Young's Literal Translation YLT
New International Version NIV
1 And the whole earth is of one pronunciation, and of the same words,
1
Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
2 and it cometh to pass, in their journeying from the east, that they find a valley in the land of Shinar, and dwell there;
2
As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
3 and they say each one to his neighbour, `Give help, let us make bricks, and burn [them] thoroughly:' and the brick is to them for stone, and the bitumen hath been to them 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 And they say, `Give help, let us build for ourselves a city and tower, and its head in the heavens, and make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of all the 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 Jehovah cometh down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men have builded;
5
But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
6 and Jehovah saith, `Lo, the people [is] one, and one pronunciation [is] to them all, and this it hath dreamed of doing; and now, nothing is restrained from them of that which they have purposed 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 Give help, let us go down, and mingle there their pronunciation, so that a man doth not understand the pronunciation of his companion.'
7
Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
8 And Jehovah doth scatter them from thence over the face of all the earth, and they cease to build the city;
8
So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
9 therefore hath [one] called its name Babel, for there hath Jehovah mingled the pronunciation of all the earth, and from thence hath Jehovah scattered them over 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] births of Shem: Shem [is] a son of an hundred years, and begetteth Arphaxad two years after the deluge.
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 liveth after his begetting Arphaxad five hundred years, and begetteth 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 hath lived five and thirty years, and begetteth Salah.
12
When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.
13 And Arphaxad liveth after his begetting Salah four hundred and three years, and begetteth 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 hath lived thirty years, and begetteth Eber.
14
When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
15 And Salah liveth after his begetting Eber four hundred and three years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
15
And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16 And Eber liveth four and thirty years, and begetteth Peleg.
16
When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.
17 And Eber liveth after his begetting Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
17
And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18 And Peleg liveth thirty years, and begetteth Reu.
18
When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.
19 And Peleg liveth after his begetting Reu two hundred and nine years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
19
And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 And Reu liveth two and thirty years, and begetteth Serug.
20
When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.
21 And Reu liveth after his begetting Serug two hundred and seven years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
21
And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22 And Serug liveth thirty years, and begetteth Nahor.
22
When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.
23 And Serug liveth after his begetting Nahor two hundred years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
23
And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24 And Nahor liveth nine and twenty years, and begetteth Terah.
24
When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.
25 And Nahor liveth after his begetting Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begetteth sons and daughters.
25
And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26 And Terah liveth seventy years, and begetteth Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
26
After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
27 And these [are] births of Terah: Terah hath begotten Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran hath begotten Lot;
27
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 and Haran dieth in the presence of Terah his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.
28
While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.
29 And Abram and Nahor take to themselves wives; the name of Abram's wife [is] Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife [is] Milcah, daughter of Haran, father of Milcah, and father of Iscah.
29
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 And Sarai is barren -- she hath no child.
30
Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.
31 And Terah taketh Abram his son, and Lot, son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, wife of Abram his son, and they go out with them from Ur of the Chaldees, to go towards the land of Canaan; and they come unto Charan, and dwell there.
31
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 And the days of Terah are two hundred and five years, and Terah dieth in Charan.
32
Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.
Young's Literal Translation 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.