Genesis 10

The table of nations

1This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.

The Japhethites

2The sons#10:2 Sons may mean descendants or successors or nations; also in verses 3, 4, 6, 7, 20-23, 29 and 31. of Japheth:

Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras.

3The sons of Gomer:

Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.

4The sons of Javan:

Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites.#10:4 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text and Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Septuagint and 1 Chron. 1:7); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Dodanites 5(From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)

The Hamites

6The sons of Ham:

Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan.

7The sons of Cush:

Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka.

The sons of Raamah:

Sheba and Dedan.

8Cush was the father#10:8 Father may mean ancestor or predecessor or founder; also in verses 13, 15, 24 and 26. of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. 9He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, ‘Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.’ 10The first centres of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in#10:10 Or Uruk and Akkad – all of them in Shinar.#10:10 That is, Babylonia 11From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir,#10:11 Or Nineveh with its city squares Calah 12and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah – which is the great city.

13Egypt was the father of

the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.

15Canaan was the father of

Sidon his firstborn,#10:15 Or of the Sidonians, the foremost and of the Hittites, 16Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.

(Later the Canaanite clans scattered 19and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon towards Gerar as far as Gaza, and then towards Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha.)

20These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

The Semites

21Sons were also born to Shem, whose elder brother was#10:21 Or Shem, the elder brother of Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.

22The sons of Shem:

Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.

23The sons of Aram:

Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek.#10:23 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 1:17; Hebrew Mash.

24Arphaxad was the father of#10:24 Hebrew; Septuagint father of Cainan, and Cainan was the father of Shelah,

and Shelah the father of Eber.

25Two sons were born to Eber:

One was named Peleg,#10:25 Peleg means division. because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.

26Joktan was the father of

Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.

30(The region where they lived stretched from Mesha towards Sephar, in the eastern hill country.)

31These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

32These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®

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Genesis 10

Nations Grow and Spread

1This is the family history of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah. After the flood these three men had sons.

Japheth’s Sons

2The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

3The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

4The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. 5Those who lived in the lands around the Mediterranean Sea came from these sons of Japheth. All the families grew and became different nations, each nation with its own land and its own language.

Ham’s Sons

6The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan.

7The sons of Cush were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca.

The sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan.

8Cush also had a descendant named Nimrod, who became a very powerful man on earth. 9He was a great hunter before the Lord, which is why people say someone is “like Nimrod, a great hunter before the Lord.” 10At first Nimrod’s kingdom covered Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh in the land of Babylonia. 11From there he went to Assyria, where he built the cities of Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir, and Calah. 12He also built Resen, the great city between Nineveh and Calah.

13Mizraim was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14Pathrusites, Casluhites, and the people of Crete. (The Philistines came from the Casluhites.)

15Canaan was the father of Sidon, his first son, and of Heth. 16He was also the father of the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. The families of the Canaanites scattered. 19Their land reached from Sidon to Gerar as far as Gaza, and then to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha.

20All these people were the sons of Ham, and all these families had their own languages, their own lands, and their own nations.

Shem’s Sons

21Shem, Japheth’s older brother, also had sons. One of his descendants was the father of all the sons of Eber.

22The sons of Shem were Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.

23The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech.

24Arphaxad was the father of Shelah, who was the father of Eber. 25Eber was the father of two sons—one named Peleg, because the earth was divided during his life, and the other was named Joktan.

26Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these people were the sons of Joktan. 30They lived in the area between Mesha and Sephar in the hill country in the East.

31These are the people from the family of Shem, arranged by families, languages, countries, and nations.

32This is the list of the families from the sons of Noah, arranged according to their nations. From these families came all the nations who spread across the earth after the flood.

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