1 Chronicles 5 - 6, Philemon, Proverbs 8

Sons of Reuben

5Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for ^ahe was the firstborn, but because ^bhe profaned his father’s bed, ^chis birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not recorded in the genealogy according to the birthright. ²^aThough Judah prevailed over his brothers, and ^bfrom him came the ruler, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph),

³^athe sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel were Hanoch and Pallu, Hezron and Carmi. ⁴The sons of Joel were Shemaiah his son, Gog his son, ^aShimei his son, ⁵Micah his son, Reaiah his son, Baal his son, ⁶Beerah his son, whom ¹Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria took away into exile; he was leader of the Reubenites.

⁷His ¹relatives by their families, ^ain the genealogy of their generations, were Jeiel the chief, then Zechariah, ⁸and Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who lived in ^aAroer, even to Nebo and Baal-meon. ⁹To the east he lived as far as the entrance of the wilderness from the river Euphrates, ^abecause their cattle had increased in the land of Gilead. ¹⁰In the days of Saul ^athey made war with the Hagrites, and they fell by their hand. So they lived in their tents throughout ¹all the land east of Gilead.

Sons of Gad

¹¹Now the sons of Gad lived opposite them in the land of ^aBashan as far as ^bSalecah. ¹²Joel was the chief and Shapham the second, then Janai and Shaphat in Bashan. ¹³Their ¹relatives of their fathers’ households were Michael, Meshullam, Sheba, Jorai, Jacan, Zia, and Eber, seven. ¹⁴These were the sons of Abihail, the son of Huri, the son of Jaroah, the son of Gilead, the son of Michael, the son of Jeshishai, the son of Jahdo, the son of Buz;

¹⁵Ahi the son of Abdiel, the son of Guni, was head of their fathers’ households. ¹⁶They lived in Gilead, in Bashan and in its towns, and in all the pasture lands of ^aSharon, as far as their ¹borders. ¹⁷All of these were recorded in the genealogies in the days of ^aJotham king of Judah and in the days of ^bJeroboam king of Israel.

¹⁸The sons of Reuben and the Gadites and the half-tribe of Manasseh, consisting of men of valor, men who bore shield and sword and shot with bow and were learned in the ways of battle, were 44,760, who ^awent out for military duty. ¹⁹They made war against ^athe Hagrites, ^bJetur, Naphish, and Nodab. ²⁰They were helped against them, and the Hagrites and all who were with them were given into their hand; for ^athey cried out to God in the battle, and He was moved by their entreaty because ^bthey trusted in Him. ²¹They took captive their cattle: their 50,000 camels, 250,000 sheep, 2,000 donkeys; and 100,000 ¹men. ²²For many fell slain, because ^athe war was of God. And ^bthey lived in their place until the ^cexile.

Sons of the Half-Tribe of Manasseh

²³Now the sons of the half-tribe of Manasseh lived in the land; from Bashan to Baal-hermon and ^aSenir and Mount Hermon they were numerous. ²⁴These were the heads of their fathers’ households, even Epher, Ishi, Eliel, Azriel, Jeremiah, Hodaviah, and Jahdiel, mighty men of valor, men of renown, heads of their fathers’ households.

²⁵But they ^aacted unfaithfully against the God of their fathers and ^bplayed the harlot ^cafter the gods of the peoples of the land, whom God had destroyed before them. ²⁶So the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of ^aPul, king of Assyria, even the spirit of ¹Tilgath-pilneser, king of Assyria, and he ^btook them away into exile, namely the Reubenites, the Gadites, and the half-tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, Habor, Hara, and to the river of Gozan, to this day.

Sons of Levi

6¹^,^aThe sons of Levi were ²Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

²The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ³The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses, and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. ⁴Eleazar ¹became the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas became the father of Abishua, ⁵and Abishua became the father of Bukki, and Bukki became the father of Uzzi, ⁶and Uzzi became the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah became the father of Meraioth, ⁷Meraioth became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub, ⁸and ^aAhitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok ^bbecame the father of Ahimaaz, ⁹and Ahimaaz became the father of Azariah, and Azariah became the father of Johanan, ¹⁰and Johanan became the father of Azariah (^ait was he who ministered as the priest in the house ^bwhich Solomon built in Jerusalem), ¹¹and ^aAzariah became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub, ¹²and Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of ¹Shallum, ¹³and Shallum became the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah became the father of Azariah, ¹⁴and Azariah became the father of ^aSeraiah, and Seraiah became the father of Jehozadak; ¹⁵and Jehozadak went along when Yahweh took Judah and Jerusalem away into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar. ¹⁶¹^,^aThe sons of Levi were ²Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. ¹⁷These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. ¹⁸The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. ¹⁹The sons of ^aMerari were Mahli and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers’ households. ²⁰Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son, ²¹Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, Jeatherai his son. ²²The sons of Kohath were Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, ²³Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, and Assir his son, ²⁴Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. ²⁵The sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth. ²⁶As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah were Zophai his son and Nahath his son, ²⁷Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah his son. ²⁸The sons of Samuel were ^aJoel the firstborn, and Abijah the second. ²⁹The sons of Merari were Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son, ³⁰Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.

