The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole world had one language(A) and a common speech. As people moved eastward,[a] they found a plain in Shinar[b](B) and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks(C) and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone,(D) and tar(E) for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens,(F) so that we may make a name(G) for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered(H) over the face of the whole earth.”(I)

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 11:2 Or from the east; or in the east
  2. Genesis 11:2 That is, Babylonia

11 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

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.

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

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.

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The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole earth had one language and one [a]speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land (A)of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and [b]bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower (B)whose top is in the heavens; let us make a (C)name for ourselves, lest we (D)be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 11:1 Lit. lip
  2. Genesis 11:3 Lit. burn

God’s Covenant With Noah

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.(A)

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And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

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God’s Promise to Noah

So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: (A)“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth.

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The Ten Commandments(A)

20 And God spoke(B) all these words:(C)

“I am the Lord your God,(D) who brought you out(E) of Egypt,(F) out of the land of slavery.(G)

“You shall have no other gods before[a] me.(H)

“You shall not make for yourself an image(I) in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. You shall not bow down to them or worship(J) them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God,(K) punishing the children for the sin of the parents(L) to the third and fourth generation(M) of those who hate me, but showing love to a thousand(N) generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

“You shall not misuse the name of the Lord your God, for the Lord will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.(O)

“Remember the Sabbath(P) day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work,(Q) 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath(R) to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth,(S) the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested(T) on the seventh day.(U) Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

12 “Honor your father and your mother,(V) so that you may live long(W) in the land(X) the Lord your God is giving you.

13 “You shall not murder.(Y)

14 “You shall not commit adultery.(Z)

15 “You shall not steal.(AA)

16 “You shall not give false testimony(AB) against your neighbor.(AC)

17 “You shall not covet(AD) your neighbor’s house. You shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, or his male or female servant, his ox or donkey, or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 20:3 Or besides

20 And God spake all these words, saying,

I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

Thou shalt have no other gods before me.

Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth.

Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me;

And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work:

10 But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates:

11 For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it.

12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.

13 Thou shalt not kill.

14 Thou shalt not commit adultery.

15 Thou shalt not steal.

16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.

17 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's.

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The Ten Commandments(A)

20 And God spoke (B)all these words, saying:

(C)“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, (D)out of the house of [a]bondage.

(E)“You shall have no other gods before Me.

(F)“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth; (G)you shall not bow down to them nor [b]serve them. (H)For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, (I)visiting[c] the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me, but (J)showing mercy to thousands, to those who love Me and keep My commandments.

(K)“You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain, for the Lord (L)will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

(M)“Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. (N)Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the (O)seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord your God. In it you shall do no work: you, nor your son, nor your daughter, nor your male servant, nor your female servant, nor your cattle, (P)nor your stranger who is within your gates. 11 For (Q)in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it.

12 (R)“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be (S)long upon the land which the Lord your God is giving you.

13 (T)“You shall not murder.

14 (U)“You shall not commit (V)adultery.

15 (W)“You shall not steal.

16 (X)“You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

17 (Y)“You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; (Z)you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife, nor his male servant, nor his female servant, nor his ox, nor his donkey, nor anything that is your neighbor’s.”

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Footnotes

  1. Exodus 20:2 slaves
  2. Exodus 20:5 worship
  3. Exodus 20:5 punishing

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’[a](A) 38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[b](B) 40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 22:37 Deut. 6:5
  2. Matthew 22:39 Lev. 19:18

37 Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

38 This is the first and great commandment.

39 And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

40 On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets.

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37 Jesus said to him, (A)“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: (B)‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 (C)On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

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But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.(A) People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money,(B) boastful, proud,(C) abusive,(D) disobedient to their parents,(E) ungrateful, unholy, without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous,(F) rash, conceited,(G) lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness(H) but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.(I)

They are the kind who worm their way(J) into homes and gain control over gullible women, who are loaded down with sins and are swayed by all kinds of evil desires, always learning but never able to come to a knowledge of the truth.(K)

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This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

For of this sort are they which creep into houses, and lead captive silly women laden with sins, led away with divers lusts,

Ever learning, and never able to come to the knowledge of the truth.

