Genesis 11
1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
At first, all the people in [MTY] the world spoke the same language [DOU].
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
As people moved further east, they arrived at a plain in Babylonia region and began to live there.
3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
Then they said to each other, “(Hey/Come on), let’s form bricks and bake them to make them hard, for building!” So they used bricks instead of stones, and used tar instead of (mortar/a mixture of cement, sand and lime) to hold them together.
4 And 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.
They said, “Hey, let’s build a city for ourselves! We also ought to build a very high tower that reaches up to the sky! In that way we will become famous! If we do not do this, we will be scattered all over the earth!”
5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
So they began to build the city and the tower. Then Yahweh looked down and saw the city and the tower that those [puny] men were building.
6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people [is] one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
Yahweh said, “These people are one group that all speak the same language. If they have begun to do this now, then (there is nothing that they will decide to do that will be impossible for them/they will be able to do whatever they decide to do) [LIT]!
7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
So, okay/now, we will go down there and cause there to be many different languages, so that they will not be able to understand each other.”
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
So Yahweh did that. As a result, the people stopped building the city, and Yahweh caused them to disperse all over the earth.
9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
The city was called Babel which means ‘confusion’, because there Yahweh caused the people to become confused because the people [MTY] spoke [different languages that the others could not understand], not just one language. From there Yahweh caused them to disperse all over the earth.
10 These [are] the generations of Shem: Shem [was] an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:
(This is a bigger list/I will now tell you more) of the descendants of Shem: Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arpachshad.
11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
After Arpachshad was born, Shem lived 500 more years and had more sons and daughters.
12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:
When Arphachshad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah.
13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
After Shelah was born, Arpachshad lived 403 more years and became the father of more sons and daughters.
14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber.
15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
After Eber was born, Shelah lived 403 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:
When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg.
17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
After Peleg was born, Eber lived 430 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu.
19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
After Reu was born, Peleg lived 209 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:
When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug.
21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
After Serug was born, Reu lived 207 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:
When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor.
23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
After Nahor was born, Serug lived 200 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:
When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah.
25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
After Terah was born, Nahor lived 119 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
When Terah was 70 years old, his son Abram was born. Later, two other sons, Nahor and Haran were born.
27 Now these [are] the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
(This is/I will now give) a list of the descendants of Terah: Terah’s sons were Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran’s son was named Lot.
28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
Haran died before his father died. He died in Ur [city] in Chaldea land, where he was born.
29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: 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.
Abram and Nahor both married. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah. Milcah and her younger sister Iscah were the daughters of Haran.
30 But Sarai was barren; she [had] no child.
Sarai was unable to bear any children.
31 And 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.
Terah decided to leave Ur and go to live in Canaan land. So he took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and Abram’s wife Sarai with him. But instead of going to Canaan, they stopped at Haran [town] and lived there.
32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
When Terah was 205 years old, he died there in Haran.
