The Message Bible MSG
English Standard Version ESV
1 Israel's (that is, Jacob's) sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,
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These are the sons of Israel: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun,
2 Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
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Dan, Joseph, Benjamin, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher.
3 Judah had Er, Onan, and Shelah; their mother was Bathshua the Canaanite. Er, Judah's firstborn, was so bad before God that God killed him.
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The sons of Judah: Er, Onan and Shelah; these three Bath-shua the Canaanite bore to him. Now Er, Judah’s firstborn, was evil in the sight of the Lord, and he put him to death.
4 Judah also had Perez and Zerah by his daughter-in-law Tamar - a total of five sons.
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His daughter-in-law Tamar also bore him Perez and Zerah. Judah had five sons in all.
5 Perez had Hezron and Hamul;
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The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
6 Zerah had Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Darda - five sons.
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The sons of Zerah: Zimri, Ethan, Heman, Calcol, and Dara, five in all.
7 Carmi had Achar, who brought doom on Israel when he violated a holy ban.
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The son of Carmi: Achan, the troubler of Israel, who broke faith in the matter of the devoted thing;
8 Ethan's son was Azariah.
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and Ethan’s son was Azariah.
9 And Hezron had Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai.
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The sons of Hezron that were born to him: Jerahmeel, Ram, and Chelubai.
10 Ram had Amminadab and Amminadab had Nahshon, a prominent leader in the Judah family.
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Ram fathered Amminadab, and Amminadab fathered Nahshon, prince of the sons of Judah.
11 Nahshon had Salmon and Salmon had Boaz.
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Nahshon fathered Salmon, Salmon fathered Boaz,
12 Boaz had Obed and Obed had Jesse.
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Boaz fathered Obed, Obed fathered Jesse.
13 Jesse's firstborn was Eliab, followed by Abinadab, Shimea,
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Jesse fathered Eliab his firstborn, Abinadab the second, Shimea the third,
14 Nethanel, Raddai,
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Nethanel the fourth, Raddai the fifth,
15 Ozem, and finally David; David was the seventh.
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Ozem the sixth, David the seventh.
16 Their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. Zeruiah gave birth to three sons: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel;
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And their sisters were Zeruiah and Abigail. The sons of Zeruiah: Abishai, Joab, and Asahel, three.
17 Abigail was the mother of Amasa (the father was Jether the Ishmaelite).
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Abigail bore Amasa, and the father of Amasa was Jether the Ishmaelite.
18 Caleb son of Hezron had children by his wife Azubah and also by Jerioth. Azubah's sons were Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.
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Caleb the son of Hezron fathered children by his wife Azubah, and by Jerioth; and these were her sons: Jesher, Shobab, and Ardon.
19 After Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who gave birth to Hur.
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When Azubah died, Caleb married Ephrath, who bore him Hur.
20 Hur had Uri and Uri had Bezalel.
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Hur fathered Uri, and Uri fathered Bezalel.
21 Some time later Hezron married the daughter of Makir the father of Gilead; he was sixty years old when he married her; she gave birth to Segub.
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Afterward Hezron went in to the daughter of Machir the father of Gilead, whom he married when he was sixty years old, and she bore him Segub.
22 Then Segub had Jair who owned twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead.
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And Segub fathered Jair, who had twenty-three cities in the land of Gilead.
23 Geshur and Aram captured the nomadic villages of Jair and Kenath and their satellite settlements - sixty towns. These all belonged to Makir the father of Gilead.
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But Geshur and Aram took from them Havvoth-jair, Kenath, and its villages, sixty towns. All these were descendants of Machir, the father of Gilead.
24 After the death of Hezron, Caleb married Ephrathah the wife of his father Hezron; she then gave birth to Ashhur the father of Tekoa.
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After the death of Hezron, Caleb went in to Ephrathah, the wife of Hezron his father, and she bore him Ashhur, the father of Tekoa.
25 The sons of Jerahmeel, Hezron's firstborn: Ram his firstborn, followed by Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.
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The sons of Jerahmeel, the firstborn of Hezron: Ram, his firstborn, Bunah, Oren, Ozem, and Ahijah.
26 Jerahmeel had another wife whose name was Atarah; she gave birth to Onam.
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Jerahmeel also had another wife, whose name was Atarah; she was the mother of Onam.
27 The sons of Ram, Jerahmeel's firstborn: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
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The sons of Ram, the firstborn of Jerahmeel: Maaz, Jamin, and Eker.
28 The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada.
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The sons of Onam: Shammai and Jada. The sons of Shammai: Nadab and Abishur.
