Genesis 11
11
The Tower of Babel
1There was a time when the whole world spoke one language. Everyone used the same words. 2Then people began to move from the East. They found a plain in the land of Babylonia and stayed there to live. 3Then they said to each other, “Let’s make some bricks of clay and bake them in the fire.” Then they used these bricks as stones, and they used tar as mortar.
4Then the people said, “Let’s build ourselves a city and a tower that will reach to the sky. Then we will be famous. This will keep us together so that we will not be scattered all over the earth.”
5Then the Lord came down to see the city and the tower. 6The Lord said, “These people all speak the same language. And I see that they are joined together to do this work. This is only the beginning of what they can do. Soon they will be able to do anything they want. 7Let’s go down and confuse their language. Then they will not understand each other.”
8So people stopped building the city, and the Lord scattered them all over the earth. 9That is the place where the Lord confused the language of the whole world. That is why it is called Babel.#11:9 Babel Or “Babylon.” This is like a word meaning “confuse.” And it was from there that the Lord caused the people to spread out to all the other places on earth.
The History of Shem’s Family
10This is the history of Shem’s family. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, his son Arphaxad was born. 11After that Shem lived 500 years. He had other sons and daughters.
12When Arphaxad was 35 years old, his son Shelah was born. 13After Shelah was born, Arphaxad lived 403 years. During that time he had other sons and daughters.
14After Shelah was 30 years old, his son Eber was born. 15After Eber was born, Shelah lived 403 years. During that time he had other sons and daughters.
16After Eber was 34 years old, his son Peleg was born. 17After Peleg was born, Eber lived another 430 years. During that time he had other sons and daughters.
18After Peleg was 30 years old, his son Reu was born. 19After Reu was born, Peleg lived another 209 years. During that time he had other sons and daughters.
20After Reu was 32 years old, his son Serug was born. 21After Serug was born, Reu lived another 207 years. During that time he had other sons and daughters.
22After Serug was 30 years old, his son Nahor was born. 23After Nahor was born, Serug lived another 200 years. During that time he had other sons and daughters.
24After Nahor was 29 years old, his son Terah was born. 25After Terah was born, Nahor lived another 119 years. During that time he had other sons and daughters.
26After Terah was 70 years old, his sons Abram, Nahor, and Haran were born.
The History of Terah’s Family
27This is the history of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot. 28Haran died in his hometown, Ur of Babylonia,#11:28 Ur of Babylonia Literally, “Ur of the Chaldeans.” A city in southern Babylonia. Also in verse 31. while his father Terah was still alive. 29Abram and Nahor both married. Abram’s wife was named Sarai. Nahor’s wife was named Milcah. Milcah was the daughter of Haran. Haran was the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30Sarai did not have any children because she was not able to have children.
31Terah took his family and left Ur of Babylonia. They planned to travel to Canaan. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai (Abram’s wife). They traveled to the city of Haran and decided to stay there. 32Terah lived to be 205 years old. He died in Haran.
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© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
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.