1 Chronicles 6: Levi's line, the singers, and the Levite cities

In plain English: The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

In plain English: The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

In plain English: The children of Amram were Aaron, Moses and Miriam. The sons of Aaron were Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar.

In plain English: Eleazar became the father of Phinehas, and Phinehas became the father of Abishua.

In plain English: Abishua became the father of Bukki, and Bukki became the father of Uzzi.

In plain English: Uzzi became the father of Zerahiah, and Zerahiah became the father of Meraioth.

In plain English: Meraioth became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub.

In plain English: Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Ahimaaz.

In plain English: Ahimaaz became the father of Azariah, and Azariah became the father of Johanan.

In plain English: Johanan became the father of Azariah. He is the one who served as priest in the house that Solomon built in Jerusalem.

In plain English: Azariah became the father of Amariah, and Amariah became the father of Ahitub.

In plain English: Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became the father of Shallum.

In plain English: Shallum became the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah became the father of Azariah.

In plain English: Azariah became the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah became the father of Jehozadak.

In plain English: Jehozadak went into captivity (or: exile) when Yahweh sent Judah and Jerusalem away by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

In plain English: The sons of Levi were Gershom, Kohath and Merari.

The Hebrew words: Levi's first son is spelled Gershon in verse 1 and Gershom in verse 16, and verses 17, 20, 43, 62 and 71 use Gershom. The dictionary has two entries: "Gereshon or Gereshom" for the first spelling and "Gereshom, the name of four Israelites" for the second. In both verses he is the first of Levi's three sons named.

In plain English: These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei.

In plain English: The sons of Kohath were Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel.

In plain English: The sons of Merari were Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites, listed by their fathers.

In plain English: Of Gershom: Libni his son, Jahath his son, Zimmah his son,

In plain English: Joah his son, Iddo his son, Zerah his son, and Jeatherai his son.

In plain English: The sons of Kohath: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son,

Good to know: This verse lists "the sons of Kohath" as Amminadab, Korah and Assir, each "his son" after the one before. Verses 2 and 18 give the sons of Kohath as Amram, Izhar, Hebron and Uzziel, and verses 37 and 38 give Korah as the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath. The text does not say how Amminadab fits with these.

In plain English: Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son,

In plain English: Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son.

In plain English: The sons of Elkanah were Amasai and Ahimoth.

In plain English: As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah were Zophai his son, Nahath his son,

In plain English: Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, and Elkanah his son.

In plain English: The sons of Samuel: the firstborn, Joel (or: Vashni; see the note), the second, Abijah.

The Hebrew words: The Hebrew has "the sons of Samuel: the firstborn, Vashni, and Abijah". The name Joel is not in the Hebrew words here. The dictionary has Vashni as a name: "Vashni, an Israelite".

What changes: Read as a name, Samuel's firstborn is Vashni, and Abijah is the other son named. Read as the word "second", as this Bible does, the name of the firstborn is left out of the Hebrew and this Bible supplies Joel, with Abijah as the second. 1 Samuel 8:2 gives Samuel's firstborn as Joel and his second as Abijah, and verse 33 names Joel as the father of Heman.

In plain English: The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzzah his son,

In plain English: Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.

In plain English: These are the men David put in charge of the service of song (literally: over the hands of song) in Yahweh's house after the ark came to rest there.

In plain English: They served with song before the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting until Solomon built Yahweh's house in Jerusalem. They stood at their service according to their order.

In plain English: These are the men who stood to serve, and their sons. Of the sons of the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel,

In plain English: the son of Elkanah, the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah,

In plain English: the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah, the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai,

In plain English: the son of Elkanah, the son of Joel, the son of Azariah, the son of Zephaniah,

In plain English: the son of Tahath, the son of Assir, the son of Ebiasaph, the son of Korah,

In plain English: the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, the son of Israel.

In plain English: His brother Asaph stood at his right hand. Asaph was the son of Berechiah, the son of Shimea,

In plain English: the son of Michael, the son of Baaseiah, the son of Malchijah,

In plain English: the son of Ethni, the son of Zerah, the son of Adaiah,

In plain English: the son of Ethan, the son of Zimmah, the son of Shimei,

In plain English: the son of Jahath, the son of Gershom, the son of Levi.

In plain English: At the left hand were their brothers the sons of Merari: Ethan the son of Kishi, the son of Abdi, the son of Malluch,

In plain English: the son of Hashabiah, the son of Amaziah, the son of Hilkiah,

In plain English: the son of Amzi, the son of Bani, the son of Shemer,

In plain English: the son of Mahli, the son of Mushi, the son of Merari, the son of Levi.

