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.

Then the whole earth was of one language and one speech.

And [a]as [b]they went from the [c]East, they found a plain in the land of [d]Shinar, and there they abode.

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.

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.

But the Lord [f]came down, to see the city and tower which the sons of men built.

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.

Come on, [h]let us go down, and [i]there confound their language, that everyone perceive not another’s speech.

So the Lord scattered them from thence upon all the earth, and they left off to build the city.

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

  1. Genesis 11:2 In the year one hundred and thirty after the flood.
  2. Genesis 11:2 To wit, Nimrod and his company.
  3. Genesis 11:2 That is, from Armenia where the Ark stayed.
  4. Genesis 11:2 Which was afterward called Chaldea.
  5. Genesis 11:4 They were moved with pride and ambition, thinking to prefer their own glory to God’s honor.
  6. 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.
  7. Genesis 11:6 God speaketh this in derision, because of their foolish persuasion and enterprise.
  8. 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.
  9. Genesis 11:7 By this great plague of the confusion of tongues appeareth God’s horrible judgment against man’s pride and vain glory.
  10. Genesis 11:9 Or, confusion.
  11. 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.
  12. 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.
  13. Genesis 11:28 Hebrew, Casdim.
  14. Genesis 11:29 Some think that this Iscah was Sarai.
  15. Genesis 11:31 Albeit the oracle of God came to Abram, yet the honor is given to Terah, because he was the father.
  16. Genesis 11:31 Which was a city of Mesopotamia.

The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole world had one language(A) and a common speech. As people moved eastward,[a] they found a plain in Shinar[b](B) and settled there.

They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks(C) and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone,(D) and tar(E) for mortar. Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens,(F) so that we may make a name(G) for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered(H) over the face of the whole earth.”(I)

But the Lord came down(J) to see the city and the tower the people were building. The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language(K) they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. Come, let us(L) go down(M) and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”(N)

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth,(O) and they stopped building the city. That is why it was called Babel[c](P)—because there the Lord confused the language(Q) of the whole world.(R) From there the Lord scattered(S) them over the face of the whole earth.

From Shem to Abram(T)

10 This is the account(U) of Shem’s family line.

Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father[d] of Arphaxad.(V) 11 And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.(W) 13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.[e]

14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.(X) 15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.(Y) 17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.(Z) 19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.(AA) 21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.(AB) 23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.(AC) 25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram,(AD) Nahor(AE) and Haran.(AF)

Abram’s Family

27 This is the account(AG) of Terah’s family line.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor(AH) and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.(AI) 28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans,(AJ) in the land of his birth. 29 Abram and Nahor(AK) both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai,(AL) and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah;(AM) she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. 30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.(AN)

31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot(AO) son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law(AP) Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans(AQ) to go to Canaan.(AR) But when they came to Harran,(AS) they settled there.

32 Terah(AT) lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 11:2 Or from the east; or in the east
  2. Genesis 11:2 That is, Babylonia
  3. Genesis 11:9 That is, Babylon; Babel sounds like the Hebrew for confused.
  4. Genesis 11:10 Father may mean ancestor; also in verses 11-25.
  5. Genesis 11:13 Hebrew; Septuagint (see also Luke 3:35, 36 and note at Gen. 10:24) 35 years, he became the father of Cainan. 13 And after he became the father of Cainan, Arphaxad lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters, and then he died. When Cainan had lived 130 years, he became the father of Shelah. And after he became the father of Shelah, Cainan lived 330 years and had other sons and daughters