³¹^aNow these are those whom David caused to stand over the service of song in the house of Yahweh, ^bafter the ark rested there. ³²And they ministered with song before the tabernacle of the tent of meeting, until Solomon had built the house of Yahweh in Jerusalem; and they stood for their service according to their custom. ³³These are those who stood for service with their sons: From the sons of the Kohathites were Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,

³⁴the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, ³⁵the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, ³⁶the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah, ³⁷the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah, ³⁸the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel. ³⁹Heman’s brother Asaph stood at his right hand, even Asaph the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea, ⁴⁰the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah, ⁴¹the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah, ⁴²the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei, ⁴³the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi. ⁴⁴On the left hand were their ¹relatives the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch, ⁴⁵the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah, ⁴⁶the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer, ⁴⁷the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

⁴⁸Their ¹relatives the Levites were given over unto all the service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

⁴⁹But Aaron and his sons ^aoffered offerings up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering and ^bon the altar of incense, for all the work of the Holy of Holies, and ^cto make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded. ⁵⁰^aThese are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,

⁵¹Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son, ⁵²Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son, ⁵³Zadok his son, Ahimaaz his son.

⁵⁴Now these are their settlements according to their camps within their borders. To the sons of Aaron of the families of the Kohathites (for the ^alot was theirs first), ⁵⁵to them they gave ^aHebron in the land of Judah, with its pasture lands all around it; ⁵⁶^abut the fields of the city and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. ⁵⁷^aTo the sons of Aaron they gave the following cities of refuge: Hebron, Libnah also with its pasture lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands,

⁵⁸¹Hilen with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands, ⁵⁹¹Ashan with its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands; ⁶⁰from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its pasture lands, ¹Allemeth with its pasture lands, and Anathoth with its pasture lands. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities. ⁶¹^aNow to the rest of the sons of Kohath were given by lot, from the family of the tribe, from the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh, ten cities. ⁶²And to the sons of Gershom, according to their families, were given from the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Asher, the tribe of Naphtali, and the tribe of Manasseh, thirteen cities in Bashan. ⁶³^aTo the sons of Merari were given by lot, according to their families, from the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad, and the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

⁶⁴^aSo the sons of Israel gave to the Levites the cities with their pasture lands. ⁶⁵They also gave by lot from the tribe of the sons of Judah, the tribe of the sons of Simeon, and the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, ^athese cities which are mentioned here by name.

⁶⁶^aNow some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their territory from the tribe of Ephraim. ⁶⁷And they gave to them the following cities of refuge: Shechem, with its pasture lands, in the hill country of Ephraim, and Gezer with its pasture lands,

⁶⁸Jokmeam with its pasture lands, Beth-horon with its pasture lands, ⁶⁹Aijalon with its pasture lands, and Gath-rimmon with its pasture lands; ⁷⁰and from the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its pasture lands and Bileam with its pasture lands, for the family of the rest of the sons of Kohath.

⁷¹To the sons of Gershom were given, from the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan with its pasture lands and Ashtaroth with its pasture lands;

⁷²and from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands, ⁷³and Ramoth with its pasture lands, Anem with its pasture lands; ⁷⁴and from the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands, ⁷⁵Hukok with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its pasture lands; ⁷⁶and from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands, Hammon with its pasture lands, and Kiriathaim with its pasture lands.

⁷⁷To the sons of Merari, the rest of the Levites, were given, from the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmono with its pasture lands, Tabor with its pasture lands;

⁷⁸and beyond the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, were given them, from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its pasture lands, Jahzah with its pasture lands, ⁷⁹Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands; ⁸⁰and from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands, ⁸¹Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its pasture lands.

Philemon’s Love and Faith

1^aPaul, ^ba prisoner of ^cChrist Jesus, and ^dTimothy ¹our brother, To Philemon our beloved brother and ^efellow worker, ²and to Apphia ¹^,^aour sister, and to ^bArchippus our ^cfellow soldier, and to ^dthe church in your house: ³^aGrace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

⁴^aI thank my God, always making mention of you in my prayers, ⁵because I ^ahear of your love and of the faith which you have toward the Lord Jesus and toward all the ¹saints; ⁶and I pray that the fellowship of your faith may become effective ¹through the ^afull knowledge of every good thing which is in you ²for the sake of Christ. ⁷For I have come to have much ^ajoy and comfort in your love, because the ¹hearts of the ²saints have been ^brefreshed through you, brother.

