The Tower of Babel

1Now all the earth [a]used the same language and [b]the same words. 2And it came about, as they journeyed [c]east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and [d]settled there. 3Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and [e]fire them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let’s make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of all the earth.” 5Now the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the [f]men had built. 6And the LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have [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. 7Come, [i]let Us go down and there confuse their [j]language, so that they will not understand one another’s [k]speech.” 8So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth; and they stopped building the city. 9Therefore it was named [l]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

10These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old when he fathered Arpachshad, two years after the flood; 11and Shem lived five hundred years after he fathered Arpachshad, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

12Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and fathered Shelah; 13and Arpachshad lived 403 years after he fathered Shelah, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

14Shelah lived thirty years, and fathered Eber; 15and Shelah lived 403 years after he fathered Eber, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

16Eber lived thirty-four years, and fathered Peleg; 17and Eber lived 430 years after he fathered Peleg, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

18Peleg lived thirty years, and fathered Reu; 19and Peleg lived 209 years after he fathered Reu, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

20Reu lived thirty-two years, and fathered Serug; 21and Reu lived 207 years after he fathered Serug, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

22Serug lived thirty years, and fathered Nahor; 23and Serug lived two hundred years after he fathered Nahor, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

24Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and fathered Terah; 25and Nahor lived 119 years after he fathered Terah, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

26Terah lived seventy years, and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. 28Haran died [n]during the lifetime of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29Abram 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, the father of Milcah [o]and Iscah. 30Sarai was unable to conceive; she did not have a child.

31Now 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 Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran and [q]settled there. 32The days of Terah were 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.

[a] 1 Lit was one lip
[b] 1 Or few or one set of words
[c] 2 Or from the east
[d] 2 Lit dwelt
[e] 3 I.e., in a kiln to harden them
[f] 5 Lit sons of mankind
[g] 6 Lit one lip
[h] 6 Lit inaccessible to
[i] 7 I.e., indicating united action, not a request
[j] 7 Lit lip
[k] 7 Lit lip
[l] 9 Or Babylon; cf. Heb balal, confuse
[m] 9 Lit lip
[n] 28 Lit before the face of
[o] 29 Lit and the father of
[p] 31 Lit with them
[q] 31 Lit dwelt