Genesis 11
11
The Tower of Babel
1Now all the earth #11:1 Lit was one lipused the same language and #11:1 Or few or one set of wordsthe same words. 2And it came about, as they journeyed #11:2 Or from the easteast, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and #11:2 Lit dweltsettled there. 3Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and #11:3 I.e., in a kiln to harden themfire them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of all the earth.” 5Now the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the #11:5 Lit sons of mankindmen had built. 6And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have #11:6 Lit one lipthe same language. And this is what they have started to do, and now nothing which they plan to do will be #11:6 Lit inaccessible toimpossible for them. 7Come, #11:7 I.e., indicating united action, not a requestlet Us go down and there confuse their #11:7 Lit liplanguage, so that they will not understand one another’s #11:7 Lit lipspeech.” 8So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth; and they stopped building the city. 9Therefore it was named #11:9 Or Babylon; cf. Heb balal, confuseBabel, because there the Lord confused the #11:9 Lit liplanguage of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Descendants of Shem
10These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old when he fathered Arpachshad, two years after the flood; 11and Shem lived five hundred years after he fathered Arpachshad, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
12Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and fathered Shelah; 13and Arpachshad lived 403 years after he fathered Shelah, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
14Shelah lived thirty years, and fathered Eber; 15and Shelah lived 403 years after he fathered Eber, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
16Eber lived thirty-four years, and fathered Peleg; 17and Eber lived 430 years after he fathered Peleg, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
18Peleg lived thirty years, and fathered Reu; 19and Peleg lived 209 years after he fathered Reu, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
20Reu lived thirty-two years, and fathered Serug; 21and Reu lived 207 years after he fathered Serug, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
22Serug lived thirty years, and fathered Nahor; 23and Serug lived two hundred years after he fathered Nahor, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
24Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and fathered Terah; 25and Nahor lived 119 years after he fathered Terah, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
26Terah lived seventy years, and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. 28Haran died #11:28 Lit before the face ofduring the lifetime of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah #11:29 Lit and the father ofand Iscah. 30Sarai was unable to conceive; she did not have a child.
31Now Terah took his son Abram, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they departed #11:31 Lit with themtogether from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran and #11:31 Lit dweltsettled there. 32The days of Terah were 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.
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Genesis 11
11
The Tower of Babel
1Now the whole earth had one language and one speech. 2And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land #Gen. 10:10; 14:1; Dan. 1:2of Shinar, and they dwelt there. 3Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. 4And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower #Deut. 1:28; 9:1; Ps. 107:26whose top is in the heavens; let us make a #Gen. 6:4; 2 Sam. 8:13name for ourselves, lest we #Deut. 4:27be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
5#Gen. 18:21; Ex. 3:8; 19:11, 18, 20But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6And the Lord said, “Indeed #Gen. 9:19; Acts 17:26the people are one and they all have #Gen. 11:1one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they #Deut. 31:21; Ps. 2:1propose to do will be withheld from them. 7Come, #Gen. 1:26let Us go down and there #Gen. 42:23; Ex. 4:11; Deut. 28:49; Is. 33:19; Jer. 5:15confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” 8So #Gen. 11:4; Deut. 32:8; Ps. 92:9; (Luke 1:51)the Lord scattered them abroad from there #Gen. 10:25, 32over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9Therefore its name is called Babel, #1 Cor. 14:23because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Shem’s Descendants
10#Gen. 10:22–25; 1 Chr. 1:17This is the genealogy of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood. 11After he begot Arphaxad, Shem lived five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
12Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, #Luke 3:35and begot Salah. 13After he begot Salah, Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.
14Salah lived thirty years, and begot Eber. 15After he begot Eber, Salah lived four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.
16#1 Chr. 1:19Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot #Luke 3:35Peleg. 17After he begot Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.
18Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu. 19After he begot Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.
20Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot #Luke 3:35Serug. 21After he begot Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.
22Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor. 23After he begot Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
24Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot #Gen. 11:31; Josh. 24:2; Luke 3:34Terah. 25After he begot Terah, Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters.
26Now Terah lived seventy years, and #Josh. 24:2; 1 Chr. 1:26begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Terah’s Descendants
27This is the genealogy of Terah: Terah begot #Gen. 11:31; 17:5Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran begot Lot. 28And Haran died before his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29Then Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram’s wife was #Gen. 17:15; 20:12Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, #Gen. 22:20, 23; 24:15Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. 30But#Gen. 16:1, 2; Luke 1:36 Sarai was barren; she had no child.
31And Terah #Gen. 12:1took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out with them from #Gen. 15:7; Neh. 9:7; Acts 7:4Ur of the Chaldeans to go to #Gen. 10:19the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran and dwelt there. 32So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.
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