Genesis 11
Common English Bible
Origin of languages and cultures
11 All people[a] on the earth had one language and the same words. 2 When they traveled east,[b] they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them hard.” They used bricks for stones and asphalt for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let’s build for ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves so that we won’t be dispersed over all the earth.”
5 Then the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the humans built. 6 And the Lord said, “There is now one people and they all have one language. This is what they have begun to do, and now all that they plan to do will be possible for them. 7 Come, let’s go down and mix up their language there so they won’t understand each other’s language.” 8 Then the Lord dispersed them from there over all of the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore, it is named Babel, because there the Lord mixed up[c] the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord dispersed them over all the earth.
Shem’s descendants
10 These are Shem’s descendants.
When Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arpachshad, two years after the flood. 11 After Arpachshad was born, Shem lived 500 years; he had other sons and daughters.
12 When Arpachshad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah. 13 After Shelah was born, Arpachshad lived 403 years; he had other sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber. 15 After Eber was born, Shelah lived 403 years; he had other sons and daughters.
16 When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg. 17 After Peleg was born, Eber lived 430 years; he had other sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu. 19 After Reu was born, Peleg lived 209 years; he had other sons and daughters.
20 When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug. 21 After Serug was born, Reu lived 207 years; he had other sons and daughters.
22 When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor. 23 After Nahor was born, Serug lived 200 years; he had other sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah. 25 After Terah was born, Nahor lived 119 years; he had other sons and daughters.
26 When Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 These are Terah’s descendants. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot. 28 Haran died while with his father Terah in his native land,[d] in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor both married; Abram’s wife was Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was Milcah the daughter of Haran, father of both Milcah and Iscah. 30 Sarai was unable to have children. 31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (son of Haran), and his son Abram’s wife, Sarai his daughter-in-law. They left Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan, and arriving at Haran, they settled there. 32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.
Footnotes
- Genesis 11:1 Heb lacks people.
- Genesis 11:2 Or from the east
- Genesis 11:9 Heb balal, wordplay on Babel
- Genesis 11:28 Or birthplace
Genesis 11
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.
Copyright © 2011 by Common English Bible
Tree of Life (TLV) Translation of the Bible. Copyright © 2015 by The Messianic Jewish Family Bible Society.