Genesis 11
1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech.
At that time the whole world spoke just one language and used words with the same meaning.
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.
As they moved east they discovered a plain in the land of Shinar so they settled there.
3 And they said one to another, come, let us make brick, and burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and slime had they for mortar.
They said to one another, “Come on, let's make some bricks and bake them with fire.” (They used brick instead of stone, and tar instead of cement).
4 And they said, come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top may reach to heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we should be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.
Then they said, “Now let's build a city for ourselves with a tower whose top reaches the heavens. That way we'll gain a great reputation and we won't end up being scattered all over the world.”
5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men were building.
But the Lord came down to take a look at the city and the tower that the people were building.
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 withheld from them, which they have imagined to do.
The Lord said, “Look! These people are united and they all speak one language. If this is what they can do now when they're just getting started, nothing will be impossible for them when they all put their minds to it!
7 Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
We need to go down and mix up their language and make it confused so they won't be able to understand what they're saying to one other.”
8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there upon the face of all the earth: and they stopped building the city.
The Lord sent them away from there and scattered them all over the world, and they gave up building the city.
9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD there confounded the language of all the earth: and from there did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.
That's why it was called Babel, because the Lord made the language of the world confused.
10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:
The following is the genealogy of Shem. When Shem was 100, he had Arphaxad. This was two years after the flood.
11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
Shem lived another 500 years after Arphaxad was born and had other sons and daughters.
12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:
When Arphaxad was 35, he had Shelah.
13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
Arphaxad lived another 403 years after Shelah was born and had other sons and daughters.
14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
When Shelah was 30, he had Eber.
15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
Shelah lived another 403 years after Eber was born and had other sons and daughters.
16 And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg:
When Eber was 34, he had Peleg.
17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.
Eber lived another 430 years after Peleg was born and had other sons and daughters.
18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu:
When Peleg was 30, he had Reu.
19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.
Peleg lived another 209 years after Reu was born and had other sons and daughters.
20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug:
When Reu was 32, he had Serug.
21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.
Reu lived another 207 years after Serug was born and had other sons and daughters.
22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor:
When Serug was 30, he had Nahor.
23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
Serug lived another 200 years after Nahor was born and had other sons and daughters.
24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah:
When Nahor was 29, he had Terah.
25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.
Nahor lived another 119 years after Terah was born and had other sons and daughters.
26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
When Terah was 70, he had Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot.
The following is the genealogy of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot.
28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees.
However, Haran died while his father, Terah, was still alive, in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth.
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.
Abram and Nahor both got married. Abram's wife was named Sarai, and Nahor's wife was named Milcah. (She was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah).
30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
Sarai wasn't able to become pregnant and so had no children.
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 to Haran, and dwelt there.
Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, (who was the son of Haran), his daughter-in-law Sarai, (the wife of his son Abram), and left Ur of the Chaldeans to move to the land of Canaan. They got as far as Haran and settled there.
32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.
Terah lived for 205 years and died in Haran.
