Genesis 11
1 At that time the whole world spoke just one language and used words with the same meaning.
And the whole earth was of one language, and of one kind of words.
2 As they moved east they discovered a plain in the land of Shinar so they settled there.
And it came to pass, as they journeyed toward the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
3 They said to one another, “Come on, let's make some bricks and bake them with fire.” (They used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of cement).
And they said to one another, Go to, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly. And thus the brick served them for stone, and slime served them for mortar.
4 Then they said, “Now let's build a city for ourselves with a tower whose top reaches the heavens. That way we'll gain a great reputation and we won't end up being scattered all over the world.”
And they said, Go to, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower, the top of which may reach unto heaven; and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5 But the Lord came down to take a look at the city and the tower that the people were building.
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man were building.
6 The Lord said, “Look! These people are united and they all speak one language. If this is what they can do now when they're just getting started, nothing will be impossible for them when they all put their minds to it!
And the Lord said, Behold, it is one people, and they have all one language, and this is the first thing they undertake to do; and now shall they not be restrained in all which they have imagined to do?
7 We need to go down and mix up their language and make it confused so they won't be able to understand what they're saying to one other.”
Go to, let us go down, and confound there their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8 The Lord sent them away from there and scattered them all over the world, and they gave up building the city.
So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the city.
9 That's why it was called Babel, because the Lord made the language of the world confused.
Therefore is the name of it called Babel, because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth; and from there did the Lord scatter them abroad over the face of all the earth.
10 The following is the genealogy of Shem. When Shem was 100, he had Arphaxad. This was two years after the flood.
These are the generations of Shem: Shem, when a hundred years old, begat Arpachshad, two years after the flood.
11 Shem lived another 500 years after Arphaxad was born and had other sons and daughters.
And Shem lived after he had begotten Arpachshad five hundred years; and begat sons and daughters.
12 When Arphaxad was 35, he had Shelah.
And Arpachshad lived five and thirty years, and begat Shelach.
13 Arphaxad lived another 403 years after Shelah was born and had other sons and daughters.
And Arpachshad lived after he had begotten Shelach four hundred and three years; and begat sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah was 30, he had Eber.
And Shelach lived thirty years, and begat Eber.
15 Shelah lived another 403 years after Eber was born and had other sons and daughters.
And Shelach lived after he had begotten Eber four hundred and three years; and begat sons and daughters.
16 When Eber was 34, he had Peleg.
And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg.
17 Eber lived another 430 years after Peleg was born and had other sons and daughters.
And Eber lived after he had begotten Peleg four hundred and thirty years; and begat sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg was 30, he had Reu.
And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu.
19 Peleg lived another 209 years after Reu was born and had other sons and daughters.
And Peleg lived after he had begotten Reu two hundred and nine years; and begat sons and daughters.
20 When Reu was 32, he had Serug.
And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug.
21 Reu lived another 207 years after Serug was born and had other sons and daughters.
And Reu lived after he had begotten Serug two hundred and seven years; and begat sons and daughters.
22 When Serug was 30, he had Nahor.
And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nachor.
23 Serug lived another 200 years after Nahor was born and had other sons and daughters.
And Serug lived after he had begotten Nachor two hundred years; and begat sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor was 29, he had Terah.
And Nachor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terach.
25 Nahor lived another 119 years after Terah was born and had other sons and daughters.
And Nachor lived after he had begotten Terach a hundred and nineteen years; and begat sons and daughters.
26 When Terah was 70, he had Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
And Terach lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nachor, and Haran.
27 The following is the genealogy of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot.
Now these are the generations of Terach: Terach begat Abram, Nachor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
28 However, Haran died while his father, Terah, was still alive, in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth.
And Haran died before his father Terach in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
29 Abram and Nahor both got married. Abram's wife was named Sarai, and Nahor's wife was named Milcah. (She was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah).
And Abram and Nachor took themselves wives; the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nachor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Yiscah.
30 Sarai wasn't able to become pregnant and so had no children.
But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, (who was the son of Haran), his daughter-in-law Sarai, (the wife of his son Abram), and left Ur of the Chaldeans to move to the land of Canaan. They got as far as Haran and settled there.
And Terach took Abram his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son Abram; and they went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Charan, and dwelt there.
32 Terah lived for 205 years and died in Haran.
And the days of Terach were two hundred and five years; and Terach died in Charan.
