Genesis 11

The City and the Tower

1The whole earth had one language and the same words. 2As people traveled from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.

3They said to one another, “Come on, let us make bricks and burn them hard.” They used brick in place of stone, and bitumen in place of mortar. 4Then they said, “Come on, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens. Let us make a name for ourselves so that we will not be scattered over the whole earth.”

5The LORD came down to see the city and the tower the humans had built. 6The LORD said, “Look, they are one people, all with one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. Now nothing they plan will be beyond their reach.

7Come on, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they cannot understand one another.”

8So the LORD scattered them from there across the whole earth, and they stopped building the city. 9That is why it was called Babel: there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the LORD scattered them across the whole earth.

Shem’s Family Line

10This is the account of Shem's family. Shem was 100 years old when he became the father of Arpachshad, two years after the flood. 11After Arpachshad's birth, Shem lived another 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

12Arpachshad was 35 years old when he became the father of Shelah. 13After Shelah's birth, Arpachshad lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

14Shelah was 30 years old when he became the father of Eber. 15After Eber's birth, Shelah lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

16Eber was 34 years old when he became the father of Peleg. 17After Peleg's birth, Eber lived another 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

18Peleg was 30 years old when he became the father of Reu. 19After Reu's birth, Peleg lived another 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

20Reu was 32 years old when he became the father of Serug. 21After Serug's birth, Reu lived another 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

22Serug was 30 years old when he became the father of Nahor. 23After Nahor's birth, Serug lived another 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

24Nahor was 29 years old when he became the father of Terah. 25After Terah's birth, Nahor lived another 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

26Terah was 70 years old, and he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Terah’s Family

27This is the account of Terah's family. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran became the father of Lot.

28Haran died while his father Terah was still alive, in Ur of the Chaldeans, the land of his birth.

29Abram and Nahor married. Abram's wife was named Sarai, and Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.

30Sarai could not bear children; she had no child.

31Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot, who was Haran's son, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, Abram's wife. Together they left Ur of the Chaldeans for Canaan. When they reached Haran, they settled there.

32Terah lived 205 years. He died in Haran.