Genesis 11
English Standard Version
The Tower of Babel
11 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in (A)the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, (B)and bitumen for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower (C)with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” 5 And (D)the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them. 7 Come, (E)let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech.” 8 So (F)the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called (G)Babel, because there the Lord confused[a] the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.
Shem's Descendants
10 (H)These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. 11 And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12 When Arpachshad had lived 35 years, he fathered Shelah. 13 And Arpachshad lived after he fathered Shelah 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he fathered Eber. 15 And Shelah lived after he fathered Eber 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he fathered Peleg. 17 And Eber lived after he fathered Peleg 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he fathered Reu. 19 And Peleg lived after he fathered Reu 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he fathered Serug. 21 And Reu lived after he fathered Serug 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he fathered Nahor. 23 And Serug lived after he fathered Nahor 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24 When (I)Nahor had lived 29 years, he fathered Terah. 25 And Nahor lived after he fathered Terah 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26 When (J)Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Terah's Descendants
27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. 28 Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was (K)Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, (L)Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. 30 Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.
31 Terah (M)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 forth together (N)from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. 32 The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.
Footnotes
- Genesis 11:9 Babel sounds like the Hebrew for confused
Genesis 11
1599 Geneva Bible
11 6 The building of Babel was the cause of the confusion of tongues. 10 The age and generation of Shem unto Abram. 31 Abram’s departure from Ur with his father Terah, Sarai and Lot. 32 The age and death of Terah.
1 Then the whole earth was of one language and one speech.
2 And [a]as [b]they went from the [c]East, they found a plain in the land of [d]Shinar, and there they abode.
3 And they said one to another, Come, let us make brick and burn it in the fire, so they had brick for stone, and slime had they instead of mortar.
4 Also they said, Go to, let us [e]build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto the heaven, that we may get us a name, lest we be scattered upon the whole earth.
5 But the Lord [f]came down, to see the city and tower which the sons of men built.
6 And the Lord said, [g]Behold, the people is one, and they all have one language, and this they begin to do, neither can they now be stopped from whatsoever they have imagined to do.
7 Come on, [h]let us go down, and [i]there confound their language, that everyone perceive not another’s speech.
8 So the Lord scattered them from thence upon all the earth, and they left off to build the city.
9 Therefore the name of it was called [j]Babel, because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: from thence then did the Lord scatter them upon all the earth.
10 ¶ (A)These are the generations [k]of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood.
11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
12 Also Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah.
13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah, four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber.
15 So Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
16 Likewise Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg.
17 So Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu.
19 (B)And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
20 Also Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug.
21 So Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
22 Moreover Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor.
23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah.
25 So Nahor lived after he begat Terah, an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
26 (C)So Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 ¶ Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat [l]Abram, Nahor, and Haran: and Haran begat Lot.
28 Then Haran died before Terah his father in the land of his nativity, in Ur of [m]the Chaldeans.
29 So Abram and Nahor took them wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of [n]Iscah.
30 But Sarai was barren, and had no child.
31 Then [o]Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife: and they departed together from Ur of the Chaldeans, to (D)go into the land of Canaan, and they came to [p]Haran, and dwelt there.
32 So the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Haran.
Footnotes
- Genesis 11:2 In the year one hundred and thirty after the flood.
- Genesis 11:2 To wit, Nimrod and his company.
- Genesis 11:2 That is, from Armenia where the Ark stayed.
- Genesis 11:2 Which was afterward called Chaldea.
- Genesis 11:4 They were moved with pride and ambition, thinking to prefer their own glory to God’s honor.
- Genesis 11:5 Meaning, that he declared by effect, that he knew their wicked enterprise: for God’s power is everywhere, and doth neither ascend nor descend.
- Genesis 11:6 God speaketh this in derision, because of their foolish persuasion and enterprise.
- Genesis 11:7 He speaketh as though he took counsel with his own wisdom and power: to wit, with the Son and holy Ghost: signifying the greatness and certainty of the punishment.
- Genesis 11:7 By this great plague of the confusion of tongues appeareth God’s horrible judgment against man’s pride and vain glory.
- Genesis 11:9 Or, confusion.
- Genesis 11:10 He returneth to the genealogy of Shem, to come to the history of Abram, wherein the Church of God is described, which is Moses’ principle purpose.
- Genesis 11:27 He maketh mention first of Abram, not because he was the firstborn, but for the history which properly appertaineth unto him. Also Abram at the confusion of tongues, was 48 years old, for in the destruction of Sodom he was 99. And it was destroyed 52 years after the confusion of tongues.
- Genesis 11:28 Hebrew, Casdim.
- Genesis 11:29 Some think that this Iscah was Sarai.
- Genesis 11:31 Albeit the oracle of God came to Abram, yet the honor is given to Terah, because he was the father.
- Genesis 11:31 Which was a city of Mesopotamia.
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