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

11 那時,天下人的口音、言語都是一樣。 他們往東邊遷移的時候,在示拿地遇見一片平原,就住在那裡。 他們彼此商量說:「來吧!我們要做磚,把磚燒透了。」他們就拿磚當石頭,又拿石漆當灰泥。 他們說:「來吧!我們要建造一座城和一座塔,塔頂通天,為要傳揚我們的名,免得我們分散在全地上。」 耶和華降臨,要看看世人所建造的城和塔。

變亂口音

耶和華說:「看哪,他們成為一樣的人民,都是一樣的言語,如今既做起這事來,以後他們所要做的事就沒有不成就的了。 我們下去,在那裡變亂他們的口音,使他們的言語彼此不通。」 於是,耶和華使他們從那裡分散在全地上,他們就停工不造那城了。 因為耶和華在那裡變亂天下人的言語,使眾人分散在全地上,所以那城名叫巴別[a]

10 的後代記在下面。洪水以後二年,一百歲生了亞法撒 11 亞法撒之後,又活了五百年,並且生兒養女。 12 亞法撒活到三十五歲,生了沙拉 13 亞法撒沙拉之後,又活了四百零三年,並且生兒養女。 14 沙拉活到三十歲,生了希伯 15 沙拉希伯之後,又活了四百零三年,並且生兒養女。 16 希伯活到三十四歲,生了法勒 17 希伯法勒之後,又活了四百三十年,並且生兒養女。 18 法勒活到三十歲,生了拉吳 19 法勒拉吳之後,又活了二百零九年,並且生兒養女。 20 拉吳活到三十二歲,生了西鹿 21 拉吳西鹿之後,又活了二百零七年,並且生兒養女。 22 西鹿活到三十歲,生了拿鶴 23 西鹿拿鶴之後,又活了二百年,並且生兒養女。 24 拿鶴活到二十九歲,生了他拉 25 拿鶴他拉之後,又活了一百一十九年,並且生兒養女。 26 他拉活到七十歲,生了亞伯蘭拿鶴哈蘭

亞伯蘭離吾珥往迦南

27 他拉的後代記在下面。他拉亞伯蘭拿鶴哈蘭哈蘭羅得 28 哈蘭死在他的本地迦勒底吾珥,在他父親他拉之先。 29 亞伯蘭拿鶴各娶了妻:亞伯蘭的妻子名叫撒萊拿鶴的妻子名叫密迦,是哈蘭的女兒,哈蘭密迦亦迦的父親。 30 撒萊不生育,沒有孩子。 31 他拉帶著他兒子亞伯蘭和他孫子哈蘭的兒子羅得,並他兒婦亞伯蘭的妻子撒萊,出了迦勒底吾珥,要往迦南地去。他們走到哈蘭,就住在那裡。 32 他拉共活了二百零五歲,就死在哈蘭

Footnotes

  1. 創世記 11:9 就是「變亂」的意思。