Genesis 11

Origin of languages and cultures

1All people#11.1 Heb lacks people. on the earth had one language and the same words. 2When they traveled east,#11.2 Or from the east they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them hard.” They used bricks for stones and asphalt for mortar. 4They said, “Come, let’s build for ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves so that we won’t be dispersed over all the earth.”

5Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the humans built. 6And the LORD said, “There is now one people and they all have one language. This is what they have begun to do, and now all that they plan to do will be possible for them. 7Come, let’s go down and mix up their language there so they won’t understand each other’s language.” 8Then the LORD dispersed them from there over all of the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9Therefore, it is named Babel, because there the LORD mixed up#11.9 Heb balal, wordplay on Babel the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD dispersed them over all the earth.

Shem’s descendants

10These are Shem’s descendants.

When Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arpachshad, two years after the flood. 11After Arpachshad was born, Shem lived 500 years; he had other sons and daughters.

12When Arpachshad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah. 13After Shelah was born, Arpachshad lived 403 years; he had other sons and daughters.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

27These are Terah’s descendants. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot. 28Haran died while with his father Terah in his native land,#11.28 Or birthplace in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29Abram and Nahor both married; Abram’s wife was Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was Milcah the daughter of Haran, father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30Sarai was unable to have children. 31Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (son of Haran), and his son Abram’s wife, Sarai his daughter-in-law. They left Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan, and arriving at Haran, they settled there. 32Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.

Genesis 11

1¶ And 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 Shinar; and they dwelt there.

3And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick instead of stone and slime instead of mortar.

4And they said, Go to, 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.

5¶ And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of the man built.

6And the Lord said, Behold, the people are one, and they all have one language; and they begin to do this, and now nothing will be restrained from them which they have imagined to do.

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

8So the Lord scattered them abroad from there upon the face of all the earth, and they left off to build the city.

9Therefore the name of it was called Babel because there the Lord confounded the language of all the earth, and from there the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

10¶ These are the generations of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

11And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years and begat sons and daughters.

12And Arphaxad lived thirty-five years and begat Salah;

13and Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years and begat sons and daughters.

14And Salah lived thirty years and begat Eber;

15and Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years and begat sons and daughters.

16And Eber lived thirty-four years and begat Peleg;

17and Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years and begat sons and daughters.

18And Peleg lived thirty years and begat Reu;

19and Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years and begat sons and daughters.

20And Reu lived thirty-two years and begat Serug;

21and Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years and begat sons and daughters.

22And Serug lived thirty years and begat Nahor;

23and Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years and begat sons and daughters.

24And Nahor lived twenty-nine years and begat Terah;

25and Nahor lived after he begat Terah one hundred and nineteen years and begat sons and daughters.

26And Terah lived seventy years and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27¶ Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.

28And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nature, in Ur of the Chaldees.

29And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves; the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.

30But Sarai was barren; she had no child.

31And Terah took Abram, his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, his son’s son, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran and dwelt there.

32And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.

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Genesis 11

Genesis 11