1 Chronicles 4

4 ¹ The descendants of Judah: Perez, Hezron, Carmi, Hur, and Shobal. ² Reaiah son of Shobal fathered Jahath, and Jahath fathered Ahumai and Lahad. These were the clans of the Zorathites. ³ These were the sons of Etam: Jezreel, Ishma, and Idbash; and their sister's name was Hazzelelponi. ⁴ Penuel was the father of Gedor, and Ezer was the father of Hushah. These were the descendants of Hur, the firstborn of Ephrathah and father of Bethlehem.

⁵ Ashhur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah. ⁶ Naarah gave birth to Ahuzzam, Hepher, Temeni, and Haahashtari. These were Naarah's sons. ⁷ The sons of Helah: Zereth, Zohar, and Ethnan. ⁸ Koz fathered Anub and Zobebah, and the clans of Aharhel son of Harum.

Jabez Calls Out to Our Father

⁹ Jabez was more honored than his brothers. His mother had named him Jabez, saying, "Because I gave birth to him in pain." ¹ 1 v9 The name Jabez sounds like the word for "pain" — the very word his mother spoke at his birth.

¹⁰ Jabez 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 what he asked.

The Father Completes Judah's Family Register

¹¹ Chelub the brother of Shuhah fathered Mehir, who was the father of Eshton. ¹² Eshton fathered Beth-rapha, Paseah, and Tehinnah the father of Ir-nahash. These were the men of Recah. ¹³ The sons of Kenaz: Othniel and Seraiah; and the sons of Othniel: Hathath and Meonothai. ¹⁴ Meonothai fathered Ophrah, and Seraiah fathered Joab the father of Ge-harashim, the Valley of Craftsmen, so named because its people were craftsmen. ¹⁵ The sons of Caleb the son of Jephunneh: Iru, Elah, and Naam; and the son of Elah: Kenaz. ¹⁶ The sons of Jehallelel: Ziph, Ziphah, Tiria, and Asarel. ¹⁷ The sons of Ezrah: Jether, Mered, Epher, and Jalon. Mered's wife conceived and gave birth to Miriam, Shammai, and Ishbah the father of Eshtemoa. ¹⁸ His Judean wife gave birth to Jered the father of Gedor, Heber the father of Soco, and Jekuthiel the father of Zanoah. These were the sons of Bithiah, Pharaoh's daughter, whom Mered had married. ¹⁹ The sons of Hodiah's wife, the sister of Naham, were the fathers of Keilah the Garmite and Eshtemoa the Maacathite. ²⁰ The sons of Shimon: Amnon, Rinnah, Ben-hanan, and Tilon. The sons of Ishi: Zoheth and Ben-zoheth.

²¹ The sons of Shelah the son of Judah: Er the father of Lecah, Laadah the father of Mareshah, and the clans of the linen workers at Beth-ashbea; ²² and Jokim, the men of Cozeba, and Joash and Saraph, who ruled in Moab and then returned to Bethlehem. These records are ancient. ²³ These were the potters who lived at Netaim and Gederah; they stayed there in the king's service, working for him.

Simeon's Line: Their Clans and Settlements

²⁴ The sons of Simeon: Nemuel, Jamin, Jarib, Zerah, and Shaul; ²⁵ Shallum his son, Mibsam his son, Mishma his son. ²⁶ The sons of Mishma: Hammuel his son, Zaccur his son, Shimei his son.

²⁷ Shimei had sixteen sons and six daughters, but his brothers did not have many children, and their whole clan did not become as numerous as the people of Judah. ²⁸ They lived in Beersheba, Moladah, Hazar-shual, ²⁹ Bilhah, Ezem, Tolad, ³⁰ Bethuel, Hormah, Ziklag, ³¹ Beth-marcaboth, Hazar-susim, Beth-biri, and Shaaraim. These were their towns until David became king. ³² Their surrounding villages were Etam, Ain, Rimmon, Tochen, and Ashan — five towns, ³³ along with all the villages around these towns as far as Baal. These were their settlements, and they kept their own genealogical records.

³⁴ Meshobab, Jamlech, Joshah the son of Amaziah, ³⁵ Joel, Jehu the son of Joshibiah, the son of Seraiah, the son of Asiel, ³⁶ Elioenai, Jaakobah, Jeshohaiah, Asaiah, Adiel, Jesimiel, 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 men listed by name were leaders in their clans, and their families grew greatly in number. ³⁹ They traveled to the entrance of Gedor, to the east side of the valley, looking for pasture for their flocks. ⁴⁰ There they found rich, good pasture, and the land was spacious, quiet, and peaceful, for the people who had lived there before were descendants of Ham.

⁴¹ These men recorded by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah and attacked the Hamites' tents and the Meunites who were found there, devoting them to destruction to this day. They settled in their place, because there was pasture there for their flocks. ⁴² Some of the Simeonites — five hundred men — went to Mount Seir, led by Pelatiah, Neariah, Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi. ⁴³ They struck down the remnant of the Amalekites who had escaped, and they have lived there to this day.