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.

Bereshis 11

1And the kol HaAretz was of one language and of devarim achadim (common words).

2And it came to pass, as they migrated from the east, that they found a plain in Eretz Shinar; and they dwelt there.

3And they said one to another, Come, let us make brick, and bake them thoroughly. And they had brick for even (stone), and bitumen had they for mortar.

4And they said, Come, let us build us an Ir and a Migdal, whose rosh (top) may reach unto Shomayim; and let us make us a shem, otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of kol HaAretz.

5And Hashem came down to see the Ir and the Migdal, which Bnei HaAdam built.

6And Hashem said, See, the Am is echad and they have all one language; and this they begin to do; and now nothing will be impossible for them, which they have proposed to do.

7Come, let Us go down, and there confuse their sefat, that they may not understand one anotherʼs language.

8So Hashem scattered them abroad from there upon the face of kol Ha'Aretz; and they left off building the Ir.

9Therefore is the shem of it called Bavel; because Hashem did there confuse the language of kol Ha'Aretz; and from there did Hashem scatter them abroad upon the face of kol Ha'Aretz.

10These are the toldot of Shem: Shem was a hundred years old, and fathered Arpachshad two years after the mabbul;

11And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad five hundred shanah, and fathered banim and banot.

12And Arpachshad lived five and thirty shanah, and fathered Shelach;

13And Arpachshad lived after he fathered Shelach four hundred and three shanim, and fathered banim and banot.

14And Shelach lived thirty shanah, and fathered Ever;

15And Shelach lived after he fathered Ever four hundred and three shanah, and fathered banim and banot.

16And Ever lived four and thirty shanah, and fathered Peleg;

17And Ever lived after he fathered Peleg four hundred and thirty shanah, and fathered banim and banot.

18And Peleg lived thirty shanah, and fathered Reu;

19And Peleg lived after he fathered Reu two hundred and nine shanim, and fathered banim and banot.

20And Reu lived two and thirty shanah, and fathered Serug;

21And Reu lived after he fathered Serug two hundred and seven shanim, and fathered banim and banot.

22And Serug lived thirty shanah, and fathered Nachor;

23And Serug lived after he fathered Nachor two hundred shanah, and fathered banim and banot.

24And Nachor lived nine and twenty shanah, and fathered Terach;

25And Nachor lived after he fathered Terach a hundred and nineteen shanah, and fathered banim and banot.

26And Terach lived seventy shanah, and fathered Avram, Nachor, and Haran.

27Now these are the toldot Terach: Terach fathered Avram, Nachor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.

28And Haran died before his av Terach in the land of his birth, in Ur Kasdim.

29And Avram and Nachor took them nashim: the shem eshet Avram was Sarai; and the shem eshet Nachor was Milcah, the bat Haran Avi Milcah, and Avi Yiskah.

30But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31And Terach took Avram bno, and ben bno Lot ben Haran, and Sarai his kallah, eshet Avram bno; and they went forth with them from Ur Kasdim, to go into Eretz Kena'an; and they came unto Charan (Haran), and dwelt there.

32And the days of Terach were two hundred and five shanim; and Terach died in Charan (Haran).

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Genesis 11

Bereshis 11