The Descendants of Judah
1 Judah was the father of five sons: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. 2 Shobal was the father of Reaiah, the grandfather of Jahath, and the great-grandfather of Ahumai and Lahad. These men all belonged to the Zorathite clan.
3-4 Hur was the oldest son of Caleb and Ephrath. Some of his descendants settled the town of Bethlehem. Hur's other descendants included Etam, Penuel, and Ezer. Etam's sons were Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, and his daughter was Hazzelelponi. Penuel settled the town of Gedor, and Ezer settled the town of Hushah.
5 Ashhur, who settled the town of Tekoa, had two wives: Helah and Naarah. 6 Ashhur and Naarah were the parents of Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. 7 Ashhur and Helah were the parents of Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.
8 Koz, the father of Anub and Zobebah, was also the ancestor of the clans of Aharhel, the son of Harum.
9 Jabez was a man who got his name because of the pain he caused his mother during birth. But he was still the most respected son in his family. 10 One day he prayed to Israel's God, “Please bless me and give me a lot of land. Be with me so I will be safe from harm.” And God did just what Jabez had asked.
11 Chelub was the brother of Shuhah and the father of Mehir. Later, Mehir had a son, Eshton, 12 whose three sons were Bethrapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah. It was Tehinnah who settled the town of Nahash. These men and their families lived in the town of Recah.
13 Kenaz was the father of Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel had two sons: Hathath and Meonothai, 14 who was the father of Ophrah. Seraiah was the father of Joab, who settled a place called “Valley of Crafts” because the people who lived there were experts in making things.
15 Caleb son of Jephunneh had three sons: Iru, Elah, and Naam. Elah was the father of Kenaz.
16 Jehallelel was the father of Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17-18 Ezrah was the father of Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered was married to Bithiah the daughter of the king of Egypt. They had a daughter named Miriam and two sons: Shammai and Ishbah. It was Ishbah who settled the town of Eshtemoa. Mered was also married to a woman from the tribe of Judah, and their sons were Jered, Heber, and Jekuthiel. Jered settled the town of Gedor; Heber settled the town of Soco; and Jekuthiel settled the town of Zanoah.
19 A man named Hodiah was married to the sister of Naham. Hodiah's descendants included Keilah of the Garmite clan and Eshtemoa of the Maacathite clan.
20 Shimon was the father of Amnon, Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon.
Ishi was the father of Zoheth and Benzoheth.
21-22 Judah also had a son named Shelah, whose descendants included Jokim and the people of the town of Cozeba, as well as Er who settled the town of Lecah and Laadah who settled the town of Mareshah. The people who lived in Beth-Ashbea were also descendants of Shelah, and they were experts in weaving cloth. Shelah was the ancestor of Joash and Saraph, two men who married Moabite women and then settled near Bethlehem —but these family records are very old. 23 The members of these clans were the potters who lived in the towns of Netaim and Gederah and worked for the king.
The Descendants of Simeon
24 Simeon had five sons: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul. 25 The descendants of Shaul included his son Shallum, his grandson Mibsam, and his great-grandson Mishma. 26 The descendants of Mishma included his son Hammuel, his grandson Zaccur, and his great-grandson Shimei. 27 Shimei had 16 sons and 6 daughters. But his brothers did not have as many children, so the Simeon tribe was smaller than the Judah tribe.
28-31 Before David became king, the people of the Simeon tribe lived in the following towns: Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-Shual, Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, Beth-Marcaboth, Hazarsusim, Bethbiri, and Shaaraim. 32 They also lived in the five villages of Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, 33 as well as in the nearby villages as far as the town of Baal. These are the places where Simeon's descendants had settled, according to their own family records.
34-38 As their families and clans became larger, the people of Simeon had the following leaders: Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah son of Amaziah, Joel, Jehu, Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, Benaiah, and Ziza. 39 When the people needed more pastureland for their flocks and herds, they looked as far as the eastern side of the valley where the town of Gerar is located, 40 and they found a lot of good pastureland that was quiet and undisturbed. This had once belonged to the Hamites, 41 but when Hezekiah was king of Judah, the descendants of Simeon attacked and forced the Hamites and Meunites off the land, then settled there.
