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Genesis 11:1-13:4
Tree of Life Version
Genesis 11:1-13:4
Tree of Life Version
Tower of Babel
11 Now the entire earth had the same language with the same vocabulary. 2 When they traveled eastward, they found a valley-plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to one another, “Come! Let’s make bricks and bake them until they’re hard.” So they used bricks for stone, and tar for mortar.
4 Then they said, “Come! Let’s build ourselves a city, with a tower whose top reaches into heaven. So let’s make a name for ourselves, or else we will be scattered over the face of the whole land.”
5 Then Adonai came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of man had built. 6 Adonai said, “Look, the people are one and all of them have the same language. So this is what they have begun to do. Now, nothing they plan to do will be impossible. 7 Come! Let Us go down and confuse their language there, so that they will not understand each other’s language.”
8 So Adonai scattered them from there over the face of the entire land, and they stopped building the city. 9 This is why it is named Babel, because Adonai confused the languages of the entire world there, and from there Adonai scattered them over the face of the entire world.
From Shem to Abram
10 These are the genealogical records of Shem: Shem was 100 years old when he fathered Arpachshad—two years after the flood. 11 Shem lived 500 years after he fathered Arpachshad, and he fathered sons and daughters. 12 Arpachshad lived 35 years when he fathered Shelah. 13 Arpachshad lived 403 years after he fathered Shelah, and fathered sons and daughters. 14 Shelah lived 30 years and he fathered Eber. 15 Shelah lived 403 years after he fathered Eber, and fathered sons and daughters. 16 Eber lived 34 years and he fathered Peleg. 17 Eber lived 430 years after he fathered Peleg, and he fathered sons and daughters. 18 Peleg lived 30 years and he fathered Reu. 19 Peleg lived 209 years after he fathered Reu, and he fathered sons and daughters. 20 Reu lived 32 years and he fathered Serug. 21 Reu lived 207 years after he fathered Serug, and he fathered sons and daughters. 22 Serug lived 30 years and fathered Nahor. 23 Serug lived 200 years after he fathered Nahor, and he fathered sons and daughters. 24 Nahor lived 27 years and he fathered Terah. 25 Nahor lived 119 years after he fathered Terah, and he fathered sons and daughters. 26 Terah lived 70 years when he fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran.
27 These are Terah’s genealogies: Terah fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran fathered Lot. 28 Haran died before Terah his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah—the daughter of Haran, father of Milcah and Iscah. 30 Sarai was barren; she did not have a child.
31 Terah took Abram his son and Lot, Haran’s son, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife, and he took them out of Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.
32 Terah’s days were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.
Parashat Lech Lecha
Abram Obeys the Calling
12 Then Adonai said to Abram,
“Get going out from your land,
and from your relatives,
and from your father’s house,
to the land that I will show you.
2 My heart’s desire is to make you into a great nation, to bless you,
to make your name great so that you may be a blessing.
3 My desire is to bless those who bless you,
but whoever curses you I will curse,[a]
and in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.[b]
4 So Abram went, just as Adonai had spoken to him. Also Lot went with him. (Now Abram was 75 years old when he departed from Haran.) 5 Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his nephew, and all their possessions that they had acquired, and the people that they acquired in Haran, and they left to go to the land of Canaan, and they entered the land of Canaan. 6 Abram passed through the land as far as the place of Shechem, as far as Moreh’s big tree. (The Canaanites were in the land then.)[c]
7 Then Adonai appeared to Abram, and said, “I will give this land to your seed.” So there he built an altar to Adonai, who had appeared to him. 8 From there he moved to the mountain to the east of Beth-El and erected his tent (with Beth-El to the west and Ai to the east). There he built an altar to Adonai and called on the Name of Adonai. 9 So Abram kept on journeying southward.[d]
Abram and Sarai in Egypt
10 Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to live as an outsider there, because the famine was severe in the land. 11 Just as he was about to enter Egypt he said to Sarai his wife, “Look, please, I know that you are an attractive woman. 12 So when the Egyptians see you they’ll say, ‘This is his wife.’ And they’ll kill me; but you, they’ll let live. 13 Please say that you are my sister, so that I’ll be treated well for your sake, and my life will be spared because of you.”