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Perilous Times and Perilous Men

But know this, that (A)in the last days [a]perilous times will come: For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, unloving, [b]unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, (B)traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, (C)having a form of godliness but (D)denying its power. And (E)from such people turn away! For (F)of this sort are those who creep into households and make captives of gullible women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts, always learning and never able (G)to come to the knowledge of the truth.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Timothy 3:1 times of stress
  2. 2 Timothy 3:3 irreconcilable

The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole world had one language(A) and a common speech. As people moved eastward,[a] they found a plain in Shinar[b](B) and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks(C) and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone,(D) and tar(E) for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens,(F) so that we may make a name(G) for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered(H) over the face of the whole earth.”(I)

But the Lord came down(J) to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language(K) they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us(L) go down(M) and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”(N)

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth,(O) and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel[c](P)—because there the Lord confused the language(Q) of the whole world.(R) From there the Lord scattered(S) them over the face of the whole earth.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 11:2 Or from the east; or in the east
  2. Genesis 11:2 That is, Babylonia
  3. Genesis 11:9 That is, Babylon; Babel sounds like the Hebrew for confused.

11 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.

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.

And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.

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.

And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

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.

Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

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.

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The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole earth had one language and one [a]speech. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land (A)of Shinar, and they dwelt there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and [b]bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower (B)whose top is in the heavens; let us make a (C)name for ourselves, lest we (D)be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

(E)But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. And the Lord said, “Indeed (F)the people are one and they all have (G)one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they (H)propose to do will be withheld from them. Come, (I)let Us go down and there (J)confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” So (K)the Lord scattered them abroad from there (L)over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. Therefore its name is called [c]Babel, (M)because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 11:1 Lit. lip
  2. Genesis 11:3 Lit. burn
  3. Genesis 11:9 Lit. Confusion, Babylon

Psalm 2

Why do the nations conspire[a]
    and the peoples plot(A) in vain?
The kings(B) of the earth rise up
    and the rulers band together
    against the Lord and against his anointed,(C) saying,
“Let us break their chains(D)
    and throw off their shackles.”(E)

The One enthroned(F) in heaven laughs;(G)
    the Lord scoffs at them.
He rebukes them in his anger(H)
    and terrifies them in his wrath,(I) saying,
“I have installed my king(J)
    on Zion,(K) my holy mountain.(L)

I will proclaim the Lord’s decree:

He said to me, “You are my son;(M)
    today I have become your father.(N)
Ask me,
    and I will make the nations(O) your inheritance,(P)
    the ends of the earth(Q) your possession.
You will break them with a rod of iron[b];(R)
    you will dash them to pieces(S) like pottery.(T)

10 Therefore, you kings, be wise;(U)
    be warned, you rulers(V) of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear(W)
    and celebrate his rule(X) with trembling.(Y)
12 Kiss his son,(Z) or he will be angry
    and your way will lead to your destruction,
for his wrath(AA) can flare up in a moment.
    Blessed(AB) are all who take refuge(AC) in him.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 2:1 Hebrew; Septuagint rage
  2. Psalm 2:9 Or will rule them with an iron scepter (see Septuagint and Syriac)

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?

The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying,

Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us.

He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore displeasure.

Yet have I set my king upon my holy hill of Zion.

I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me, Thou art my Son; this day have I begotten thee.

Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.

Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.

10 Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth.

11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom(A)

Why (B)do the [a]nations [b]rage,
And the people plot a [c]vain thing?
The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the (C)rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His (D)Anointed,[d] saying,
“Let (E)us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”

He who sits in the heavens (F)shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
“Yet I have [e]set My King
[f]On My holy hill of Zion.”

“I will declare the [g]decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
(G)‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
(H)You shall [h]break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”

10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 [i]Kiss the Son, lest [j]He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When (I)His wrath is kindled but a little.
(J)Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 2:1 Gentiles
  2. Psalm 2:1 throng tumultuously
  3. Psalm 2:1 worthless or empty
  4. Psalm 2:2 Christ, Commissioned One, Heb. Messiah
  5. Psalm 2:6 Lit. installed
  6. Psalm 2:6 Lit. Upon Zion, the hill of My holiness
  7. Psalm 2:7 Or decree of the Lord: He said to Me
  8. Psalm 2:9 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. rule (cf. Rev. 2:27)
  9. Psalm 2:12 LXX, Vg. Embrace discipline; Tg. Receive instruction
  10. Psalm 2:12 LXX the Lord

Jesus answered, “I am(A) the way(B) and the truth(C) and the life.(D) No one comes to the Father except through me.(E)

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Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

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Jesus said to him, “I am (A)the way, (B)the truth, and (C)the life. (D)No one comes to the Father (E)except through Me.

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12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.”(A)

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12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.

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12 (A)Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

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