Genesis 11

¹The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. ²As they travelled east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there. ³They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. ⁴They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”

⁵The LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built. ⁶The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do. ⁷Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.” ⁸So the LORD scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city. ⁹Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of all the earth. From there, the LORD scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.

¹⁰This is the history of the generations of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old when he became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood. ¹¹Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and became the father of more sons and daughters.

¹²Arpachshad lived thirty-five years and became the father of Shelah. ¹³Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Shelah, and became the father of more sons and daughters.

¹⁴Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber. ¹⁵Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Eber, and became the father of more sons and daughters.

¹⁶Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg. ¹⁷Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and became the father of more sons and daughters.

¹⁸Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu. ¹⁹Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he became the father of Reu, and became the father of more sons and daughters.

²⁰Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug. ²¹Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he became the father of Serug, and became the father of more sons and daughters.

²²Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor. ²³Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and became the father of more sons and daughters.

²⁴Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah. ²⁵Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and became the father of more sons and daughters.

²⁶Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot. ²⁸Haran died in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees, while his father Terah was still alive. ²⁹Abram and Nahor married wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, who was also the father of Iscah. ³⁰Sarai was barren. She had no child. ³¹Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife. They went from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran and lived there. ³²The days of Terah were two hundred and five years. Terah died in Haran.