—its people were craftsmen. ¹⁵Sons of Caleb son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the son of Elah: Kenaz. ¹⁶The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. ¹⁷Ezrah's sons: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered's wife bore Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah, father of Eshtemoa. ¹⁸His Judean wife bore Jered father of Gedor, Heber father of Soco, and Jekuthiel father of Zanoah—sons of Bithiah, Pharaoh's daughter, whom Mered married. ¹⁹The sons of Hodiah's wife, the sister of Naham, fathered Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. ²⁰The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth. ²¹Sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er father of Lecah, Laadah father of Mareshah, and the linen-worker clans of Beth-ashbea. ²²Jokim, the men of Cozeba, Joash, and Saraph, who ruled in Moab, then returned to Bethlehem—these records are ancient. ²³These were the potters living at Netaim and Gederah, staying there to work for the king.

Simeon's Line: Their Clans and Settlements

²⁴The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul; ²⁵Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. ²⁶The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son. ²⁷Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers had few children, and their clan never grew as numerous as Judah's. ²⁸They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, ²⁹Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, ³⁰Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their towns until David became king. ³²Their surrounding villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan—five towns, ³³and all their villages around these towns, as far as Baal. These were their settlements, and they kept their own genealogical records. ³⁴Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah, ³⁵Joel, Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, ³⁶Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, ³⁷and Ziza the son of Shiphi, the son of Allon, the son of Jedaiah, the son of Shimri, the son of Shemaiah. ³⁸These men listed by name were leaders in their clans, and their families grew greatly in number. ³⁹They went to Gedor's entrance, east of the valley, seeking pasture for their flocks. ⁴⁰They found rich, good pasture; the land was wide, quiet, and peaceful, for its earlier residents were from Ham. ⁴¹These men, recorded by name, came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, attacked the Hamites' tents and the Meunites found there, destroyed them completely to this day, and settled in their place, since there was pasture there for their flocks. ⁴²Some Simeonites—500, led by Ishi's sons Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel—went to Mount Seir. ⁴³They struck down the surviving remnant of the Amalekites and have lived there to this day.