Genesis 11
1 At first, all the people in [MTY] the world spoke the same language [DOU].
The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.
2 As people moved further east, they arrived at a plain in Babylonia region and began to live there.
As they travelled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.
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.
They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for 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!”
They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”
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.
The LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.
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]!
The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do.
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, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, 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.
So the LORD scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building 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.
Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. From there, the LORD scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.
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.
This is the history of the generations of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old when he became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood.
11 After Arpachshad was born, Shem lived 500 more years and had more sons and daughters.
Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and became the father of more sons and daughters.
12 When Arphachshad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah.
Arpachshad lived thirty-five years and became the father of Shelah.
13 After Shelah was born, Arpachshad lived 403 more years and became the father of more sons and daughters.
Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Shelah, and became the father of more sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber.
Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber.
15 After Eber was born, Shelah lived 403 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Eber, and became the father of more sons and daughters.
16 When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg.
Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg.
17 After Peleg was born, Eber lived 430 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and became the father of more sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu.
Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu.
19 After Reu was born, Peleg lived 209 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he became the father of Reu, and became the father of more sons and daughters.
20 When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug.
Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug.
21 After Serug was born, Reu lived 207 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he became the father of Serug, and became the father of more sons and daughters.
22 When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor.
Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor.
23 After Nahor was born, Serug lived 200 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and became the father of more sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah.
Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah.
25 After Terah was born, Nahor lived 119 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and became the father of more sons and daughters.
26 When Terah was 70 years old, his son Abram was born. Later, two other sons, Nahor and Haran were born.
Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
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.
Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot.
28 Haran died before his father died. He died in Ur [city] in Chaldea land, where he was born.
Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees, while his father Terah was still alive.
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.
Abram and Nahor married wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, who was also the father of Iscah.
30 Sarai was unable to bear any children.
Sarai was barren. She had no child.
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.
Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife. They went from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran and lived there.
32 When Terah was 205 years old, he died there in Haran.
The days of Terah were two hundred and five years. Terah died in Haran.
