Bible Society of South Africa

Bible Reading Plan – Day 77

Bible text(s)

48The other Levites were assigned all the other duties at the place of worship.

The Descendants of Aaron

49Aaron and his descendants presented the offerings of incense and offered the sacrifices that were burnt on the altar. They were responsible for all the worship in the Most Holy Place and for the sacrifices by which God forgives Israel's sins. They did all this in accordance with the instructions given by Moses, God's servant. 50This is the line of Aaron's descendants: Eleazar, Phinehas, Abishua, 51Bukki, Uzzi, Zerahiah, 52Meraioth, Amariah, Ahitub, 53Zadok, Ahimaaz.

Where the Levites Lived

54This is the territory assigned to the descendants of Aaron of the clan of Kohath. They received the first share of the land assigned to the Levites. 55This included Hebron in the territory of Judah and the pasture lands round it. 56The fields and villages, however, that belonged to the city were assigned to Caleb son of Jephunneh. 57-59The following towns were assigned to Aaron's descendants: Hebron, a city of refuge, Jattir, and the towns of Libnah, Eshtemoa, Hilen, Debir, Ashan, and Beth Shemesh, with their pasture lands. 60In the territory of Benjamin they were assigned the following towns with their pasture lands: Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth. This made a total of thirteen towns for all their families to live in. 61Ten towns in the territory of West Manasseh were assigned by lot to the rest of the clan of Kohath, family by family.

62To the clan of Gershon, family by family, were assigned thirteen towns in the territories of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and East Manasseh in Bashan. 63In the same way, twelve towns in the territories of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun were assigned to the clan of Merari, family by family. 64In this way the people of Israel assigned towns for the Levites to live in, together with the pasture lands round the towns. 65(The towns in the territories of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin, mentioned above, were also assigned by drawing lots.)

66Some of the families of the clan of Kohath were assigned towns and pasture lands in the territory of Ephraim: 67Shechem, the city of refuge in the hills of Ephraim, Gezer, 68Jokmeam, Beth Horon, 69Aijalon, and Gath Rimmon. 70In the territory of West Manasseh they were assigned the towns of Aner and Bileam with the surrounding pasture lands.

71The families of the clan of Gershon were assigned the following towns, with the surrounding pasture lands:

In the territory of East Manasseh: Golan in Bashan, and Ashtaroth.

72In the territory of Issachar: Kedesh, Daberath, 73Ramoth, and Anem.

74In the territory of Asher: Mashal, Abdon, 75Hukok, and Rehob.

76In the territory of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim.

77The remaining families of the clan of Merari were assigned the following towns with the surrounding pasture lands:

In the territory of Zebulun: Rimmono and Tabor.

78In the territory of Reuben, east of the River Jordan beyond Jericho: Bezer on the plateau, Jahzah, 79Kedemoth, and Mephaath.

80In the territory of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead, Mahanaim, 81Heshbon, and Jazer.

The Descendants of Issachar

1Issachar had four sons: Tola, Puah, Jashub, and Shimron.

2Tola had six sons: Uzzi, Rephaiah, Jeriel, Jahmai, Ibsam, and Shemuel. They were heads of families of the clan of Tola and were famous soldiers. At the time of King David their descendants numbered 22,600.

3Uzzi had one son, Izrahiah. Izrahiah and his four sons, Michael, Obadiah, Joel, and Isshiah, were all heads of families. 4They had so many wives and children that their descendants were able to provide 36,000 men for military service.

5The official records of all the families of the tribe of Issachar listed 87,000 men eligible for military service.

The Descendants of Benjamin and Dan

6Benjamin had three sons: Bela, Becher, and Jediael.

7Bela had five sons: Ezbon, Uzzi, Uzziel, Jerimoth, and Iri. They were heads of families in the clan and were all famous soldiers. Their descendants included 22,034 men eligible for military service.

8Becher had nine sons: Zemirah, Joash, Eliezer, Elioenai, Omri, Jeremoth, Abijah, Anathoth, and Alemeth. 9The official record of their descendants by families listed 20,200 men eligible for military service.

10Jediael had one son, Bilhan, and Bilhan had seven sons: Jeush, Benjamin, Ehud, Chenaanah, Zethan, Tarshish, and Ahishahar. 11They were heads of families in the clan and were all famous soldiers. Their descendants included 17,200 men eligible for military service. 12Shuppim and Huppim also belonged to this tribe.

Dan had one son, Hushim.

The Descendants of Naphtali

13Naphtali had four sons: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer, and Shallum. (They were descendants of Bilhah.)

The Descendants of Manasseh

14By his Aramean concubine, Manasseh had two sons, Asriel and Machir. Machir was the father of Gilead. 15Machir found a wife for Huppim and one for Shuppim. His sister's name was Maacah. Machir's second son was Zelophehad, and he had only daughters.

16Maacah, Machir's wife, gave birth to two sons, whom they named Peresh and Sheresh. Peresh had two sons, Ulam and Rakem, 17and Ulam had a son named Bedan. These are all descendants of Gilead, the son of Machir and grandson of Manasseh.

18Gilead's sister Hammolecheth had three sons: Ishod, Abiezer, and Mahlah. 19(Shemida had four sons: Ahian, Shechem, Likhi, and Aniam.)