14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians did see that the woman was very beautiful. 15 Indeed, Pharaoh’s officials saw her and they raved about her to Pharaoh. Then the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. 16 But Abram was treated well for her sake, and he got sheep, cattle, male donkeys, male and female slaves, female donkeys and camels.
17 But Adonai struck Pharaoh and his household with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. 18 So Pharaoh called Abram and said, “What’s this that you did to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she is your wife? 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my wife? Now, here is your wife. Take—and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh instructed men concerning him, and they expelled him, with his wife, and everything that belonged to him.
13 So Abram went up from Egypt—he and his wife and everything that belonged to him, and Lot with him—to the Negev. 2 Now Abram was very rich in livestock, silver and gold. 3 He proceeded by stages from the Negev as far as Beth-El—to the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Beth-El and Ai, 4 to the place of the altar that he had made there at first, and there Abram called on the Name of Adonai.
Footnotes
- Genesis 12:3 Or, reviles.
- Genesis 12:3 cf. Acts 3:25; Gal. 3:8.
- Genesis 12:6 Or, terebinth or oak.
- Genesis 12:9 Or, to the Negev.
Genesis 11:1-13:4
New International Version
Genesis 11:1-13:4
New International Version
The Tower of Babel
11 Now the whole world had one language(A) and a common speech. 2 As people moved eastward,[a] they found a plain in Shinar[b](B) and settled there.
3 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. 4 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)
5 But the Lord came down(J) to see the city and the tower the people were building. 6 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. 7 Come, let us(L) go down(M) and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”(N)
8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth,(O) and they stopped building the city. 9 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.
The Call of Abram
12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household(AU) to the land(AV) I will show you.(AW)
2 “I will make you into a great nation,(AX)
and I will bless you;(AY)
I will make your name great,
and you will be a blessing.[f](AZ)
3 I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;(BA)
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.(BB)”[g]
4 So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot(BC) went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old(BD) when he set out from Harran.(BE) 5 He took his wife Sarai,(BF) his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated(BG) and the people(BH) they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan,(BI) and they arrived there.
6 Abram traveled through the land(BJ) as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh(BK) at Shechem.(BL) At that time the Canaanites(BM) were in the land. 7 The Lord appeared to Abram(BN) and said, “To your offspring[h] I will give this land.(BO)”(BP) So he built an altar there to the Lord,(BQ) who had appeared to him.
8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel(BR) and pitched his tent,(BS) with Bethel on the west and Ai(BT) on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.(BU)
9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.(BV)
Abram in Egypt(BW)
10 Now there was a famine in the land,(BX) and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.(BY) 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,(BZ) “I know what a beautiful woman(CA) you are. 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. 13 Say you are my sister,(CB) so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.(CC) 15 And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.(CD)
17 But the Lord inflicted(CE) serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household(CF) because of Abram’s wife Sarai. 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?”(CG) he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?(CH) 19 Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’(CI) so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.
Abram and Lot Separate
13 So Abram went up from Egypt(CJ) to the Negev,(CK) with his wife and everything he had, and Lot(CL) went with him. 2 Abram had become very wealthy(CM) in livestock(CN) and in silver and gold.
3 From the Negev(CO) he went from place to place until he came to Bethel,(CP) to the place between Bethel and Ai(CQ) where his tent had been earlier 4 and where he had first built an altar.(CR) There Abram called on the name of the Lord.(CS)
Footnotes
- Genesis 11:2 Or from the east; or in the east
- Genesis 11:2 That is, Babylonia
- Genesis 11:9 That is, Babylon; Babel sounds like the Hebrew for confused.
- Genesis 11:10 Father may mean ancestor; also in verses 11-25.
- 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
- Genesis 12:2 Or be seen as blessed
- Genesis 12:3 Or earth / will use your name in blessings (see 48:20)
- Genesis 12:7 Or seed
Tree of Life Version (TLV)
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.
New International Version (NIV) 
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NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.