巴别塔

11 那时,天下人都用同一种语言,讲同一种话。 人们向东迁移时,在示拿地区找到一处平原,定居下来。 他们彼此商量说:“来呀,我们烧些砖吧。”他们用砖作石块,用柏油作水泥来造塔, 说:“来吧,让我们造一座城和一座高耸入云的塔,这样我们可以扬名天下,不致分散在地上。” 耶和华从天上下来,要察看人建造的城和塔。 耶和华说:“看啊,他们同属一个民族,都用同一种语言,现在就做这样的事,如果继续下去,他们会为所欲为。 让我们下去变乱他们的语言,使他们彼此言语不通。” 于是,耶和华把他们从那里分散到世界各地,他们便不再建造那城了。 因此,人称那城为巴别,因为耶和华在那里变乱了人类的语言,把他们分散到世界各地。

闪的后代

10 以下是闪的后代。

洪水过后两年,闪一百岁生亚法撒, 11 之后又活了五百年,生儿育女。

12 亚法撒三十五岁生沙拉, 13 之后又活了四百零三年,生儿育女。

14 沙拉三十岁生希伯, 15 之后又活了四百零三年,生儿育女。

16 希伯三十四岁生法勒, 17 之后又活了四百三十年,生儿育女。

18 法勒三十岁生拉吴, 19 之后又活了二百零九年,生儿育女。

20 拉吴三十二岁生西鹿, 21 之后又活了二百零七年,生儿育女。

22 西鹿三十岁生拿鹤, 23 之后又活了二百年,生儿育女。

24 拿鹤二十九岁生他拉, 25 之后又活了一百一十九年,生儿育女。

26 他拉七十岁后,生了亚伯兰、拿鹤和哈兰。

他拉的后代

27 以下是他拉的后代。

他拉生亚伯兰、拿鹤和哈兰,哈兰生罗得。 28 哈兰比他父亲他拉先去世,他死在自己的家乡——迦勒底的吾珥。 29 亚伯兰和拿鹤都娶了妻子,亚伯兰的妻子名叫撒莱,拿鹤的妻子名叫密迦,是哈兰的女儿。哈兰是密迦和亦迦的父亲。 30 撒莱不能生育,没有孩子。

31 他拉带着儿子亚伯兰、孙子——哈兰的儿子罗得、儿媳妇——亚伯兰的妻子撒莱,离开迦勒底的吾珥前往迦南,他们来到哈兰定居下来。 32 他拉在那里去世,享年二百零五岁[a]

Footnotes

  1. 11:32 二百零五岁”有古卷作“一百四十五岁”。

11 At that time all mankind spoke a single language. As the population grew and spread eastward, a plain was discovered in the land of Babylon and was soon thickly populated. 3-4 The people who lived there began to talk about building a great city, with a temple-tower reaching to the skies—a proud, eternal monument to themselves.

“This will weld us together,” they said, “and keep us from scattering all over the world.” So they made great piles of hard-burned brick, and collected bitumen to use as mortar.

But when God came down to see the city and the tower mankind was making, he said, “Look! If they are able to accomplish all this when they have just begun to exploit their linguistic and political unity, just think of what they will do later! Nothing will be unattainable for them![a] Come, let us go down and give them different languages, so that they won’t understand each other’s words!”

So, in that way, God scattered them all over the earth; and that ended the building of the city. That is why the city was called Babel (meaning “confusion”), because it was there that Jehovah confused them by giving them many languages, thus widely scattering them across the face of the earth.

10-11 Shem’s line of descendants included Arpachshad, born two years after the flood when Shem was 100 years old; after that he lived another 500 years and had many sons and daughters.

12-13 When Arpachshad was thirty-five years old, his son Shelah was born,[b] and after that he lived another 403 years and had many sons and daughters.

14-15 Shelah was thirty years old when his son Eber was born, living 403 years after that, and had many sons and daughters.

16-17 Eber was thirty-four years old when his son Peleg was born. He lived another 430 years afterwards and had many sons and daughters.

18-19 Peleg was thirty years old when his son Reu was born. He lived another 209 years afterwards and had many sons and daughters.

20-21 Reu was thirty-two years old when Serug was born. He lived 207 years after that, with many sons and daughters.

22-23 Serug was thirty years old when his son Nahor was born. He lived 200 years afterwards, with many sons and daughters.

24-25 Nahor was twenty-nine years old at the birth of his son Terah. He lived 119 years afterwards and had sons and daughters.

26 By the time Terah was seventy years old, he had three sons, Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 And Haran had a son named Lot. 28 But Haran died young, in the land where he was born (in Ur of the Chaldeans), and was survived by his father.

