Genesis 11

"The Tower of Babel"

1And the whole earth was of one language, and of one speech. 2And it came to pass, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there. 3And they said one to another, "Come, let us make brick, and fire them thoroughly."And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. 4And they said, "Come, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven, and let us make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth." 5And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men were building.

The building of Babel was the cause of the confusion of tongues.

6And the LORD said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have one language^a; and this is what they begin to do! And now, shall it not be witholden^b from them, that which they purpose to do?" 7"Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech." 8So the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off building the city. 9Therefore was the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound^a the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

^{<a href="#note_910">10</a>} The age and generation of Shem unto Abram.

10These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and begat Arpachshad two years after the flood: 11and Shem lived after he begat Arpachshad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 12And Arpachshad lived five and thirty years, and begat Shelah: 13and Arpachshad lived after he begat Shelah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 14And Shelah lived thirty years, and begat Eber: 15and Shelah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters. 16And Eber lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg: 17and Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters. 18And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu: 19and Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters. 20And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug: 21and Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters. 22And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor: 23and Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters. 24And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah: 25and Nahor lived after he begat Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters. 26And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran. 27Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot. 28And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees. 29And 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. 30And Sarai was barren; she had no child.

Abram’s departure from Ur with his father Terah, Sarai and Lot.

31And 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 unto Haran, and dwelt there. 32The age and death of Terah.
And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.