And Cush begat Nimrod. He began to be mighty upon the earth.

And to Eber were born two sons: the name of the one was Peleg; because in his days the earth was divided: and his brother's name was Joktan.

The sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah: which three were born to him of the daughter of Shua the Canaanitess. And Er, the first-born of Judah, was evil in the sight of the LORD; and he slew him.

The sons also of Hezron, that were born to him; Jerahmeel, and Ram, and Chelubai.

And when Azubah was dead, Caleb took to him Ephrath, who bore to him Hur,

And 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.

And he took Geshur, and Aram, with the towns of Jair, from them, with Kenath and its towns, even sixty cities. All these belonged to the sons of Machir, the father of Gilead.

And Sheshan gave his daughter to Jarha his servant for a wife; and she bore him Attai.

Now these were the sons of David, who were born to him in Hebron; the first-born Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess; the second Daniel, of Abigail the Carmelitess:

These six were born to him in Hebron; and there he reigned seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and three years.

And these were born to him in Jerusalem; Shimea, and Shobab, and Nathan, and Solomon, four, of Bath-shua the daughter of Ammiel:

And Ashur the father of Tekoa had two wives, Helah and Naarah.

And at Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-susim, and at Beth-birei, and at Shaaraim. These were their cities to the reign of David.

And all their villages that were around the same cities to Baal. These were their habitations, and their genealogy.

And they went to the entrance of Gedor, even to the east side of the valley, to seek pasture for their flocks.

And these written by name came in the days of Hezekiah king of Judah, and smote their tents, and the habitations that were found there, and destroyed them utterly to this day, and dwelt in their room: because there was pasture there for their flocks.

And some of them, even of the sons of Simeon, five hundred men, went to mount Seir, having for their captains Pelatiah, and Neariah, and Rephaiah, and Uzziel, the sons of Ishi.

And they smote the rest of the Amalekites that had escaped, and have dwelt there to this day.

Now the sons of Reuben the first-born of Israel, (for he was the first-born; but, forasmuch as he defiled his father's bed, his birth-right was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel: and the genealogy is not to be reckoned after the birth-right.

And Bela the son of Azaz, the son of Shema, the son of Joel, who dwelt in Aroer, even to Nebo, and Baal-meon:

And eastward he inhabited to the entrance of the wilderness from the river Euphrates: because their cattle were multiplied in the land of Gilead.

And the children of Gad dwelt over against them, in the land of Bashan to Salcah:

The sons of Reuben, and the Gadites, and half the tribe of Manasseh, of valiant men, men able to bear buckler and sword, and to shoot with bow, and skillful in war, were four and forty thousand seven hundred and sixty, that went out to the war.

And they were helped against them, and the Hagarites were delivered into their hand, and all that were with them: for they cried to God in the battle, and he was entreated by them; because they put their trust in him.

And they took away their cattle; of their camels fifty thousand, and of sheep two hundred and fifty thousand, and of asses two thousand, and of men a hundred thousand.

And the children of the half tribe of Manasseh dwelt in the land: they increased from Bashan to Baal-hermon and Senir, and to mount Hermon.

And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgath-pilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them to Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, to this day.

The sons of Merari; Mahli, and Mushi. And these are the families of the Levites according to their fathers.

And they ministered before the dwelling-place of the tabernacle of the congregation with singing, until Solomon had built the house of the LORD in Jerusalem: and then they waited on their office, according to their order.

The son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

Their brethren also the Levites were appointed to all manner of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

But Aaron and his sons offered upon the altar of the burnt-offering, and on the altar of incense, and were appointed for all the work of the place most holy, and to make an atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

But the fields of the city, and its villages, they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

And to the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of Judah, namely, Hebron, the city of refuge, and Libnah with its suburbs, and Jattir, and Eshtemoa, with their suburbs,

And to the sons of Kohath who were left of the family of that tribe, were cities given out of the half tribe, namely, out of the half tribe of Manasseh, by lot, ten cities.

And to the sons of Gershom throughout their families were given out of the tribe of Issachar, and out of the tribe of Asher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan, thirteen cities.

To the sons of Merari were given by lot, throughout their families, out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities.

And the children of Israel gave to the Levites these cities with their suburbs.

