Genesis 11
New American Standard Bible
The Tower of Babel
11 Now all the earth [a]used the same language and [b]the same words. 2 And it came about, as they journeyed [c]east, that they found a plain in the land (A)of Shinar and [d]settled there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and [e]fire them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used (B)tar for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top (C)will reach into heaven, and let’s make (D)a name for ourselves; otherwise we (E)will be scattered abroad over the face of all the earth.” 5 Now (F)the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the [f]men had built. 6 And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have [g](G)the same language. And this is what they have started to do, and now nothing which they plan to do will be [h]impossible for them. 7 Come, [i](H)let Us go down and there (I)confuse their [j]language, so that they will not understand one another’s [k]speech.” 8 So the Lord (J)scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth; and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore it was named [l](K)Babel, because there the Lord confused the [m]language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Descendants of Shem
10 (L)These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old when he fathered Arpachshad, two years after the flood; 11 and Shem lived five hundred years after he fathered Arpachshad, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
12 Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and fathered Shelah; 13 and Arpachshad lived 403 years after he fathered Shelah, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
14 Shelah lived thirty years, and fathered Eber; 15 and Shelah lived 403 years after he fathered Eber, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and fathered Peleg; 17 and Eber lived 430 years after he fathered Peleg, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
18 Peleg lived thirty years, and fathered Reu; 19 and Peleg lived 209 years after he fathered Reu, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and fathered Serug; 21 and Reu lived 207 years after he fathered Serug, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
22 Serug lived thirty years, and fathered Nahor; 23 and Serug lived two hundred years after he fathered Nahor, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and fathered (M)Terah; 25 and Nahor lived 119 years after he fathered Terah, and he fathered other sons and daughters.
26 Terah lived seventy years, and (N)fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and (O)Haran fathered (P)Lot. 28 Haran died [n]during the lifetime of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in (Q)Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and (R)Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was (S)Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was (T)Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah [o]and Iscah. 30 (U)Sarai was unable to conceive; she did not have a child.
31 Now Terah took his son Abram, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they departed [p]together from (V)Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran and [q]settled there. 32 The days of Terah were 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.
Footnotes
- Genesis 11:1 Lit was one lip
- Genesis 11:1 Or few or one set of words
- Genesis 11:2 Or from the east
- Genesis 11:2 Lit dwelt
- Genesis 11:3 I.e., in a kiln to harden them
- Genesis 11:5 Lit sons of mankind
- Genesis 11:6 Lit one lip
- Genesis 11:6 Lit inaccessible to
- Genesis 11:7 I.e., indicating united action, not a request
- Genesis 11:7 Lit lip
- Genesis 11:7 Lit lip
- Genesis 11:9 Or Babylon; cf. Heb balal, confuse
- Genesis 11:9 Lit lip
- Genesis 11:28 Lit before the face of
- Genesis 11:29 Lit and the father of
- Genesis 11:31 Lit with them
- Genesis 11:31 Lit dwelt
Genesis 11
King James Version
11 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there.
3 And they said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for morter.
4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
6 And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.
7 Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.
8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
10 These are the generations 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 And 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 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:
17 And 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 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:
21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
22 And 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 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
29 And 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 Iscah.
30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
31 And 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 went forth with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelt there.
32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
Genesis 11
Wycliffe Bible
11 Forsooth (all) the land was of one language, and of the same speech. [Forsooth the (whole) earth was of one lip, and of the same words.]
2 And when they went forth from the east, they found a field in the land of Shinar, and they dwelled therein.
3 And one said to his neighbour (And they said to one another), Come ye, and make we tilestones, and bake we those with fire; and they had tile for stones, and pitch, either strong glue, for mortar;
4 and they said, Come ye, and make we to us a city and a tower, whose highness stretch till to (the) heaven(s); and make we solemn our name, before that we be parted into all lands. (and they said, Come ye, and let us make a city, and a tower whose height shall stretch up to the sky; and make we our name well-known, or else we shall soon be parted from each other into all the earth.)
5 Forsooth the Lord came down to see the city, and the tower, which the sons of Adam builded (which the sons of men were building).
6 And he said, Lo! the people is one, and one language is to all, and they have begun to make this; neither they shall cease of their thoughts, till they [ful]fill those in work (and they shall not cease from their thoughts, until they have fulfilled them in deed);
7 therefore come ye, go we down, and shame we there the tongue of them, that each man hear not the voice of his neighbour. (and so come ye, let us go down there, and confuse their tongues, so that each person shall not be able to understand their neighbour’s voice.)
8 And so the Lord separated them from that place into all (the) lands; and they ceased to build the city.
9 And therefore the name thereof was called Babel, for the language of all [the] earth was confounded there; and from thence the Lord scattered them on the face of all countries (and from there the Lord scattered them over all the face of the earth).
10 These be the generations of Shem (These be the descendants of Shem). Shem was an hundred years (old) when he begat Arphaxad, two years after the great flood.
11 And Shem lived after that he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
12 Forsooth Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and (then) begat Salah;
13 and Arphaxad lived after that he begat Salah three hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. (and Arphaxad lived after that he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.)
14 And Salah lived thirty years, and (then) begat Eber;
15 and Salah lived after that he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
16 Soothly Eber lived four and thirty years, and (then) begat Peleg;
17 and Eber lived after that he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
18 Also Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu; (And Peleg lived thirty years, and then begat Reu;)
19 and Peleg lived after that he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and (then) begat Serug;
21 and Reu lived after that he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
22 Soothly Serug lived thirty years, and (then) begat Nahor;
23 and Serug lived after that he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
24 Forsooth Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and (then) begat Terah;
25 and Nahor lived after that he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
26 And Terah lived seventy years, and (then) begat Abram[a], Nahor, and Haran.
27 Soothly these be the generations of Terah (These be the descendants of Terah). Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Forsooth Haran begat Lot;
28 and Haran died before Terah, his father, in the land of his nativity, in Ur of Chaldees (in Ur of the Chaldeans, later called Babylon).
29 Forsooth Abram and Nahor wedded wives; the name of the wife of Abram was Sarai, and the name of the wife of Nahor was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, (the) father of Milcah, and (also the) father of Iscah. (And Abram and Nahor wedded wives; the name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of his brother Haran, who was also the father of Iscah.)
30 Soothly Sarai was barren, and had no children.
31 And so Terah took Abram, his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, his son, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram, his son, and led them out of Ur of Chaldees, that they should go into the land of Canaan; and they came unto Haran, and dwelled there. (And Terah took his son Abram, and Lot, the son of his son Haran, and Sarai, his daughter-in-law, the wife of his son Abram, and led them out from Ur of the Chaldeans, to go to the land of Canaan; and they came to Haran, and lived there.)
32 And the days of Terah were made two hundred years and five, and he was dead in Haran. (And all the days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and then he died in Haran.)
Footnotes
- Genesis 11:26 God would later change Abram’s name to Abraham.
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2001 by Terence P. Noble