1 Chronicles 1
The full text of 1 Chronicles 1 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 Adam, Seth, Enosh,
2 Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared,
3 Enoch, Methuselah, Lamech,
4 Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
5 The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.
6 The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
7 The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim.
8 The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.
9 The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabta, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan.
10 Cush fathered Nimrod. He was the first mighty warrior on the earth.
11 Mizraim fathered the Ludites, the Anamites, the Lehabites, the Naphtuhites,
12 the Pathrusites, the Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorites.
13 Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, and Heth,
14 and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,
15 the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites,
16 the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
17 The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. And the sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.
18 Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber.
19 To Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg, because in his days the earth was divided, and the name of his brother was Joktan.
20 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
21 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
22 Ebal, Abimael, Sheba,
23 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.
24 Shem, Arpachshad, Shelah,
25 Eber, Peleg, Reu,
26 Serug, Nahor, Terah,
27 Abram — that is, Abraham.
28 The sons of Abraham: Isaac and Ishmael.
29 These are their genealogies: the firstborn of Ishmael was Nebaioth, then Kedar, Adbeel, Mibsam,
30 Mishma, Dumah, Massa, Hadad, Tema,
31 Jetur, Naphish, and Kedemah. These were the sons of Ishmael.
32 The sons of Keturah, Abraham's concubine: she bore Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and Shuah. The sons of Jokshan: Sheba and Dedan.
33 The sons of Midian: Ephah, Epher, Hanoch, Abida, and Eldaah. All these were descendants of Keturah.
34 Abraham fathered Isaac. The sons of Isaac: Esau and Israel.
35 The sons of Esau: Eliphaz, Reuel, Jeush, Jalam, and Korah.
36 The sons of Eliphaz: Teman, Omar, Zephi, Gatam, Kenaz, Timna, and Amalek.
37 The sons of Reuel: Nahath, Zerah, Shammah, and Mizzah.
38 The sons of Seir: Lotan, Shobal, Zibeon, Anah, Dishon, Ezer, and Dishan.
39 The sons of Lotan: Hori and Homam. Lotan's sister was Timna.
40 The sons of Shobal: Alian, Manahath, Ebal, Shephi, and Onam. The sons of Zibeon: Aiah and Anah.
41 The son of Anah: Dishon. The sons of Dishon: Hamran, Eshban, Ithran, and Cheran.
42 The sons of Ezer: Bilhan, Zaavan, and Jaakan. The sons of Dishan: Uz and Aran.
43 These are the kings who reigned in the land of Edom before any king reigned over the Israelites: Bela son of Beor; the name of his city was Dinhabah.
44 When Bela died, Jobab son of Zerah from Bozrah reigned in his place.
45 When Jobab died, Husham from the land of the Temanites reigned in his place.
46 When Husham died, Hadad son of Bedad, who defeated Midian in the territory of Moab, reigned in his place. The name of his city was Avith.
47 When Hadad died, Samlah from Masrekah reigned in his place.
48 When Samlah died, Shaul from Rehoboth on the River reigned in his place.
49 When Shaul died, Baal-Hanan son of Achbor reigned in his place.
50 When Baal-Hanan died, Hadad reigned in his place. The name of his city was Pai, and the name of his wife was Mehetabel daughter of Matred, daughter of Me-Zahab.
51 Then Hadad died. The chiefs of Edom were: Chief Timna, Chief Alvah, Chief Jetheth,
52 Chief Oholibamah, Chief Elah, Chief Pinon,
53 Chief Kenaz, Chief Teman, Chief Mibzar,
54 Chief Magdiel, Chief Iram. These were the chiefs of Edom.
Translation notes (13)
- 1 Chronicles 1:1a The genealogies running from here to the end of chapter 9 are the longest in the Bible. Beginning at Adam rather than at Abraham or David places the restored post-exilic community inside the whole human story, and the bare list is the Chronicler's argument that the line was never broken.
