Genesis 11
1 At first, all the people in [MTY] the world spoke the same language [DOU].
Now the earth was of one language and of the same speech.
2 As people moved further east, they arrived at a plain in Babylonia region and began to live there.
And when they were advancing from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt in it.
3 Then they said to each other, “(Hey/Come on), let’s form bricks and bake them to make them hard, for building!” So they used bricks instead of stones, and used tar instead of (mortar/a mixture of cement, sand and lime) to hold them together.
And each one said to his neighbor, “Come, let us make bricks, and bake them with fire.” And they had bricks instead of stones, and pitch instead of mortar.
4 They said, “Hey, let’s build a city for ourselves! We also ought to build a very high tower that reaches up to the sky! In that way we will become famous! If we do not do this, we will be scattered all over the earth!”
And they said: “Come, let us make a city and a tower, so that its height may reach to heaven. And let us make our name famous before we are divided into all the lands.”
5 So they began to build the city and the tower. Then Yahweh looked down and saw the city and the tower that those [puny] men were building.
Then the Lord descended to see the city and the tower, which the sons of Adam were building.
6 Yahweh said, “These people are one group that all speak the same language. If they have begun to do this now, then (there is nothing that they will decide to do that will be impossible for them/they will be able to do whatever they decide to do) [LIT]!
And he said: “Behold, the people are united, and all have one tongue. And since they have begun to do this, they will not desist from their plans, until they have completed their work.
7 So, okay/now, we will go down there and cause there to be many different languages, so that they will not be able to understand each other.”
Therefore, come, let us descend, and in that place confound their tongue, so that they may not listen, each one to the voice of his neighbor.”
8 So Yahweh did that. As a result, the people stopped building the city, and Yahweh caused them to disperse all over the earth.
And so the Lord divided them from that place into all the lands, and they ceased to build the city.
9 The city was called Babel which means ‘confusion’, because there Yahweh caused the people to become confused because the people [MTY] spoke [different languages that the others could not understand], not just one language. From there Yahweh caused them to disperse all over the earth.
And for this reason, its name was called ‘Babel,’ because in that place the language of the whole earth became confused. And from then on, the Lord scattered them across the face of every region.
10 (This is a bigger list/I will now tell you more) of the descendants of Shem: Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arpachshad.
These are the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old when he conceived Arphaxad, two years after the great flood.
11 After Arpachshad was born, Shem lived 500 more years and had more sons and daughters.
And after he conceived Arphaxad, Shem lived for five hundred years, and he conceived sons and daughters.
12 When Arphachshad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah.
Next, Arphaxad lived for thirty-five years, and then he conceived Shelah.
13 After Shelah was born, Arpachshad lived 403 more years and became the father of more sons and daughters.
And after he conceived Shelah, Arphaxad lived for three hundred and three years, and he conceived sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber.
Likewise, Shelah lived for thirty years, and then he conceived Eber.
15 After Eber was born, Shelah lived 403 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
And after he conceived Eber, Shelah lived for four hundred and three years, and he conceived sons and daughters.
16 When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg.
Then Eber lived for thirty-four years, and he conceived Peleg.
17 After Peleg was born, Eber lived 430 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
And after he conceived Peleg, Eber lived for four hundred and thirty years, and he conceived sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu.
Likewise, Peleg lived for thirty years, and then he conceived Reu.
19 After Reu was born, Peleg lived 209 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
And after he conceived Reu, Peleg lived for two hundred and nine years, and he conceived sons and daughters.
20 When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug.
Then Reu lived for thirty-two years, and then he conceived Serug.
21 After Serug was born, Reu lived 207 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
Likewise, after he conceived Serug, Reu lived for two hundred and seven years, and he conceived sons and daughters.
22 When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor.
In truth, Serug lived for thirty years, and then he conceived Nahor.
23 After Nahor was born, Serug lived 200 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
And after he conceived Nahor, Serug lived for two hundred years, and he conceived sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah.
And so Nahor lived for twenty-nine years, and then he conceived Terah.
25 After Terah was born, Nahor lived 119 more years and became the father of other sons and daughters.
And after he conceived Terah, Nahor lived for one hundred and nineteen years, and he conceived sons and daughters.
26 When Terah was 70 years old, his son Abram was born. Later, two other sons, Nahor and Haran were born.
And Terah lived for seventy years, and then he conceived Abram, and Nahor, and Haran.
27 (This is/I will now give) a list of the descendants of Terah: Terah’s sons were Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran’s son was named Lot.
And these are the generations of Terah. Terah conceived Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Next Haran conceived Lot.
28 Haran died before his father died. He died in Ur [city] in Chaldea land, where he was born.
And Haran died before his father Terah, in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
29 Abram and Nahor both married. Abram’s wife was named Sarai, and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah. Milcah and her younger sister Iscah were the daughters of Haran.
Then Abram and Nahor took wives. 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, and the father of Iscah.
30 Sarai was unable to bear any children.
But Sarai was barren and had no children.
31 Terah decided to leave Ur and go to live in Canaan land. So he took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and Abram’s wife Sarai with him. But instead of going to Canaan, they stopped at Haran [town] and lived there.
And so Terah took his son Abram, and his grandson Lot, the son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and he led them away from Ur of the Chaldeans, to go into the land of Canaan. And they approached as far as Haran, and they dwelt there.
32 When Terah was 205 years old, he died there in Haran.
And the days of Terah that passed were two hundred and five years, and then he died in Haran.