29 Meanwhile, Abram married his half sister[c] Sarai, while his brother Nahor married their orphaned niece, Milcah, who was the daughter of their brother Haran; and she had a sister named Iscah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no children. 31 Then Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, and left Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; but they stopped instead at the city of Haran and settled there. 32 And there Terah died at the age of 205.[d]

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 11:6 Language is the basis on which science feeds upon itself and grows. This was the beginning of an explosion of knowledge, nipped in the bud because of wrong motives and wrong use of the knowledge gained. Similarity with today’s world is significant.
  2. Genesis 11:12 his son Shelah was born, or by Hebrew usage, “there was born to him the ancestor of Shelah.” So also throughout the remainder of the chapter.
  3. Genesis 11:29 half sister, implied; see 20:12. orphaned niece, Milcah, implied.
  4. Genesis 11:32 age of 205, implied. The Samaritan Pentateuch says that Terah died when he was 145 years old, so that his death occurred in the year of Abraham’s departure from Haran. This is more consistent with 11:26 and 12:4. See also Acts 7:4.

巴别塔事件

11 那时,全世界只有一种语言,大家说同样的话语。 他们向东迁移的时候,在示拿地发现一块平原,就住在那里。 他们彼此说:“来,我们做砖,把砖烧透吧!”他们就把砖当作石头,又把石漆当作灰泥。 他们又说:“来,我们建一座城,造一座塔,塔顶要通天。我们要为自己立名,免得分散在全地上。” 耶和华下来,要看看世人建造的城和塔。 耶和华说:“看哪,他们同是一个民族,有一样的语言,他们一开始就作这事,以后他们所要作的一切,就没有可以拦阻他们的了。 来,我们下去,在那里混乱他们的语言,使他们听不懂对方的话。” 于是,耶和华把他们从那里分散到全地上,他们就停止建造那城。 因此,那城的名就叫巴别,因为耶和华在那里混乱了全地所有的人的语言,又从那里把他们分散在全地上。

闪的后代(A)

10 以下是闪的后代。洪水以后两年,闪一百岁的时候,生了亚法撒。 11 闪生亚法撒以后,又活了五百年,并且生了其他的儿女。

12 亚法撒活到三十五岁,就生了沙拉。 13 亚法撒生沙拉以后,又活了四百零三年,并且生了其他的儿女。

14 沙拉活到三十岁,就生了希伯。 15 沙拉生希伯以后,又活了四百零三年,并且生了其他的儿女。

16 希伯活到三十四岁,就生了法勒。 17 希伯生法勒以后,又活了四百三十年,并且生了其他的儿女。

18 法勒活到三十岁,就生了拉吴。 19 法勒生拉吴以后,又活了二百零九年,并且生了其他的儿女。

20 拉吴活到三十二岁,就生了西鹿。 21 拉吴生西鹿以后,又活了二百零七年,并且生了其他的儿女。

22 西鹿活到三十岁,就生了拿鹤。 23 西鹿生拿鹤以后,又活了二百年,并且生了其他的儿女。

24 拿鹤活到二十九岁,就生了他拉。 25 拿鹤生他拉以后,又活了一百一十九年,并且生了其他的儿女。

26 他拉活到七十岁,就生了亚伯兰、拿鹤和哈兰。

他拉的后代

27 以下是他拉的后代:他拉生亚伯兰、拿鹤和哈兰;哈兰生罗得。 28 哈兰在他父亲他拉之前,死在他出生之地,就是迦勒底的吾珥。 29 亚伯兰和拿鹤都娶了妻子;亚伯兰的妻子名叫撒莱;拿鹤的妻子名叫密迦,是哈兰的女儿;哈兰是密迦和亦迦的父亲。 30 撒莱不能生育,没有孩子。 31 他拉带着他的儿子亚伯兰和他的孙子,就是哈兰的儿子罗得,以及他的媳妇亚伯兰的妻子撒莱,一同出了迦勒底的吾珥,要到迦南地去;他们到了哈兰,就住在那里。 32 他拉死在哈兰;他的寿数共二百零五岁。

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.

From Shem to Abram(T)

10 This is the account(U) of Shem’s family line.

Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father[d] of Arphaxad.(V) 11 And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.(W) 13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.[e]

14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.(X) 15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.(Y) 17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.(Z) 19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.(AA) 21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.(AB) 23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.(AC) 25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram,(AD) Nahor(AE) and Haran.(AF)

Abram’s Family

27 This is the account(AG) of Terah’s family line.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor(AH) and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.(AI) 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans,(AJ) in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and Nahor(AK) both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai,(AL) and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah;(AM) she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. 30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.(AN)

31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot(AO) son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law(AP) Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans(AQ) to go to Canaan.(AR) But when they came to Harran,(AS) they settled there.

32 Terah(AT) lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

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.
  4. Genesis 11:10 Father may mean ancestor; also in verses 11-25.
  5. Genesis 11:13 Hebrew; Septuagint (see also Luke 3:35, 36 and note at Gen. 10:24) 35 years, he became the father of Cainan. 13 And after he became the father of Cainan, Arphaxad lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters, and then he died. When Cainan had lived 130 years, he became the father of Shelah. And after he became the father of Shelah, Cainan lived 330 years and had other sons and daughters