- 1 Chronicles 1:6a Most Septuagint manuscripts read Diphath instead of Riphath, likely a scribal error of similar-looking Hebrew letters dalet (ד) and resh (ר).
- 1 Chronicles 1:7a Most Hebrew manuscripts read Rodanim, descendants of Rodan (Rhodians), though some read Dodanim, descendants of Dodan, as in Genesis 10:4.
- 1 Chronicles 1:10a Hebrew gibbor, 'mighty warrior', denotes a man of exceptional power or prowess. The Chronicler condenses Genesis 10:8-9, where Nimrod is also called a mighty hunter before the LORD and is linked to the founding of Babel and other Mesopotamian cities. The phrase marks him as the first figure in the genealogy to achieve dominance on the earth.
- 1 Chronicles 1:17a The Masoretic Text here reads Meshech (מֶשֶׁךְ), where the parallel list in Genesis 10:23 names Aram's last son Mash (מַשׁ); the Septuagint reads Meshech in both passages. The words 'And the sons of Aram' are absent from the Masoretic Text of this verse, which lists all nine names as sons of Shem; they are supplied from Genesis 10:23 with support from the Septuagint.
- 1 Chronicles 1:19a The name Peleg (פֶּלֶג) plays on the Hebrew verb palag, 'to divide', a connection the verse itself makes explicit. The nature of the division is not stated; many interpreters, ancient and modern, connect it with the dispersion of the peoples at Babel recounted in Genesis 11, which the surrounding genealogy presupposes.
- 1 Chronicles 1:22a The Masoretic Text reads Eval (עֵיבָל), 'Ebal', where the parallel list in Genesis 10:28 has Oval (עוֹבָל), 'Obal'. Some Hebrew manuscripts and the Septuagint of this verse agree with the Genesis spelling, and the two forms almost certainly designate the same son of Joktan.
- 1 Chronicles 1:32a The Chronicler calls Keturah a pilegesh, 'concubine', whereas Genesis 25:1 introduces her as an ishah, 'wife'. The two terms are not contradictory in Hebrew usage: a concubine was a wife of secondary status, and Genesis 25:6 itself groups Keturah among Abraham's concubines. This translation preserves the distinct wording of each passage.
- 1 Chronicles 1:40a The Masoretic Text reads Alian here, while some Hebrew manuscripts and the Samaritan Pentateuch read Alvan. The Masoretic Text reads Shephi, while some Hebrew manuscripts and the Septuagint read Shepho.
- 1 Chronicles 1:41a Many Hebrew manuscripts read Hemdan, 'pleasant', instead of Hamran, 'fiery red'. Both forms are attested in the Masoretic Text.
- 1 Chronicles 1:43a The list parallels Genesis 36:31-43, and the phrase 'before any king reigned over the Israelites' presupposes that the Israelite monarchy had already begun by the time of writing. The Chronicler, compiling after the exile, incorporates this earlier notice to situate Edom's kings chronologically before Saul and David.
- 1 Chronicles 1:46a The clause about defeating Midian in the field of Moab, paralleled in Genesis 36:35, is the only military notice in the Edomite king list and refers to a conflict otherwise unrecorded in Scripture. Since verse 43 places these kings before any king reigned in Israel, the battle would antedate the Israelite monarchy.
- 1 Chronicles 1:50a The parallel list in Genesis 36:39 names this king Hadar and his city Pau; the Masoretic Text of Chronicles reads Hadad and Pai, differences easily explained by the similar Hebrew letters dalet and resh, waw and yod. The naming of a wife with two generations of her ancestry is unique in these Edomite king lists; Me-Zahab means literally 'waters of gold'.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own translation of Scripture, made directly from the original Hebrew. Completed in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation available, and it is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Reading the TBV here on the web is free — the full study edition, with original-language tools and translator’s notes, lives in the Trinity Bible app.
Continue: 1 Chronicles 2 → · All of 1 Chronicles · About the TBV · Read 1 Chronicles 1 in the KJV
Get the app: iOS · Android · Trinity Plus