Douay-Rheims Catholic Bible RHE
New International Version NIV
1 And the earth was of one tongue, and of the same speech.
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Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
2 And when they removed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Sennaar, and dwelt in it.
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As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 And each one said to his neighbour: Come let us make brick, and bake them with fire. And they had brick instead of stones, and slime instead of mortar:
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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 And they said: Come, let us make a city and a tower, the top whereof may reach to heaven; and let us make our name famous before we be scattered abroad into all lands.
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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 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of Adam were building.
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But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
6 And he said: Behold, it is one people, and all have one tongue: and they have begun to do this, neither will they leave off from their designs, till they accomplish them in deed.
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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 ye, therefore, let us go down, and there confound their tongue, that they may not understand one another’s speech.
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Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 And so the Lord scattered them from that place into all lands, and they ceased to build the city.
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So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 And therefore the name thereof was called Babel, because there the language of the whole earth was confounded: and from thence the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of all countries.
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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.
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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.