World English Bible WEB
New International Version NIV
1 The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.
1
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
2 It happened, as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they lived there.
2
As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 They said one to another, "Come, let's make brick, and burn them thoroughly." They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.
3
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 They said, "Come, let's build us a city, and a tower, whose top reaches to the sky, and let's make us a name; lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth."
4
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 Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.
5
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
6 Yahweh said, "Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language; and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do.
6
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's go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another's speech."
7
Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city.
8
So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 Therefore the name of it was called Babel, because Yahweh confused the language of all the earth, there. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.
9
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.
The World English Bible is in the public domain.
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.