29 Abishur's wife was Abihail; she gave birth to Ahban and Molid.
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The name of Abishur’s wife was Abihail, and she bore him Ahban and Molid.
30 Nadab had Seled and Appaim. Seled died leaving no sons.
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The sons of Nadab: Seled and Appaim; and Seled died childless.
31 Appaim had Ishi; Ishi had Sheshan; and Sheshan had Ahlai.
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The son of Appaim: Ishi. The son of Ishi: Sheshan. The son of Sheshan: Ahlai.
32 Jada, Shammai's brother, had Jether and Jonathan. Jether died leaving no sons.
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The sons of Jada, Shammai’s brother: Jether and Jonathan; and Jether died childless.
33 Jonathan had Peleth and Zaza. This is the family tree of the sons of Jerahmeel.
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The sons of Jonathan: Peleth and Zaza. These were the descendants of Jerahmeel.
34 Sheshan had no sons, only daughters. But Sheshan had an Egyptian servant, Jarha.
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Now Sheshan had no sons, only daughters, but Sheshan had an Egyptian slave whose name was Jarha.
35 Sheshan married his daughter to Jarha and she gave birth to Attai.
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So Sheshan gave his daughter in marriage to Jarha his slave, and she bore him Attai.
36 Attai had Nathan, Nathan had Zabad,
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Attai fathered Nathan, and Nathan fathered Zabad.
37 Zabad had Ephlal, Ephlal had Obed,
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Zabad fathered Ephlal, and Ephlal fathered Obed.
38 Obed had Jehu, Jehu had Azariah,
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Obed fathered Jehu, and Jehu fathered Azariah.
39 Azariah had Helez, Helez had Eleasah,
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Azariah fathered Helez, and Helez fathered Eleasah.
40 Eleasah had Sismai, Sismai had Shallum,
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Eleasah fathered Sismai, and Sismai fathered Shallum.
41 Shallum had Jekamiah, and Jekamiah had Elishama.
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Shallum fathered Jekamiah, and Jekamiah fathered Elishama.
42 Jerahmeel's brother Caleb had a son, his firstborn, named Mesha; Mesha had Ziph; Ziph's son was Mareshah the father of Hebron.
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The sons of Caleb the brother of Jerahmeel: Mareshah his firstborn, who fathered Ziph. The son of Mareshah: Hebron.
43 The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem, and Shema.
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The sons of Hebron: Korah, Tappuah, Rekem and Shema.
44 Shema had Raham the father of Jorkeam; Rekem had Shammai.
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Shema fathered Raham, the father of Jorkeam; and Rekem fathered Shammai.
45 Shammai's son was Maon and Maon was the father of Beth Zur.
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The son of Shammai: Maon; and Maon fathered Beth-zur.
46 Caleb's concubine Ephah gave birth to Haran, Moza, and Gazez; Haran had Gazez.
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Ephah also, Caleb’s concubine, bore Haran, Moza, and Gazez; and Haran fathered Gazez.
47 The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
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The sons of Jahdai: Regem, Jotham, Geshan, Pelet, Ephah, and Shaaph.
48 Another concubine of Caleb, Maacah, gave birth to Sheber and Tirhanah.
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Maacah, Caleb’s concubine, bore Sheber and Tirhanah.
49 She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah and Sheva the father of Macbenah and Gibea. Caleb's daughter was Acsah.
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She also bore Shaaph the father of Madmannah, Sheva the father of Machbenah and the father of Gibea; and the daughter of Caleb was Achsah.
50 These made up the Caleb branch of the family tree.
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These were the descendants of Caleb. The sons of Hur the firstborn of Ephrathah: Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim,
51 Salma who had Bethlehem, and Hareph father of Beth Gader.
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Salma, the father of Bethlehem, and Hareph the father of Beth-gader.
52 The family of Shobal, father of Kiriath Jearim: Haroeh, half of the population of Manahath,
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Shobal the father of Kiriath-jearim had other sons: Haroeh, half of the Menuhoth.
53 the families of Kiriath Jearim, the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites. The Zorathites and Eshtaolites also came from this line.
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And the clans of Kiriath-jearim: the Ithrites, the Puthites, the Shumathites, and the Mishraites; from these came the Zorathites and the Eshtaolites.
54 The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth Beth Joab, half of the Manahathites, the Zorites,
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The sons of Salma: Bethlehem, the Netophathites, Atroth-beth-joab and half of the Manahathites, the Zorites.
55 and the families of Sopherim who lived at Jabez - the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, and the Sucathites. They made up the Kenites who came from Hammath the father of the house of Recab.
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The clans also of the scribes who lived at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites and the Sucathites. These are the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®) © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved. ESV Text Edition: 2025