42 Some time later, 500 men from the Simeon tribe went into Edom under the command of Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel the sons of Ishi. 43 They killed the last of the Amalekites and lived there from then on.
The Descendants of Judah
1 These are some of the descendants of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. 2 Shobal was the father of Reaiah, who was the father of Jahath, the father of Ahumai and Lahad, the ancestors of the people who lived in Zorah.
3-4 Hur was the oldest son of his father Caleb's wife Ephrath, and his descendants founded the city of Bethlehem. Hur had three sons: Etam, Penuel, and Ezer. Etam had three sons: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash, and one daughter, Hazzelelponi. Penuel founded the city of Gedor, and Ezer founded Hushah.
5 Ashhur, who founded the town of Tekoa, had two wives, Helah and Naarah. 6 He and Naarah had four sons: Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. 7 Ashhur and Helah had three sons: Zereth, Izhar, and Ethnan.
8 Koz was the father of Anub and Zobebah, and the ancestor of the clans descended from Aharhel son of Harum.
9 There was a man named Jabez, who was the most respected member of his family. His mother had given him the name Jabez, because his birth had been very painful. 10 But Jabez prayed to the God of Israel, “Bless me, God, and give me much land. Be with me and keep me from anything evil that might cause me pain.” And God gave him what he prayed for.
Other Family Lists
11 Caleb, the brother of Shuhah, had a son, Mehir. Mehir was the father of Eshton, 12 who had three sons: Bethrapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah. Tehinnah was the founder of the city of Nahash. The descendants of these men lived in Recah.
13 Kenaz had two sons, Othniel and Seraiah. Othniel also had two sons, Hathath and Meonothai. 14 Meonothai was the father of Ophrah.
Seraiah was the father of Joab, the founder of Handcraft Valley, where all the people were skilled workers.
15 Caleb son of Jephunneh had three sons: Iru, Elah, and Naam. And Elah was the father of Kenaz.
16 Jehallelel had four sons: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel.
17-18 Ezrah had four sons: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered married Bithiah, a daughter of the king of Egypt, and they had a daughter, Miriam, and two sons, Shammai and Ishbah. Ishbah founded the town of Eshtemoa. Mered also married a woman from the tribe of Judah, and they had three sons: Jered, who founded the town of Gedor; Heber, founder of the town of Soco; and Jekuthiel, founder of the town of Zanoah.
19 Hodiah married the sister of Naham. Their descendants founded the clan of Garm, which lived in the town of Keilah, and the clan of Maacath, which lived in the town of Eshtemoa.
20 Shimon had four sons: Amnon, Rinnah, Benhanan, and Tilon.
Ishi had two sons: Zoheth and Benzoheth.
The Descendants of Shelah
21 Shelah was one of Judah's sons. His descendants included Er, who founded the town of Lecah; Laadah, founder of the town of Mareshah; the clan of linen weavers, who lived in the town of Beth Ashbea; 22 Jokim and the people who lived in the town of Cozeba; and Joash and Saraph, who married Moabite women and then settled in Bethlehem. (These traditions are very old.) 23 They were potters in the service of the king and lived in the towns of Netaim and Gederah.
The Descendants of Simeon
24 Simeon had five sons: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul. 25 Shaul's son was Shallum, his grandson was Mibsam, and his great-grandson was Mishma. 26 Then from Mishma the line descended through Hammuel, Zaccur, and Shimei. 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.
28 Down to the time of King David the descendants of Simeon lived in the following towns: Beersheba, Moladah, Hazarshual, 29 Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, 30 Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, 31 Beth Marcaboth, Hazarsusim, Bethbiri, and Shaaraim. 32 They also lived in five other places: Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan, 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.
34-38 The following men were the heads of their clans:
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, 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. 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.
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. 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. 43 There they killed the surviving Amalekites, and they have lived there ever since.