Genealogy: The Priestly Line

1[a]The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath and Merari. 2The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 3The sons of Amram: Aaron, Moses and Miriam. And the sons of Aaron: Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 4Eleazar became the father of Phinehas, 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 Ahitub became the father of Zadok, and Zadok became 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 (it was he who was priest in the house (temple) which Solomon built in Jerusalem) 11and Azariah 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 Shallum, 13and Shallum became the father of Hilkiah, and Hilkiah became the father of Azariah, 14and Azariah became the father of Seraiah, and Seraiah became the father of Jehozadak; 15and Jehozadak went into captivity when the LORD sent [the people of] Judah and Jerusalem into exile by the hand of Nebuchadnezzar.

16[b]The sons of Levi: Gershom, Kohath, and Merari. 17These are the names of the sons of Gershom: Libni and Shimei. 18The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel. 19The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the families of the Levites according to their fathers. 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: Amminadab his son, Korah his son, Assir his son, 23Elkanah his son, Ebiasaph his son, Assir his son, 24Tahath his son, Uriel his son, Uzziah his son, and Shaul his son. 25The sons of Elkanah: Amasai and Ahimoth. 26As for Elkanah, the sons of Elkanah: Zophai his son and Nahath his son, 27Eliab his son, Jeroham his son, Elkanah [Samuel’s father] his son. 28The sons of Samuel: Joel the firstborn and Abijah the second. 29The sons of Merari: Mahli, Libni his son, Shimei his son, Uzza his son, 30Shimea his son, Haggiah his son, Asaiah his son.

31Now these are those whom David appointed over the service of song in the house of the LORD after the ark [of the covenant] [c]rested there. 32They ministered with singing before the tabernacle of the Tent of Meeting, until Solomon had built the LORD’S house (temple) in Jerusalem, performing their service in due order. 33These men and their sons served from the Kohathites: Heman the singer, the son of Joel, the son of Samuel [the great prophet and judge], 34the son of Elkanah [III], the son of Jeroham, the son of Eliel, the son of Toah, 35the son of Zuph, the son of Elkanah [II], the son of Mahath, the son of Amasai, 36the son of Elkanah [I], 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 (Jacob). 39Heman’s [tribal] brother Asaph stood at his right hand: 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. 44Their relatives the sons of Merari stood at the left hand: 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 relatives the Levites [who were not descended from Aaron] were appointed for all the other kinds of service of the tabernacle of the house of God.

Descendants of Aaron

49But [the line of] Aaron and his sons made offerings on the altar of burnt offering and on the altar of incense, ministering for all the work of the Holy of Holies (Most Holy Place), and [they did so] to make atonement for Israel, according to all that Moses, God’s servant, had commanded. 50These 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 theirs was the first allocation by lot) 55to them they gave Hebron in the land of Judah and its surrounding pasture land; 56but the fields of the city and its villages they gave to Caleb the son of Jephunneh. 57To the sons of Aaron they gave the following cities of refuge: Hebron, Libnah with its pasture lands, Jattir, Eshtemoa with its pasture lands, 58Hilen with its pasture lands, Debir with its pasture lands, 59Ashan with its pasture lands, and Beth-shemesh with its pasture lands; 60and from the tribe of Benjamin: Geba, Alemeth, and Anathoth, with their pasture lands. All their cities throughout their families were thirteen cities.

61Then to the rest of the sons of Kohath were given ten cities by lot from the family of the tribe [of Ephraim and of Dan and], from the half-tribe, the half of Manasseh. 62To the sons of Gershom, according to their families, were given thirteen cities from the tribes of Issachar, Asher, Naphtali, and [the other half of] Manasseh in Bashan. 63To the sons of Merari were given twelve cities by lot, according to their families, from the tribes of Reuben, Gad, and Zebulun. 64So the sons of Israel gave to the Levites these cities with their pasture lands. 65They gave by lot from the tribes of the sons of Judah, Simeon, and Benjamin these cities which are mentioned by name.

66Some of the families of the sons of Kohath had cities of their [allotted] territory from the tribe of Ephraim. 67They gave to the Levites the following cities of refuge: Shechem in the hill country of Ephraim with its pasture lands, Gezer with its pasture lands; 68Jokmeam and Beth-horon with their pasture lands, 69Aijalon and Gath-rimmon, with their pasture lands; 70and from the half-tribe of Manasseh [these cities], with their pasture lands: Aner and Bileam, for the rest of the families of the sons of Kohath.

71To the sons of Gershom were given from the family of the half-tribe of Manasseh: Golan in Bashan and Ashtaroth, with their pasture lands; 72from the tribe of Issachar: Kedesh and Daberath with their pasture lands, 73Ramoth and Anem with their pasture lands; 74from the tribe of Asher: Mashal and Abdon with their pasture lands, 75Hukok and Rehob with their pasture lands; 76and from the tribe of Naphtali: Kedesh in Galilee, Hammon, and Kiriathaim with their pasture lands.

77To the rest of the Levites, the sons of Merari were given, from the tribe of Zebulun: Rimmono and Tabor, with their pasture lands; 78and on the other side of the Jordan at Jericho, on the east side of the Jordan the Levites were given, from the tribe of Reuben: Bezer in the wilderness and Jahzah with their pasture lands, 79Kedemoth and Mephaath with their pasture lands; 80from the tribe of Gad: Ramoth in Gilead and Mahanaim with their pasture lands, 81Heshbon and Jazer with their pasture lands.

[a] 1 Ch 5:27 in Hebrew.
[b] 16 In Hebrew this is the first verse in ch 6.
[c] 31 The ark was captured by the Philistines (1 Sam 4:11-22). They returned it after enduring seven plague-filled months. The Israelites placed it in the house of Abinadab, where it remained for many years until David had it brought up to the City of David (2 Sam 6:12).