In plain English: Their brothers the Levites were given all the service of the tabernacle of God's house.

In plain English: But Aaron and his sons made offerings go up in smoke on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense. They did all the work of the most holy place and made atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses the servant of God had commanded.

In plain English: These are the sons of Aaron: Eleazar his son, Phinehas his son, Abishua his son,

In plain English: Bukki his son, Uzzi his son, Zerahiah his son,

In plain English: Meraioth his son, Amariah his son, Ahitub his son,

In plain English: Zadok his son, and Ahimaaz his son.

In plain English: These are their dwelling places, by their camps within their borders. The sons of Aaron, of the family of the Kohathites, received the first lot.

In plain English: They gave them Hebron in the land of Judah, and its pasture lands (the open land around a town) around it.

In plain English: But the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh.

In plain English: To the sons of Aaron they gave the cities of refuge: Hebron, Libnah with its pasture lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands,

Good to know: This verse says "the cities of refuge" and then lists Hebron. Joshua 21:13 says "Hebron with its pasture lands, the city of refuge for the man slayer". The lists of Joshua 21:13 to 18 and of verses 57 to 60 here overlap but are not the same: Joshua also names Ain, Juttah, Gibeon and Almon, and here Ashan and Allemeth appear. The text gives no reason for the differences.

In plain English: Hilen (see the note) with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands,

The Hebrew word: This Bible writes "Hilen". The Hebrew name is Chilen, which the dictionary gives as "a place in Palestine". Joshua 21:15 has "Holon" at this point in its list. The text does not say whether they are the same place.

In plain English: Ashan with its pasture lands, and Beth Shemesh with its pasture lands.

In plain English: And out of the tribe of Benjamin: Geba with its pasture lands, Allemeth with its pasture lands, and Anathoth with its pasture lands. All their cities, by their families, were thirteen cities.

In plain English: To the rest of the sons of Kohath they gave ten cities by lot, out of the family of the tribe, out of the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh (see the note).

Good to know: The Hebrew here is short and hard to read: "out of the family of the tribe, out of the half of the tribe, the half of Manasseh". It then says ten cities. Joshua 21:5 gives these ten cities as out of Ephraim, Dan and the half-tribe of Manasseh. Here Ephraim is named in verse 66 and its cities are listed in verses 67 to 69, Dan is not named in this chapter, and the half-tribe of Manasseh has Aner and Bileam in verse 70.

In plain English: To the sons of Gershom, by their families, they gave thirteen cities out of the tribe of Issachar, the tribe of Asher, the tribe of Naphtali, and the tribe of Manasseh in Bashan.

In plain English: To the sons of Merari, by their families, they gave twelve cities by lot out of the tribe of Reuben, the tribe of Gad and the tribe of Zebulun.

In plain English: The people of Israel gave the Levites these cities with their pasture lands.

In plain English: They gave by lot, out of the tribe of the sons of Judah, the tribe of the sons of Simeon and the tribe of the sons of Benjamin, these cities that are called by name.

In plain English: Some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities in their territory out of the tribe of Ephraim.

In plain English: They gave them the cities of refuge: Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim with its pasture lands, and Gezer with its pasture lands,

In plain English: Jokmeam with its pasture lands, Beth Horon with its pasture lands,

In plain English: Aijalon with its pasture lands, Gath Rimmon with its pasture lands;

In plain English: and out of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Aner with its pasture lands and Bileam with its pasture lands, for the rest of the family of the sons of Kohath.

In plain English: To the sons of Gershom they gave, out of the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan with its pasture lands, and Ashtaroth with its pasture lands;

In plain English: and out of the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh with its pasture lands, Daberath with its pasture lands,

In plain English: Ramoth with its pasture lands, and Anem with its pasture lands;

In plain English: and out of the tribe of Asher: Mashal with its pasture lands, Abdon with its pasture lands,

In plain English: Hukok with its pasture lands, and Rehob with its pasture lands;

In plain English: and out of the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee with its pasture lands, Hammon with its pasture lands, and Kiriathaim with its pasture lands.

In plain English: To the rest of the sons of Merari they gave, out of the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmono with its pasture lands and Tabor with its pasture lands;

In plain English: and across the Jordan from Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan, out of the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness with its pasture lands, Jahzah with its pasture lands,

In plain English: Kedemoth with its pasture lands, and Mephaath with its pasture lands;

In plain English: and out of the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead with its pasture lands, Mahanaim with its pasture lands,

In plain English: Heshbon with its pasture lands, and Jazer with its pasture lands.