Study Desk

All Israel was registered in the genealogies that are written in the Book of the Kings of Israel. But Judah was exiled^(a) to Babylon because of their unfaithfulness.

The first^(b) to live in their towns on their own property again were Israelites, priests, Levites, and temple servants.^(c)

These people from the descendants of Judah, Benjamin, Ephraim, and Manasseh settled in Jerusalem:

Uthai son of Ammihud, son of Omri, son of Imri, son of Bani, a descendant^[a] of Perez son of Judah;

from the Shilonites: Asaiah the firstborn and his sons;

and from the sons of Zerah: Jeuel and 690 of their relatives.

The Benjaminites: Sallu son of Meshullam, son of Hodaviah, son of Hassenuah;

Ibneiah son of Jeroham; Elah son of Uzzi, son of Michri; Meshullam son of Shephatiah, son of Reuel, son of Ibnijah;

and 956^(d) of their relatives according to their genealogical records. All these men were heads of their ancestral houses.

The priests:^(e) Jedaiah; Jehoiarib; Jachin;

Azariah son of Hilkiah, son of Meshullam, son of Zadok, son of Meraioth, son of Ahitub, the chief official^(f) of God's temple;

Adaiah son of Jeroham, son of Pashhur, son of Malchijah; Maasai son of Adiel, son of Jahzerah, son of Meshullam, son of Meshillemith, son of Immer;

and 1,760 of their relatives, the heads of households. They were capable men employed in the ministry of God's temple.

The Levites: Shemaiah son of Hasshub, son of Azrikam, son of Hashabiah of the Merarites;

Bakbakkar, Heresh, Galal, and Mattaniah, son of Mica, son of Zichri, son of Asaph;

Obadiah son of Shemaiah, son of Galal, son of Jeduthun; and Berechiah son of Asa, son of Elkanah who lived in the villages of the Netophathites.

The gatekeepers:^(g) Shallum, Akkub, Talmon, Ahiman, and their relatives. Shallum was their chief;

¹⁸he was previously stationed at the King's Gate on the east side.^(h) These were the gatekeepers from the camp of the Levites.

Shallum son of Kore, son of Ebiasaph, son of Korah and his relatives from his ancestral household, the Korahites, were assigned to guard the thresholds of the tent.^[b] Their ancestors had been assigned to the Lord 's camp as guardians of the entrance.⁽ⁱ⁾

²⁰In earlier times Phinehas son of Eleazar had been their leader, and the Lord was with him.^(j)

²¹Zechariah son of Meshelemiah was the gatekeeper at the entrance to the tent of meeting.^(k)

The total number of those chosen to be gatekeepers at the thresholds was 212. They were registered by genealogy in their villages. David and Samuel the seer had appointed them^(l) to their trusted positions.

So they and their sons were assigned to the gates of the Lord 's temple, which had been the tent-temple.

The gatekeepers were on the four sides: east, west, north, and south.

Their relatives came from their villages^(m) at fixed times to be with them seven days,⁽ⁿ⁾

but the four chief gatekeepers, who were Levites, were entrusted with the rooms and the treasuries of God's temple.^(o)

They spent the night in the vicinity of God's temple, because they had guard duty and were in charge of opening it every morning.^(p)

Some of them were in charge of the utensils used in worship. They would count them when they brought them in and when they took them out.

Others were put in charge of the furnishings and all the utensils of the sanctuary,^(q) as well as the fine flour,^(r) wine, oil, incense, and spices.

Some of the priests' sons mixed the spices.^(s)

A Levite called Mattithiah, the firstborn of Shallum the Korahite, was entrusted with baking the bread.^[c]

Some of the Kohathites' relatives were responsible for preparing the rows of the bread of the Presence^(t) every Sabbath.

The singers,^(u) the heads of the Levite families, stayed in the temple chambers and were exempt from other tasks because they were on duty day and night.^(v)

These^(w) were the heads of the Levite families, chiefs according to their genealogies, and lived in Jerusalem.

Jeiel fathered Gibeon and lived in Gibeon. His wife's name was Maacah.

³⁶Abdon was his firstborn son, then Zur, Kish, Baal, Ner, Nadab,

³⁷Gedor, Ahio, Zechariah, and Mikloth.

³⁸Mikloth fathered Shimeam. These also lived opposite their relatives in Jerusalem with their other relatives.

Ner fathered Kish, Kish fathered Saul, and Saul fathered Jonathan, Malchishua, Abinadab, and Esh-baal.

Jonathan's son was Merib-baal, and Merib-baal fathered Micah.

Micah's sons: Pithon, Melech, Tahrea, and Ahaz.^[d]

Ahaz fathered Jarah; Jarah fathered Alemeth, Azmaveth, and Zimri; Zimri fathered Moza.

Moza fathered Binea. His son was Rephaiah, his son Elasah, and his son Azel.

Azel had six sons, and these were their names: Azrikam, Bocheru, Ishmael, Sheariah, Obadiah, and Hanan. These were Azel's sons.

The Philistines^(a) fought against Israel, and Israel's men fled from them and were killed on Mount Gilboa.

The Philistines pursued Saul and his sons and killed Saul's sons Jonathan, Abinadab, and Malchishua.

When the battle intensified against Saul, the archers found him and severely wounded him.

Then Saul said to his armor-bearer, "Draw your sword and run me through with it, or these uncircumcised men will come and torture me!" But his armor-bearer wouldn't do it because he was terrified. Then Saul took his sword and fell on it.

When his armor-bearer saw that Saul was dead, he also fell on his own sword and died.

So Saul and his three sons died—his whole house died together.

When all the men of Israel in the valley saw that the army had fled and that Saul and his sons were dead, they abandoned their cities and fled. So the Philistines came and settled in them.

The next day when the Philistines came to strip the slain, they found Saul and his sons dead on Mount Gilboa.

They stripped Saul, cut off his head, took his armor, and sent messengers throughout the land of the Philistines to spread the good news to their idols and their people.

Then they put his armor in the temple of their gods and hung his skull in the temple of Dagon.^(b)

When all Jabesh-gilead heard of everything the Philistines had done to Saul,

all their brave men set out and retrieved the body of Saul and the bodies of his sons and brought them to Jabesh. They buried their bones under the oak^[a] in Jabesh^(c) and fasted seven days.

Saul died for his unfaithfulness to the Lord because he did not keep the Lord 's word.^(d) He even consulted a medium for guidance,^(e)

but he did not inquire of the Lord . So the Lord put him to death and turned the kingdom over to David son of Jesse.^(f)