Genesis 11:1
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
Genesis 11:1
New International Version
The Tower of Babel
11 Now the whole world had one language(A) and a common speech.
Genesis 11:4-9
New Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition
4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we shall be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.” 5 The Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which mortals had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Look, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do; nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down, and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused[a] the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 11:9 Heb balal, meaning to confuse
Genesis 11:4-9
New International Version
4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens,(A) so that we may make a name(B) for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered(C) over the face of the whole earth.”(D)
5 But the Lord came down(E) to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language(F) they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us(G) go down(H) and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”(I)
8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth,(J) and they stopped building the city. 9 That is why it was called Babel[a](K)—because there the Lord confused the language(L) of the whole world.(M) From there the Lord scattered(N) them over the face of the whole earth.
Footnotes
- Genesis 11:9 That is, Babylon; Babel sounds like the Hebrew for confused.
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