And they gave to them, of the cities of refuge, Shechem in mount Ephraim with its suburbs; they gave also Gezer with its suburbs,

To the sons of Gershom were given out of the family of the half tribe of Manasseh, Golan in Bashan with its suburbs, and Ashtaroth with its suburbs:

To the rest of the children of Merari were given out of the tribe of Zebulun, Rimmon with its suburbs, Tabor with its suburbs:

And the sons of Tola; Uzzi, and Rephaiah, and Jeriel, and Jahmai, and Jibsam, and Shemuel, heads of their father's house, to wit, of Tola: they were valiant men of might in their generations; whose number was in the days of David two and twenty thousand and six hundred.

And the sons of Bela; Ezbon, and Uzzi, and Uzziel, and Jerimoth, and Iri, five; heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valor; and were reckoned by their genealogies twenty and two thousand and thirty and four.

And the number of them, after their genealogy by their generations, heads of the house of their fathers, mighty men of valor, was twenty thousand and two hundred.

All these the sons of Jediael, by the heads of their fathers, mighty men of valor, were seventeen thousand and two hundred soldiers, fit to go out for war and battle.

And Zabad his son, and Shuthelah his son, and Ezer, and Elead, whom the men of Gath that were born in that land slew, because they came down to take away their cattle.

And Ephraim their father mourned many days, and his brethren came to comfort him.

And when he went in to his wife, she conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Beriah, because it went evil with his house.

And their possessions and habitations were, Beth-el, and its towns, and eastward Naaram, and westward Gezer, with its towns; Shechem also and its towns, to Gaza and its towns:

And these are the sons of Ehud: these are the heads of the fathers of the inhabitants of Geba, and they removed them to Manahath:

So all Israel were reckoned by genealogies; and behold, they were written in the book of the kings of Israel and Judah, who were carried away to Babylon for their transgression.

And their brethren, according to their generations, nine hundred and fifty and six. All these men were chief of the fathers in the house of their fathers.

All these who were chosen to be porters in the gates were two hundred and twelve. These were reckoned by their genealogy in their villages, whom David and Samuel the seer ordained in their set office.

And their brethren, who were in their villages, were to come after seven days from time to time with them.

And they lodged about the house of God, because the charge was upon them, and the opening of it every morning pertained to them.

Some of them also were appointed to oversee the vessels, and all the instruments of the sanctuary, and the fine flour, and the wine, and the oil, and the frankincense, and the spices.

And others of their brethren, of the sons of the Kohathites, were over the show-bread, to prepare it every sabbath.

And these are the singers, chief of the fathers of the Levites, who remaining in the chambers were free: for they were employed in that work day and night.

Then said Saul to his armor-bearer, Draw thy sword, and thrust me through therewith; lest these uncircumcised come and abuse me. But his armor-bearer would not; for he was greatly afraid. So Saul took a sword, and fell upon it.

And it came to pass on the morrow, when the Philistines came to strip the slain, that they found Saul and his sons fallen in mount Gilboa.

And when they had stripped him, they took his head, and his armor, and sent into the land of the Philistines around, to carry tidings to their idols, and to the people.

And when all Jabesh-gilead heard all that the Philistines had done to Saul,

They arose, all the valiant men, and took away the body of Saul, and the bodies of his sons, and brought them to Jabesh, and buried their bones under the oak in Jabesh, and fasted seven days.

So Saul died for his transgression which he committed against the LORD, even against the word of the LORD, which he kept not, and also for asking counsel of one that had a familiar spirit, to inquire of it;

And inquired not of the LORD: therefore he slew him, and turned the kingdom to David the son of Jesse.

Then all Israel gathered themselves to David to Hebron, saying, Behold, we are thy bone and thy flesh.

And moreover in time past, even when Saul was king, thou wast he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel: and the LORD thy God said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be ruler over my people Israel.

Therefore came all the elders of Israel to the king to Hebron; and David made a covenant with them in Hebron before the LORD; and they anointed David king over Israel, according to the word of the LORD by Samuel.

And David and all Israel went to Jerusalem, which is Jebus; where the Jebusites were, the inhabitants of the land.

And the inhabitants of Jebus said to David, Thou shalt not come hither. Nevertheless David took the castle of Zion, which is the city of David.

