Genesis 11:1-9
New American Standard Bible
The Tower of Babel
11 Now all the earth [a]used the same language and [b]the same words. 2 And it came about, as they journeyed [c]east, that they found a plain in the land (A)of Shinar and [d]settled there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and [e]fire them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used (B)tar for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top (C)will reach into heaven, and let’s make (D)a name for ourselves; otherwise we (E)will be scattered abroad over the face of all the earth.” 5 Now (F)the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the [f]men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have [g](G)the same language. And this is what they have started to do, and now nothing which they plan to do will be [h]impossible for them. 7 Come, [i](H)let Us go down and there (I)confuse their [j]language, so that they will not understand one another’s [k]speech.” 8 So the Lord (J)scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth; and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore it was named [l](K)Babel, because there the Lord confused the [m]language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
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- Genesis 11:1 Lit was one lip
- Genesis 11:1 Or few or one set of words
- Genesis 11:2 Or from the east
- Genesis 11:2 Lit dwelt
- Genesis 11:3 I.e., in a kiln to harden them
- Genesis 11:5 Lit sons of mankind
- Genesis 11:6 Lit one lip
- Genesis 11:6 Lit inaccessible to
- Genesis 11:7 I.e., indicating united action, not a request
- Genesis 11:7 Lit lip
- Genesis 11:7 Lit lip
- Genesis 11:9 Or Babylon; cf. Heb balal, confuse
- Genesis 11:9 Lit lip
Genesis 11:1-9
International Standard Version
The Tower in Babylon
11 There was a time when the entire earth spoke a common language with an identical vocabulary. 2 As people[a] migrated westward,[b] they came across a plain in the region of Shinar[c] and settled there. 3 They told each other, “Come on! Let’s burn bricks thoroughly.” They used bricks for stone and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come on! Let’s build ourselves a city and a tower, with its summit in the heavens, and let’s make a name for ourselves[d] so we won’t be scattered over the surface of the whole earth.”
5 However, the Lord descended to look over the city and the tower that the humans were building. 6 The Lord said, “Look! They are one people with the same language for all of them, and this is only the beginning of what they will do.[e] Nothing that they have a mind to do will be impossible for them! 7 Come on! Let’s go down there and confuse their language, so that they won’t understand each other’s speech.”
8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the surface of the whole earth, so that they had to stop building the city. 9 Therefore it was called Babylon,[f] because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth, and from there the Lord scattered them over the surface of the entire earth.
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- Genesis 11:2 Lit. they
- Genesis 11:2 Lit. migrated from the east; i.e. from the mountains of Ararat
- Genesis 11:2 I.e. Babylonia or ancient Sumer
- Genesis 11:4 The Heb. lacks for ourselves
- Genesis 11:6 The Heb. lacks of what they will do
- Genesis 11:9 The Heb. name Babel means confusion
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