New International Reader's Version NIRV
New International Version NIV
1 The whole world had only one language. All people spoke it.
1
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
2 They moved to the east and found a broad valley in Babylonia. There they settled down.
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As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, "Come. Let's make bricks and bake them well." They used bricks instead of stones. They used tar to hold the bricks together.
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They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
4 Then they said, "Come. Let's build a city for ourselves. Let's build a tower that reaches to the sky. We'll make a name for ourselves. Then we won't be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
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Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
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But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
6 The LORD said, "They are one people. And all of them speak the same language. That is why they can do this. Now they will be able to do anything they plan to.
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The LORD said, “If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.
7 Come. Let us go down and mix up their language. Then they will not understand each other."
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Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over the whole earth. And they stopped building the city.
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So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 The LORD mixed up the language of the whole world there. That's why the city was named Babel. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
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That is why it was called Babel —because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
10 Here is the story of Shem. It was two years after the flood. When Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.
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This is the account of Shem’s family line. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arphaxad.
11 After Arphaxad was born, Shem lived 500 years. And he had other sons and daughters.
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And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.
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When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.
13 After Shelah was born, Arphaxad lived 403 years. And he had other sons and daughters.
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And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
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When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
15 After Eber was born, Shelah lived 403 years. And he had other sons and daughters.
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And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.
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When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.
17 After Peleg was born, Eber lived 430 years. And he had other sons and daughters.
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And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.
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When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.
19 After Reu was born, Peleg lived 209 years. And he had other sons and daughters.
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And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.
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When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.
21 After Serug was born, Reu lived 207 years. And he had other sons and daughters.
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And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.
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When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.
23 After Nahor was born, Serug lived 200 years. And he had other sons and daughters.
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And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.
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When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.
25 After Terah was born, Nahor lived 119 years. And he had other sons and daughters.
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And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26 Terah lived for 70 years. Then he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
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After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
27 Here is the story of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.
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This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.
28 Haran died in Ur in Babylonia. That was the land where he had been born. Haran died while his father Terah was still alive.
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While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.
29 Abram and Nahor both got married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai. The name of Nahor's wife was Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran. Haran was the father of Milcah and Iscah.
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Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.
30 But Sarai wasn't able to have children.
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Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.
31 Terah started out from Ur in Babylonia. He took his son Abram with him. He also took his grandson Lot. Lot was the son of Haran. And Terah took his daughter-in-law Sarai. She was the wife of his son Abram. All of them left together to go to Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled down.
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Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.
32 Terah lived for 205 years. He died in Haran.
32
Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.
Holy Bible, New International Reader's Version® Copyright © 1995, 1996, 1998 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®. NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica. All rights reserved worldwide.