These also are the chief of the mighty men whom David had, who strengthened themselves with him in his kingdom, and with all Israel, to make him king according to the word of the LORD concerning Israel.

He was with David at Pas-dammim, and there the Philistines were gathered to battle, where was a parcel of ground full of barley; and the people fled from before the Philistines.

Now three of the thirty captains went down to the rock to David, into the cave of Adullam; and the host of the Philistines encamped in the valley of Rephaim.

And the three broke through the host of the Philistines, and drew water out of the well of Beth-lehem, that was by the gate, and took it, and brought it to David: but David would not drink of it, but poured it out to the LORD,

And said, My God forbid it me, that I should do this thing: shall I drink the blood of these men that have put their lives in jeopardy? for with the jeopardy of their lives they brought it. Therefore he would not drink it. These things did these three mightiest.

Of the three, he was more honorable than the two; for he was their captain: but he attained not to the first three.

Benaiah the son of Jehoiada, the son of a valiant man of Kabzeel, who had done many acts; he slew two lion-like men of Moab: also he went down and slew a lion in a pit in a snowy day.

And he slew an Egyptian, a man of great stature, five cubits high; and in the Egyptian's hand was a spear like a weaver's beam; and he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear.

Behold, he was honorable among the thirty, but attained not to the first three: and David set him over his guard.

Ithai the son of Ribai of Gibeah, that pertained to the children of Benjamin, Benaiah the Pirathonite,

Now these are they that came to David to Ziklag, while he yet kept himself close because of Saul the son of Kish: and they were among the mighty men, helpers of the war.

And of the Gadites there separated themselves to David in the hold in the wilderness men of might, and men of war fit for the battle, that could handle shield and buckler, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as the roes upon the mountains;

These are they that went over Jordan in the first month, when it had overflowed all its banks; and they put to flight all them of the valleys, both towards the east, and towards the west.

And there came of the children of Benjamin and Judah to the hold to David.

And David went out to meet them, and answered and said to them, If ye have come peaceably to me to help me, my heart shall be knit to you: but if ye have come to betray me to my enemies, seeing there is no wrong in my hands, the God of our fathers look on it, and rebuke it.

Then the spirit came upon Amasai, who was chief of the captains, and he said, Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse: peace, peace be to thee, and peace be to thy helpers; for thy God helpeth thee. Then David received them, and made them captains of the band.

And there fell some of Manasseh to David, when he came with the Philistines against Saul to battle: but they helped them not: for the lords of the Philistines upon advisement sent him away, saying, He will fall to his master Saul to the jeopardy of our heads.

And as he went to Ziklag, there fell to him of Manasseh, Adnah, and Jozabad, and Jediael, and Michael, and Jozabad, and Elihu, and Zilthai, captains of the thousands that were of Manasseh.

For at that time day by day there came to David to help him, until it was a great host, like the host of God.

And these are the numbers of the bands that were ready armed to the war, and came to David to Hebron, to turn the kingdom of Saul to him, according to the word of the LORD.

And Zadok, a young man mighty of valor, and of his father's house twenty and two captains.

And of the half tribe of Manasseh eighteen thousand, who were expressed by name, to come and make David king.

And of the children of Issachar, who were men that had understanding of the times, to know what Israel ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brethren were at their command.

Of Zebulun, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, with all instruments of war, fifty thousand, who could keep rank: they were not of double heart.

And of Asher, such as went forth to battle, expert in war, forty thousand.

All these men of war, that could keep rank, came with a perfect heart to Hebron, to make David king over all Israel: and all the rest also of Israel were of one heart to make David king.

Moreover, they that were nigh them, even to Issachar, and Zebulun, and Naphtali, brought bread on asses, and on camels, and on mules, and on oxen, and provision, meal, cakes of figs, and bunches of raisins, and wine, and oil, and oxen, and sheep abundantly: for there was joy in Israel.

And David said to all the congregation of Israel, If it seemeth good to you, and that it is of the LORD our God, let us send abroad to our brethren every where, that are left in all the land of Israel, and with them also to the priests and Levites who are in their cities and suburbs, that they may assemble to us:

And let us bring again to us the ark of our God: for we inquired not at it in the days of Saul.

And all the congregation said that they would do so: for the thing was right in the eyes of all the people.