Genesis 11

The Tower of Babel

1At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words. 2As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia#11:2 Hebrew Shinar. and settled there.

3They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.) 4Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

5But the Lord came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building. 6“Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them! 7Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”

8In that way, the Lord scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city. 9That is why the city was called Babel,#11:9 Or Babylon. Babel sounds like a Hebrew term that means “confusion.” because that is where the Lord confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world.

The Line of Descent from Shem to Abram

10This is the account of Shem’s family.

Two years after the great flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of#11:10 Or the ancestor of; also in 11:12, 14, 16, 18, 20, 22, 24. Arphaxad. 11After the birth of#11:11 Or the birth of this ancestor of; also in 11:13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 23, 25. Arphaxad, Shem lived another 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

12When Arphaxad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah. 13After the birth of Shelah, Arphaxad lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters.#11:12-13 Greek version reads 12When Arphaxad was 135 years old, he became the father of Cainan. 13After the birth of Cainan, Arphaxad lived another 430 years and had other sons and daughters, and then he died. When Cainan was 130 years old, he became the father of Shelah. After the birth of Shelah, Cainan lived another 330 years and had other sons and daughters, and then he died. Compare Luke 3:35-36.

14When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber. 15After the birth of Eber, Shelah lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

16When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg. 17After the birth of Peleg, Eber lived another 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

18When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu. 19After the birth of Reu, Peleg lived another 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

20When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug. 21After the birth of Serug, Reu lived another 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

22When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor. 23After the birth of Nahor, Serug lived another 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

24When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah. 25After the birth of Terah, Nahor lived another 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

26After Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

The Family of Terah

27This is the account of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot. 28But Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth, while his father, Terah, was still living. 29Meanwhile, Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. (Milcah and her sister Iscah were daughters of Nahor’s brother Haran.) 30But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children.

31One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there. 32Terah lived for 205 years#11:32 Some ancient versions read 145 years; compare 11:26 and 12:4. and died while still in Haran.

Genesis 11

1And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

2And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shin’ar; and they dwelt there.

3And they said one to another, come (let us begin!), let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.

4And they said, come (let us begin!), let us build us a city and a tower, whose top [may reach] unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

5And the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.

6And the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.

7Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

8So the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) scattered them abroad from there upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build [stopped building] the city.

9Therefore is the name of it called Bavel (to jumble, or a confused medley of sounds; confusion; gate of the deity) (to jumble, or a confused medley of sounds); because the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) did there confound the language of all the earth: and from there did the Lord-Yehōvah (Messiah Pre-Incarnate) scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

10These [are] the generations of Shem (name, renown (great reputation; being well-known)): Shem (name, renown (great reputation; being well-known)) [was] an hundred years old, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Arpakhshad (meaning unknown; pos. reference to a “stronghold of the Kasdim [Kasdim [clod-breakers]] [Sorcerers]) two years after the flood:

11And Shem (name, renown (great reputation; being well-known)) lived after he begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Arpakhshad (meaning unknown; pos. reference to a “stronghold of the Kasdim [Kasdim [clod-breakers]] [Sorcerers]) five hundred years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) sons and daughters.

12And Arpakhshad (meaning unknown; pos. reference to a “stronghold of the Kasdim [Kasdim [clod-breakers]] [Sorcerers]) lived five and thirty years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Shelach (Sent Out, Branch or Javelin; to prosper, rest):

13And Arpakhshad (meaning unknown; pos. reference to a “stronghold of the Kasdim [Kasdim [clod-breakers]] [Sorcerers]) lived after he begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Shelach (Sent Out, Branch or Javelin; to prosper, rest) four hundred and three years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) sons and daughters.

14And Shelach (Sent Out, Branch or Javelin; to prosper, rest) lived thirty years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) ‘Ever (the region beyond; pass over, through, take away; overflowing of temper: wrath and rage; fury; to be arrogant or infuriate oneself):

15And Shelach (Sent Out, Branch or Javelin; to prosper, rest) lived after he begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) ‘Ever (the region beyond; pass over, through, take away; overflowing of temper: wrath and rage; fury; to be arrogant or infuriate oneself) four hundred and three years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) sons and daughters.

