The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole earth had one language and one ^[a]speech. ² And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land ^(A)of Shinar, and they dwelt there. ³ Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and ^[b]bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar. ⁴ And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower ^(B)whose top is in the heavens; let us make a ^(C)name for ourselves, lest we ^(D)be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”

^5 (E)But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. ⁶ And the Lord said, “Indeed ^(F)the people are one and they all have ^(G)one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they ^(H)propose to do will be withheld from them. ⁷ Come, ^(I)let Us go down and there ^(J)confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸ So ^(K)the Lord scattered them abroad from there ^(L)over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name is called ^[c]Babel, ^(M)because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

^19 (A)Go ^[a]therefore and ^(B)make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, ^20 (C)teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am ^(D)with you always, even to the end of the age.” ^[b]Amen.

Coming of the Holy Spirit

2 When ^(A)the Day of Pentecost had fully come, ^(B)they were all ^[a]with one accord in one place. ² And suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and ^(C)it filled the whole house where they were sitting. ³ Then there appeared to them ^[b]divided tongues, as of fire, and one sat upon each of them. ⁴ And ^(D)they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began ^(E)to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.

The Crowd’s Response

⁵ And there were dwelling in Jerusalem Jews, ^(F)devout men, from every nation under heaven. ⁶ And when this sound occurred, the ^(G)multitude came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. ⁷ Then they were all amazed and marveled, saying to one another, “Look, are not all these who speak ^(H)Galileans? ⁸ And how is it that we hear, each in our own ^[c]language in which we were born?

²⁶ And He has made from one ^[a]blood every nation of men to dwell on all the face of the earth, and has determined their preappointed times and ^(A)the boundaries of their dwellings, ^27 (B)so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, ^(C)though He is not far from each one of us;