1 Chronicles 3 in plain modern English. New Ground English Translation.
Time Period
Compiled around 450 to 400 BC, covering the royal family from David around 1000 BC down to descendants living after the exile ended in 538 BC
Location
Hebron and Jerusalem, the two cities where David reigned, and later Babylon, where the royal family was held in exile
Audience
Jewish returnees living under Persian governors, with no king of their own
Situation
This is the family register of David: the sons born at Hebron, the sons born at Jerusalem, then the unbroken line of kings of Judah, and finally the descendants of the exiled king Jehoiachin, including Zerubbabel and several generations after him.
Key Background
Judah was unusual in the ancient world for keeping one dynasty on the throne for roughly four centuries, and the writer lists it as a single continuous chain. The last section is the point of the chapter: the royal family did not die out in Babylon. Jehoiachin was released from prison there, and his grandson Zerubbabel later led the first wave of returnees and rebuilt the temple foundation, so readers with no king could still see the line running past the catastrophe and into their own generation.
These were David's sons born in his was Amnon, whose mother was Ahinoam from Jezreel; his second was Daniel, whose mother was Abigail from Carmel;
his third was whose mother was Maacah, daughter of Talmai king of his fourth was Adonijah, whose mother was Haggith;
his fifth was whose mother was Abital; his sixth was Ithream, whose mother was his wife Eglah.
Six sons were born to him in Hebron, where he for seven years and six months. Then he in for thirty-three years.
These were born to him in Jerusalem: Shimea, Shobab, and — four sons by daughter of Ammiel —
and also Ibhar, Elishama, Eliphelet,
Nogah, Nepheg, Japhia,
Elishama, Eliada, and Eliphelet — nine in all.
All these were David's sons, not counting the sons born to his And was their sister.
Solomon's son was whose son was Abijah, whose son was Asa, whose son was Jehoshaphat,
whose son was Joram, whose son was Ahaziah, whose son was Joash,
whose son was Amaziah, whose son was whose son was Jotham,
whose son was Ahaz, whose son was whose son was
whose son was Amon, whose son was
The sons of Josiah: his firstborn was Johanan, his second was his third was and his fourth was Shallum.
The descendants of Jehoiakim: his son and his son Zedekiah.
The descendants of Jeconiah the his son
and also Malchiram, Pedaiah, Shenazzar, Jekamiah, Hoshama, and Nedabiah.
The sons of Pedaiah: and Shimei. The sons of Meshullam and Hananiah, and Shelomith was their sister.
And there were five others: Hashubah, Ohel, Berechiah, Hasadiah, and
The descendants of Pelatiah and Jeshaiah, and the sons of Rephaiah, of Arnan, of Obadiah, and of Shecaniah.
The descendants of Shecaniah: Shemaiah. And the sons of Shemaiah: Hattush, Igal, Bariah, Neariah, and Shaphat — six in all.
The sons of Neariah: Hizkiah, and Azrikam — three in all.
The sons of Elioenai: Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, Delaiah, and — seven in all.