16And ‘Ever (the region beyond; pass over, through, take away; overflowing of temper: wrath and rage; fury; to be arrogant or infuriate oneself) lived four and thirty years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Peleg (Division or Divider; specif. channel or canal):

17And ‘Ever (the region beyond; pass over, through, take away; overflowing of temper: wrath and rage; fury; to be arrogant or infuriate oneself) lived after he begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Peleg (Division or Divider; specif. channel or canal) four hundred and thirty years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) sons and daughters.

18And Peleg (Division or Divider; specific channel or canal) lived thirty years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Re’u (associate with, be a friend of; friend; in general has some relationship to the concept of evil):

19And Peleg (Division or Divider; specif. channel or canal) lived after he begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Re’u (associate with, be a friend of; friend) two hundred and nine years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) sons and daughters.

20And Re’u (associate with, be a friend of; friend) lived two and thirty years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) S’rug (Branch):

21And Re’u (associate with, be a friend of; friend) lived after he begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) S’rug (Branch) two hundred and seven years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) sons and daughters.

22And S’rug (Branch) lived thirty years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Nokhor (a snort, a snorting; charred, scorched):

23And S’rug (Branch) lived after he begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Nokhor (a snort, a snorting; charred, scorched) two hundred years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) sons and daughters.

24And Nokhor (a snort, a snorting; charred, scorched) lived nine and twenty years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Terakh (Wanderer; Esprit, Spirited, Inspired):

25And Nokhor (a snort, a snorting; charred, scorched) lived after he begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Terakh (Wanderer; Esprit, Spirited, Inspired) an hundred and nineteen years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) sons and daughters.

26And Terakh (Wanderer; Esprit, Spirited, Inspired) lived seventy years, and begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation), Nokhor (a snort, a snorting; charred, scorched), and Haran [mountaineer] (Mountaineer or Mountainous).

27Now these [are] the generations of Terakh (Wanderer; Esprit, Spirited, Inspired): Terakh (Wanderer; Esprit, Spirited, Inspired) begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation), Nokhor (a snort, a snorting; charred, scorched), and Haran [mountaineer] (Mountaineer or Mountainous); and Haran [mountaineer] (Mountaineer or Mountainous) begat (to be father of; be ancestor of) Lot (Covering).

28And Haran [mountaineer] (Mountaineer or Mountainous) died before his father Terakh (Wanderer; Esprit, Spirited, Inspired) in the land of his nativity, in Ur (Fire; Flame or Light) of the Kasdim [Kasdim [clod-breakers]] (Sorcerers) [Fire of the Sorcerers].

29And Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) and Nokhor (a snort, a snorting; charred, scorched) took them wives: the name of Avram’s (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) wife [was] Sarai (My Princess); and the name of Nokhor’s (a snort, a snorting; charred, scorched) wife, Milkah (Counsel; Queen), the daughter of Haran [mountaineer] (Mountaineer or Mountainous), the father of Milkah (Counsel; Queen), and the father of Yiskah.

30But Sarai (My Princess) was barren; she [had] no child.

31And Terakh (Wanderer; Esprit, Spirited, Inspired) took Avram (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) his son, and Lot (Covering) the son of Haran [mountaineer] (Mountaineer or Mountainous) his son’s son, and Sarai (My Princess) his daughter in law, his son Avram’s (Exalted Father; Father Of Elevation) wife; and they went forth with them from Ur (Flame or Light) of the Kasdim [Kasdim [clod-breakers]] (Sorcerers), to go into the land of Kena’an (merchant; trader; or that humbles and subdues); and they came unto Haran [mountaineer] (Mountaineer or Mountainous), and dwelt there.

32And the days of Terakh (Wanderer; Esprit, Spirited, Inspired) were two hundred and five years: and Terakh (Wanderer; Esprit, Spirited, Inspired) died in Haran [mountaineer] (Mountaineer or Mountainous).

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Genesis 11

Genesis 11