New Living Translation

Christian Standard Bible

1At one time all the people of the world spoke the same language and used the same words.

1The whole earth had the same language and vocabulary.

2As the people migrated to the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.

2As people migrated from the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.

3They began saying to each other, “Let’s make bricks and harden them with fire.” (In this region bricks were used instead of stone, and tar was used for mortar.)

3They said to each other, "Come, let us make oven-fired bricks." (They used brick for stone and asphalt for mortar.)

4Then they said, “Come, let’s build a great city for ourselves with a tower that reaches into the sky. This will make us famous and keep us from being scattered all over the world.”

4And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky. Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered throughout the earth."

5But the LORD came down to look at the city and the tower the people were building.

5Then the LORD came down to look over the city and the tower that the humans were building.

6“Look!” he said. “The people are united, and they all speak the same language. After this, nothing they set out to do will be impossible for them!

6The LORD said, "If they have begun to do this as one people all having the same language, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.

7Come, let’s go down and confuse the people with different languages. Then they won’t be able to understand each other.”

7Come, let's go down there and confuse their language so that they will not understand one another's speech."

8In that way, the LORD scattered them all over the world, and they stopped building the city.

8So from there the LORD scattered them throughout the earth, and they stopped building the city.

9That is why the city was called Babel, because that is where the LORD confused the people with different languages. In this way he scattered them all over the world. The Line of Descent from Shem to Abram

9Therefore it is called Babylon, for there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the LORD scattered them throughout the earth.

10This is the account of Shem’s family. Two years after the great flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.

10These are the family records of Shem. Shem lived 100 years and fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood.

11After the birth of Arphaxad, Shem lived another 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

11After he fathered Arpachshad, Shem lived 500 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

12When Arphaxad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah.

12Arpachshad lived 35 years and fathered Shelah.

13After the birth of Shelah, Arphaxad lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

13After he fathered Shelah, Arpachshad lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

14When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber.

14Shelah lived 30 years and fathered Eber.

15After the birth of Eber, Shelah lived another 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

15After he fathered Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

16When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg.

16Eber lived 34 years and fathered Peleg.

17After the birth of Peleg, Eber lived another 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

17After he fathered Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

18When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu.

18Peleg lived 30 years and fathered Reu.

19After the birth of Reu, Peleg lived another 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

19After he fathered Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

20When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug.

20Reu lived 32 years and fathered Serug.

21After the birth of Serug, Reu lived another 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

21After he fathered Serug, Reu lived 207 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

22When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor.

22Serug lived 30 years and fathered Nahor.

23After the birth of Nahor, Serug lived another 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

23After he fathered Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

24When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah.

24Nahor lived 29 years and fathered Terah.

25After the birth of Terah, Nahor lived another 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

25After he fathered Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

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

26Terah lived 70 years and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27This is the account of Terah’s family. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran was the father of Lot.

27These are the family records of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot.

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

28Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans, during his father Terah's lifetime.

29Meanwhile, Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah. (Milcah and her sister Iscah were daughters of Nahor’s brother Haran.)

29Abram and Nahor took wives: Abram's wife was named Sarai, and Nahor's wife was named Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah.

30But Sarai was unable to become pregnant and had no children.

30Sarai was unable to conceive; she did not have a child.

31One day Terah took his son Abram, his daughter-in-law Sarai (his son Abram’s wife), and his grandson Lot (his son Haran’s child) and moved away from Ur of the Chaldeans. He was headed for the land of Canaan, but they stopped at Haran and settled there.

31Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran's son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram's wife, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there.

32Terah lived for 205 years and died while still in Haran.

32Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission.