Genesis 11
Legacy Standard Bible
The Tower of Babel
11 Now the whole earth [a]had the same language and [b]the same words. 2 And it happened as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land (A)of Shinar and [c]settled there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and they had (B)tar for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top (C)will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves (D)a name, lest we (E)be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” 5 (F)Then Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have [d](G)the same language. And this is what they have begun to do. So now nothing which they purpose to do will be [e]impossible for them. 7 Come, (H)let Us go down and there (I)confuse their [f]language, so that they will not understand one another’s [g]language.” 8 So Yahweh (J)scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called [h](K)Babel, because there Yahweh confused the [i]language of the whole earth; and from there Yahweh scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
The Generations of Shem
10 (L)These are the generations of Shem. Shem was 100 years old and [j]became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood; 11 and Shem lived 500 years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and he became the father of other sons and daughters.
12 And Arpachshad lived 35 years and became the father of Shelah; 13 and Arpachshad lived 403 years after he became the father of Shelah, and he became the father of other sons and daughters.
14 And Shelah lived 30 years and became the father of Eber; 15 and Shelah lived 403 years after he became the father of Eber, and he became the father of other sons and daughters.
16 And Eber lived 34 years and became the father of Peleg; 17 and Eber lived 430 years after he became the father of Peleg, and he became the father of other sons and daughters.
18 And Peleg lived 30 years and became the father of Reu; 19 and Peleg lived 209 years after he became the father of Reu, and he became the father of other sons and daughters.
20 And Reu lived 32 years and became the father of Serug; 21 and Reu lived 207 years after he became the father of Serug, and he became the father of other sons and daughters.
22 And Serug lived 30 years and became the father of Nahor; 23 and Serug lived 200 years after he became the father of Nahor, and he became the father of other sons and daughters.
24 Nahor lived 29 years and became the father of (M)Terah; 25 and Nahor lived 119 years after he became the father of Terah, and he became the father of other sons and daughters.
26 And Terah lived 70 years and became (N)the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
The Generations of Terah
27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and (O)Haran became the father of (P)Lot. 28 And Haran died [k]in the presence of Terah his father in the land of his birth, in (Q)Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and (R)Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was (S)Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was (T)Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. 30 (U)And Sarai was barren; she had no child.
31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out [l]together from (V)Ur of the Chaldeans in order to go to the land of Canaan; and they came as far as Haran and [m]settled there. 32 And the days of Terah were 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.
Footnotes
- Genesis 11:1 Lit was one lip
- Genesis 11:1 Or one set of words
- Genesis 11:2 Lit dwelt
- Genesis 11:6 Lit one lip
- Genesis 11:6 Lit withheld from
- Genesis 11:7 Lit lip
- Genesis 11:7 Lit lip
- Genesis 11:9 Or Babylon
- Genesis 11:9 Lit lip
- Genesis 11:10 Lit begot, so in ch
- Genesis 11:28 Or during the lifetime of
- Genesis 11:31 Lit with them
- Genesis 11:31 Lit dwelt
Genesis 11
Christian Standard Bible
The Tower of Babylon
11 The whole earth had the same language and vocabulary. 2 As people migrated from the east,[a] they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.(A) 3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make oven-fired bricks.” (They used brick for stone and asphalt(B) for mortar.) 4 And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky.(C) Let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth.”
5 Then the Lord came down(D) to look over the city and the tower that the humans[b] were building. 6 The Lord said, “If they have begun to do this as one people all having the same language, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let’s go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So from there the Lord scattered them throughout the earth,(E) and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore it is called Babylon,[c][d](F) for there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the Lord scattered them throughout the earth.
From Shem to Abram
10 These are the family records(G) of Shem. Shem lived 100 years and fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. 11 After he fathered Arpachshad, Shem lived 500 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 12 Arpachshad lived 35 years[e] and fathered Shelah. 13 After he fathered Shelah, Arpachshad lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 14 Shelah lived 30 years and fathered Eber. 15 After he fathered Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 16 Eber lived 34 years and fathered Peleg. 17 After he fathered Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 18 Peleg lived 30 years and fathered Reu. 19 After he fathered Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 20 Reu lived 32 years and fathered Serug. 21 After he fathered Serug, Reu lived 207 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 22 Serug lived 30 years and fathered Nahor. 23 After he fathered Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 24 Nahor lived 29 years and fathered Terah.(H) 25 After he fathered Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and fathered other sons and daughters. 26 Terah lived 70 years and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 These are the family records of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot. 28 Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans, during his father Terah’s lifetime. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives: Abram’s wife was named Sarai,(I) and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah.(J) She was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30 Sarai was unable to conceive;(K) she did not have a child.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans(L) to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32 Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran.
Footnotes
- 11:2 Or migrated eastward
- 11:5 Or the descendants of Adam
- 11:9 Hb Babel
- 11:9 In Hb, the name for “Babylon,” babel sounds like the word for “confuse,” balal.
- 11:12–13 LXX reads years and fathered Cainan. 13 After he fathered Cainan, Arpachshad lived 430 years and fathered other sons and daughters, and he died. Cainan lived 130 years and fathered Shelah. After he fathered Shelah, Cainan lived 330 years and fathered other sons and daughters, and he died; Gn 10:24; Lk 3:35–36
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