Genesis 11
11
The Languages Confused
1At this time the whole world spoke one language. Everyone used the same words. 2As people moved from the East, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia. They settled there to live.
3They said to each other, “Let’s make bricks and bake them to make them hard.” So they used bricks instead of stones, and tar instead of mortar. 4Then they said to each other, “Let’s build for ourselves a city and a tower. And let’s make the top of the tower reach high into the sky. We will become famous. If we do this, we will not be scattered over all the earth.”
5The Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built. 6The Lord said, “Now, these people are united. They all speak the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do. They will be able to do anything they want. 7Come, let us go down and confuse their language. Then they will not be able to understand each other.”
8So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth. And they stopped building the city. 9That is where the Lord confused the language of the whole world. So the place is called Babel.# This name sounds like the Hebrew word for “confused.” So the Lord caused them to spread out from there over all the whole world.
The Story of Shem’s Family
10This is the family history of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, his son Arphaxad was born. 11After that, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12When Arphaxad was 35 years old, his son Shelah was born. 13After that, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
14When Shelah was 30 years old, his son Eber was born. 15After that, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16When Eber was 34 years old, his son Peleg was born. 17After that, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18When Peleg was 30 years old, his son Reu was born. 19After that, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20When Reu was 32 years old, his son Serug was born. 21After that, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22When Serug was 30 years old, his son Nahor was born. 23After that, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24When Nahor was 29 years old, his son Terah was born. 25After that, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26After Terah was 70 years old, his sons Abram, Nahor and Haran were born.
The Story of Terah’s Family
27This is the family history of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot. 28Haran died while his father, Terah, was still alive. This happened in Ur in Babylonia, where he was born. 29Abram and Nahor both married. Abram’s wife was named Sarai. Nahor’s wife was named Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran. Haran was the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30Sarai was not able to have children.
31Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son) and his daughter-in-law Sarai (Abram’s wife). They moved out of Ur of Babylonia. They had planned to go to the land of Canaan. But when they reached the city of Haran, they settled there.
32Terah lived to be 205 years old. Then he died in Haran.
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Genesis 11
11
1And the earth was of one tongue, and of the same speech.
2And when they removed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Sennaar, and dwelt in it.
3And each one said to his neighbour: Come, let us make brick, and bake them with fire. And they had brick instead of stones, and slime instead of mortar.
4And they said: Come, let us make a city and a tower, the top whereof may reach to heaven: and let us make our name famous, before we be scattered abroad into all lands.
5And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of Adam were building.
6And he said: Behold, it is one people, and all have one tongue: and they have begun to do this, neither will they leave off from their designs, till they accomplish them in deed.
7Come ye, therefore, let us go down, and there confound their tongue, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8And so the Lord scattered them from that place into all lands, and they ceased to build the city.
9And therefore the name thereof was called Babel, because there the language of the whole earth was confounded: and from thence the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of all countries.
10These are the generations of Sem. Sem was a hundred years old when he begot Arphaxad, two years after the flood.
11And Sem lived after he begot Arphaxad, five hundred years; and begot sons and daughters.
12And Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Sale.
13And Arphaxad lived after he begot Sale, three hundred and three years; and begot sons and daughters.
14Sale also lived thirty years, and begot Heber.
15And Sale lived after he begot Heber, four hundred and three years; and begot sons and daughters.
16And Heber lived thirty-four years, and begot Phaleg.
17And Heber lived after he begot Phaleg, four hundred and thirty years; and begot sons and daughters.
18Phaleg also lived thirty years, and begot Reu.
19And Phaleg lived after he begot Reu, two hundred and nine years; and begot sons and daughters.
20And Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Sarug.
21And Reu lived after he begot Sarug, two hundred and seven years; and begot sons and daughters.
22And Sarug lived thirty years, and begot Nachor.
23And Sarug lived after he begot Nachor, two hundred years; and begot sons and daughters.
24And Nachor lived nine and twenty years, and begot Thare.
25And Nachor lived after he begot Thare, a hundred and nineteen years; and begot sons and daughters.
26And Thare lived seventy years, and begot Abra, and Nachor, and Aran.
27And these are the generations of Thare: Thare begot Abram, Nachor, and Aran. And Aran begot Lot.
28And Aran died before Thare his father, in the land of his nativity in Ur of the Chaldees.
29And Abram and Nachor married wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai: and the name of Nachor's wife, Melcha, the daughter of Aran, father of Melcha, and father of Jescha.
30And Sarai was barren, and had no children.
31And Thare took Abram, his son, and Lot the son of Aran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son; and brought them out of Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Chanaan. And they came as far as Haran, and dwelt there.
32And the days of Thare were two hundred and five years: and he died in Haran.
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An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.