The Descendants of Ephraim

20These are the descendants of Ephraim from generation to generation: Shuthelah, Bered, Tahath, Eleadah, Tahath, 21Zabad, Shuthelah. Ephraim had two other sons besides Shuthelah: Ezer and Elead, who were killed when they tried to steal the livestock belonging to the native inhabitants of Gath. 22Their father Ephraim mourned for them for many days, and his relatives came to comfort him. 23Then he had intercourse with his wife again, and she became pregnant and had a son. They named him Beriah, because of the trouble that had come to their family.

24Ephraim had a daughter named Sheerah. She built the towns of Upper and Lower Beth Horon, and Uzzen Sheerah.

25Ephraim also had a son named Rephah, whose descendants were as follows: Resheph, Telah, Tahan, 26Ladan, Ammihud, Elishama, 27Nun, Joshua.

28The territory which they took and settled in included Bethel and the towns round it, as far east as Naaran and as far west as Gezer and the towns round it. It also included the cities of Shechem and Ayyah, and the towns round them.

29The descendants of Manasseh controlled the cities of Beth Shan, Taanach, Megiddo, and Dor, and the towns round them.

All these are the places where the descendants of Joseph son of Jacob lived.

The Descendants of Asher

30These are the descendants of Asher. He had four sons: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah; and one daughter, Serah.

31Beriah had two sons, Heber and Malchiel. (Malchiel founded the city of Birzaith.)

32Heber had three sons: Japhlet, Shomer, and Hotham; and one daughter, Shua.

33Japhlet also had three sons: Pasach, Bimhal, and Ashvath.

34His brother Shomer had three sons: Rohgah, Jehubbah, and Aram.

35His brother Hotham had four sons: Zophah, Imna, Shelesh, and Amal.

36The descendants of Zophah were Suah, Harnepher, Shual, Beri, Imrah, 37Bezer, Hod, Shamma, Shilshah, Ithran, and Beera.

38The descendants of Jether were Jephunneh, Pispa, and Ara, 39and the descendants of Ulla were Arah, Hanniel, and Rizia.

40All these were descendants of Asher. They were heads of families, famous fighting men, outstanding leaders. Asher's descendants included 26,000 men eligible for military service.

The Descendants of Benjamin

1Benjamin had five sons. In order of age they were Bela, Ashbel, Aharah, 2Nohah, and Rapha.

3The descendants of Bela were Addar, Gera, Abihud, 4Abishua, Naaman, Ahoah, 5Gera, Shephuphan, and Huram.

6-7The descendants of Ehud were Naaman, Ahijah, and Gera. They were heads of families that lived in Geba, but which were forced out and went to live in Manahath. Gera, the father of Uzza and Ahihud, led them in this move.

8-9Shaharaim divorced two wives, Hushim and Baara. Later, when he lived in the country of Moab, he married Hodesh and had seven sons: Jobab, Zibia, Mesha, Malcam, 10Jeuz, Sachia, and Mirmah. His sons all became heads of families.

11He also had two sons by Hushim: Abitub and Elpaal.

12Elpaal had three sons: Eber, Misham, and Shemed. It was Shemed who built the cities of Ono and Lod and the surrounding villages.

The Benjaminites in Gath and Aijalon

13Beriah and Shema were heads of families that settled in the city of Aijalon and drove out the people who lived in the city of Gath. 14Beriah's descendants included Ahio, Shashak, Jeremoth, 15Zebadiah, Arad, Eder, 16Michael, Ishpah, and Joha.

The Benjaminites in Jerusalem

17Elpaal's descendants included Zebadiah, Meshullam, Hizki, Heber, 18Ishmerai, Izliah, and Jobab.

19Shimei's descendants included Jakim, Zichri, Zabdi, 20Elienai, Zillethai, Eliel, 21Adaiah, Beraiah, and Shimrath.

22Shashak's descendants included Ishpan, Eber, Eliel, 23Abdon, Zichri, Hanan, 24Hananiah, Elam, Anthothijah, 25Iphdeiah, and Penuel.

26Jeroham's descendants included Shamsherai, Shehariah, Athaliah, 27Jaareshiah, Elijah, and Zichri.

28These were the ancestral heads of families and their principal descendants who lived in Jerusalem.

The Benjaminites in Gibeon and Jerusalem

29Jeiel founded the city of Gibeon and settled there. His wife was named Maacah, 30and his eldest son, Abdon. His other sons were Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab, 31Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, 32and Mikloth, the father of Shimeah. Their descendants lived in Jerusalem near other families of their clan.

The Family of King Saul

33Ner was the father of Kish, and Kish was the father of King Saul. Saul had four sons: Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Eshbaal. 34Jonathan was the father of Meribbaal, who was the father of Micah.

35Micah had four sons: Pithon, Melech, Tarea, and Ahaz. 36Ahaz was the father of Jehoaddah, who was the father of three sons: Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri. Zimri was the father of Moza, 37Moza the father of Binea, Binea of Raphah, Raphah of Eleasah, and Eleasah of Azel.

38Azel had six sons: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. 39Azel's brother Eshek had three sons: Ulam, Jeush, and Eliphelet.

40Ulam's sons were outstanding soldiers and archers. He had 150 sons and grandsons in all. All those named above were members of the tribe of Benjamin.

1 Chronicles 6:48-8:40GNBOpen in Bible reader
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