Genesis 11
1 At first, all the people in [MTY] the world spoke the same language [DOU].
And the earth was of one tongue, and of the same speech.
2 As people moved further east, they arrived at a plain in Babylonia region and began to live there.
And when they removed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Sennaar, and dwelt in it.
3 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.
And 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.
4 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!”
And 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.
5 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.
And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of Adam were building.
6 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]!
And 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.
7 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.”
Come ye, therefore, let us go down, and there confound their tongue, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
8 So Yahweh did that. As a result, the people stopped building the city, and Yahweh caused them to disperse all over the earth.
And so the Lord scattered them from that place into all lands, and they ceased to build the city.
9 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.
And 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.
10 (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.
These are the generations of Sem: Sem was a hundred years old when he begot Arphaxad, two years after the flood.
11 After Arpachshad was born, Shem lived 500 more years and had more sons and daughters.
And Sem lived after he begot Arphaxad, five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.
12 When Arphachshad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah.
And Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Sale.
13 After Shelah was born, Arpachshad lived 403 more years and became the father of more sons and daughters.
And Arphaxad lived after he begot Sale, three hundred and three years; and begot sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber.
Sale also lived thirty years, and begot Heber.
15 After Eber was born, Shelah lived 403 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
And Sale lived after he begot Heber, four hundred and three years; and begot sons and daughters.
16 When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg.
And Heber lived thirty-four years, and begot Phaleg.
17 After Peleg was born, Eber lived 430 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
And Heber lived after he begot Phaleg, four hundred and thirty years: and begot sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu.
Phaleg also lived thirty years, and begot Reu.
19 After Reu was born, Peleg lived 209 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
And Phaleg lived after he begot Reu, two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.
20 When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug.
And Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Sarug.
21 After Serug was born, Reu lived 207 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
And Reu lived after he begot Sarug, two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.
22 When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor.
And Sarug lived thirty years, and begot Nachor.
23 After Nahor was born, Serug lived 200 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
And Sarug lived after he begot Nachor, two hundred years: and begot sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah.
And Nachor lived nine and twenty years, and begot Thare.
25 After Terah was born, Nahor lived 119 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
And Nachor lived after he begot Thare, a hundred and nineteen years: and begot sons and daughters.
26 When Terah was 70 years old, his son Abram was born. Later, two other sons, Nahor and Haran were born.
And Thare lived seventy years, and begot Abram, and Nachor, and Aran.
27 (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.
And these are the generations of Thare: Thare begot Abram, Nachor, and Aran. And Aran begot Lot.
28 Haran died before his father died. He died in Ur [city] in Chaldea land, where he was born.
And Aran died before Thare his father, in the land of his nativity in Ur of the Chaldees.
29 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.
And 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.
30 Sarai was unable to bear any children.
And Sarai was barren, and had no children.
31 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.
And 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.
32 When Terah was 205 years old, he died there in Haran.
And the days of Thare were two hundred and five years, and he died in Haran.
