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¹ Now the whole earth used one language and had the same words. ² As they journeyed in the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and they settled there. ³ They said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They had brick instead of stone and tar as mortar. ⁴ They said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower whose top will reach to the sky, and let us make a name for ourselves. If we do not, we will be scattered across the surface of the whole earth." ⁵ So Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower which the descendants of Adam had built. ⁶ Yahweh said, "Look, they are one people with the same language, and they are beginning to do this! Soon nothing that they intend to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they may not understand each other." ⁸ So Yahweh scattered them from there across the surface of all the earth and they stopped building the city. ⁹ Therefore, its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of the whole earth and from there Yahweh scattered them abroad over the surface of all the earth.

¹⁰ These were the descendants of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and he became the father of Arphaxad two years after the flood. ¹¹ Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arphaxad. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

¹² When Arphaxad had lived thirty-five years, he became the father of Shelah. ¹³ Arphaxad lived 403 years after he became the father of Shelah. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

¹⁴ When Shelah had lived thirty years, he became the father of Eber. ¹⁵ Shelah lived 403 years after he became the father of Eber. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

¹⁶ When Eber had lived thirty-four years, he became the father of Peleg. ¹⁷ Eber lived 430 years after he became the father of Peleg. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

¹⁸ When Peleg had lived thirty years, he became the father of Reu. ¹⁹ Peleg lived 209 years after he became the father of Reu. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

²⁰ When Reu had lived thirty-two years, he became the father of Serug. ²¹ Reu lived 207 years after he became the father of Serug. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

²² When Serug had lived thirty years, he became the father of Nahor. ²³ Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

²⁴ When Nahor had lived twenty-nine years, he became the father of Terah. ²⁵ Nahor lived 119 years after he became the father of Terah. He also became the father of other sons and daughters.

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

²⁷ Now these were the descendants of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran became the father of Lot. ²⁸ Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. ²⁹ Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai and the name of Nahor's wife was Milkah, a daughter of Haran, who was the father of Milkah and Iskah. ³⁰ Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.

³¹ Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of his son Haran, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife, and together they left Ur of the Chaldeans, to go into the land of Canaan. But they came to Haran and stayed there. ³² Terah lived 205 years and then died in Haran.