1At first, the people of the whole world had only one language and used the same words. 2As they wandered about in the East, they came to a plain in Babylonia and settled there. 3They said to one another, “Come on! Let's make bricks and bake them hard.” So they had bricks to build with and tar to hold them together. 4They said, “Now let's build a city with a tower that reaches the sky, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth.”

5Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which those men had built, 6and he said, “Now then, these are all one people and they speak one language; this is just the beginning of what they are going to do. Soon they will be able to do anything they want! 7Let us go down and mix up their language so that they will not understand one another.” 8So the LORD scattered them all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9The city was called Babylon,#11.9 Babylon: This name sounds like the Hebrew for “mixed up”. because there the LORD mixed up the language of all the people, and from there he scattered them all over the earth.

The Descendants of Shem

(1 Chr 1.24–27)

10These are the descendants of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he had a son, Arpachshad. 11After that, he lived another 500 years and had other children.

12When Arpachshad was 35 years old, he had a son, Shelah; 13after that, he lived another 403 years and had other children.

14When Shelah was thirty years old, he had a son, Eber; 15after that, he lived another 403 years and had other children.

16When Eber was 34 years old, he had a son, Peleg; 17after that, he lived another 430 years and had other children.

18When Peleg was thirty years old, he had a son, Reu; 19after that, he lived another 209 years and had other children.

20When Reu was 32 years old, he had a son, Serug; 21after that, he lived another 207 years and had other children.

22When Serug was thirty years old, he had a son, Nahor; 23after that, he lived another 200 years and had other children.

24When Nahor was 29 years old, he had a son, Terah; 25after that, he lived another 119 years and had other children.

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

The Descendants of Terah

27These are the descendants of Terah, who was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot, 28and Haran died in his native city, Ur in Babylonia, while his father was still living. 29Abram married Sarai, and Nahor married Milcah, the daughter of Haran, who was also the father of Iscah. 30Sarai was not able to have children.

31Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, who was the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, Abram's wife, and with them he left the city of Ur in Babylonia to go to the land of Canaan. They went as far as Haran and settled there. 32Terah died there at the age of 205.

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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.

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Genesis 11

Genesis 11