⁸Therefore, ^athough I have much boldness in Christ to command you to do what is ^bproper, ⁹yet for love’s sake I rather ^aplead with you—since I am such a person as Paul, ¹the ^baged, and now also ^ca prisoner of ^dChrist Jesus—

Plea for Onesimus

¹⁰I ^aplead with you for my ^bchild ¹^,^cOnesimus, of whom I became a ²father in my chains, ¹¹who formerly was useless to you, but now is useful both to you and to me. ¹²I have sent him back to you in person, that is, my very heart, ¹³whom I intended to keep with me, so that on your behalf he might minister to me in my ^achains for the gospel, ¹⁴but without your consent I did not want to do anything, so that your goodness would ^anot be, in effect, by compulsion but voluntary. ¹⁵For perhaps ^ahe was for this reason separated from you for a while, that you would have him back forever, ¹⁶^ano longer as a slave, but more than a slave, ^ba beloved brother, especially to me, but how much more to you, both ^cin the flesh and in the Lord.

¹⁷If then you regard me a ^apartner, accept him as you would accept me. ¹⁸But if he has wronged you in any way or owes you anything, charge that to my account. ¹⁹^aI, Paul, am writing this with my own hand, I will repay it (^bnot to ¹mention to you that you owe to me even your own self as well). ²⁰Yes, brother, let me benefit from you in the Lord. ^aRefresh my heart in Christ!

²¹^aHaving confidence in your obedience, I write to you, since I know that you will do even more than what I say.

²²And at the same time also prepare me a ^alodging, for ^bI hope that through ^cyour prayers ^dI will be graciously given to you.

²³^aEpaphras, my ^bfellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, greets you, ²⁴as do ^aMark, ^bAristarchus, ^cDemas, ^dLuke, my ^efellow workers.

²⁵^aThe grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be ^bwith your spirit.¹

The Blessing of Wisdom

8Does not ^awisdom call,And discernment give forth her voice?²At the top of ^athe heights upon the way,Where the pathways meet, she takes her stand;³Beside the ^agates, at the opening to the city,At the entrance of the doors, she makes a shout:⁴“To you, O men, I call,And my voice is to the sons of men.⁵“O ^asimple ones, understand prudence;And, O ^bfools, understand a heart of wisdom.⁶“Listen, for I will speak ^anoble things;And the opening of my lips will reveal ^bupright things.⁷“For my ^amouth will utter truth;And wickedness is an abomination to my lips.⁸“All the words of my mouth are in righteousness;There is nothing ^atwisted or crooked in them.⁹“They are all ^astraightforward to him who understands,And right to those who ^bfind knowledge.¹⁰“Take my ^adiscipline and not silver,And knowledge rather than choicest fine gold.¹¹“For wisdom is ^abetter than pearls;And ^ball desirable things cannot compare with her.¹²“I, wisdom, ^adwell with prudence,And I find ^bknowledge and discretion.¹³“The ^afear of Yahweh is to hate evil;^bPride and arrogance and ^cthe evil wayAnd the mouth of ¹^,^dperverted words, I hate.¹⁴“^aCounsel is mine and ^bsound wisdom;I am understanding, ^cmight is mine.¹⁵“By me ^akings reign,And rulers mark out righteousness.¹⁶“By me princes rule, and nobles,All who judge rightly.¹⁷“I ^alove those who love me;And ^bthose who earnestly seek me will find me.¹⁸“^aRiches and glory are with me,Enduring ^bwealth and righteousness.¹⁹“My fruit is ^abetter than fine gold, even pure gold,And my produce better than ^bchoice silver.²⁰“I walk in the path of righteousness,In the midst of the pathways of justice,²¹To give those who love me an inheritance of wealth,That I may ^afill their treasuries.²²“Yahweh possessed me ^aat the beginning of His way,Before His deeds ¹of old.²³“From everlasting I was ¹^,^ainstalled,From the beginning, ^bfrom the earliest times of the earth.²⁴“When there were no ^adepths I was ¹brought forth,When there were no springs heavy with water.²⁵“^aBefore the mountains were settled,Before the hills I was ¹brought forth;²⁶While He had not yet made the earth and the fields outside,Nor the first dust of the world.²⁷“When He ^aestablished the heavens, I was there,When ^bHe marked out a circle on the face of the deep,²⁸When He made firm the skies above,When the springs of the deep became strong,²⁹When ^aHe set for the sea its boundarySo that the water would not pass over His ¹command,When He marked out ^bthe foundations of the earth;³⁰Then ^aI was beside Him, as a master workman;And I was a daily delight,¹Rejoicing always before Him,³¹¹Rejoicing in the world, His earth,^aMy delight is in the sons of men.³²“So now, O sons, ^alisten to me,For ^bblessed are they who keep my ways.³³“^aHear discipline and be wise,And do not neglect it.³⁴“^aHow blessed is the man who hears me,To watch daily at my doors,To keep watch at my doorposts.³⁵“For ^ahe who finds me finds lifeAnd ^bobtains favor from Yahweh.³⁶“But he who ¹sins against me ^adoes violence to his own soul;All those who ^bhate me ^clove death.”