King James Version KJV
New International Version NIV
4 And they said, Go to, 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.
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 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
5
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
6 And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined 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 Go to, let us go down, and there confound 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 the LORD scattered them abroad from thence upon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.
8
So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face 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.
10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:
10
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 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.
11
And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat Salah:
12
When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.
13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.
13
And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:
14
When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
The King James Version 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.