1 And the whole earth was of one language, and of the same words, 2 and it came to pass, in their journeying from the east, that they found a valley in the land of Shinar and stayed there. 3 And they each said to his neighbor, “Give help, let us make bricks, and bake them thoroughly.” And the brick was for stone for them, and the bitumen was for mortar for them. 4 And they said, “Come! Let us build for ourselves a city and tower with its head in the heavens, and make for ourselves a name, so we will not be scattered over the face of all the earth.” 5 And YHWH came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And YHWH said, “Look, the people are one, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do. And now, nothing will be restrained from them of that which they purpose to do. 7 Come! Let Us go down there and confuse their language, so that a man will not understand the language of his companion.” 8 And YHWH scattered them from there, over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city. 9 Therefore they called its name Babel, for there YHWH confused the language of all the earth, and from there YHWH scattered them over the face of all the earth.
10 This is the family history of Shem: Shem was 100 years old, and he fathered Arphaxad two years after the flood. 11 And Shem lived after he fathered Arphaxad 500 years, and fathered sons and daughters. 12 And Arphaxad lived 35 years, and fathered Salah. 13 And Arphaxad lived after he fathered Salah 403 years, and fathered sons and daughters. 14 And Salah had lived 30 years, and fathered Eber. 15 And Salah lived after he fathered Eber 403 years, and fathered sons and daughters. 16 And Eber lived 34 years, and fathered Peleg. 17 And Eber lived after he fathered Peleg 430 years, and fathered sons and daughters. 18 And Peleg lived 30 years, and fathered Reu. 19 And Peleg lived after he fathered Reu 209, and fathered sons and daughters. 20 And Reu lived 32 years, and fathered Serug. 21 And Reu lived after he fathered Serug 207 years, and fathered sons and daughters. 22 And Serug lived 30 years, and fathered Nahor. 23 And Serug lived after he fathered Nahor 200 years, and fathered sons and daughters. 24 And Nahor lived 29 years, and fathered Terah. 25 And Nahor lived after he fathered Terah 119 years, and fathered sons and daughters. 26 And Terah lived 70 years, and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
27 And this is the family history of Terah: Terah had fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran. And Haran had fathered Lot. 28 And Haran died in the presence of Terah his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 And Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, daughter of Haran, father of Milcah, and father of Iscah. 30 And Sarai was barren—she had no child. 31 And Terah took his son Abram, and Lot, son of Haran, his son’s son, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, wife of his son Abram, and they went out with them from Ur of the Chaldeans, to go toward the land of Canaan. And they came to Haran, and stayed there. 32 And the days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.