Common English Bible CEB
The Message Bible MSG
1 All people on the earth had one language and the same words.
1
At one time, the whole Earth spoke the same language.
2 When they traveled east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.
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It so happened that as they moved out of the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled down.
3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them hard." They used bricks for stones and asphalt for mortar.
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They said to one another, "Come, let's make bricks and fire them well." They used brick for stone and tar for mortar.
4 They said, "Come, let's build for ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky, and let's make a name for ourselves so that we won't be dispersed over all the earth."
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Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let's make ourselves famous so we won't be scattered here and there across the Earth."
5 Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the humans built.
5
God came down to look over the city and the tower those people had built.
6 And the LORD said, "There is now one people and they all have one language. This is what they have begun to do, and now all that they plan to do will be possible for them.
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God took one look and said, "One people, one language; why, this is only a first step. No telling what they'll come up with next - they'll stop at nothing!
7 Come, let's go down and mix up their language there so they won't understand each other's language."
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Come, we'll go down and garble their speech so they won't understand each other."
8 Then the LORD dispersed them from there over all of the earth, and they stopped building the city.
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Then God scattered them from there all over the world. And they had to quit building the city.
9 Therefore, it is named Babel, because there the LORD mixed up the language of all the earth; and from there the LORD dispersed them over all the earth.
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That's how it came to be called Babel, because there God turned their language into "babble." From there God scattered them all over the world.
10 These are Shem's descendants. When Shem was 100 years old, he became the father of Arpachshad, two years after the flood.
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This is the story of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he had Arphaxad. It was two years after the flood.
11 After Arpachshad was born, Shem lived 500 years; he had other sons and daughters.
11
After he had Arphaxad, he lived 600 more years and had other sons and daughters.
12 When Arpachshad was 35 years old, he became the father of Shelah.
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When Arphaxad was thirty-five years old, he had Shelah.
13 After Shelah was born, Arpachshad lived 403 years; he had other sons and daughters.
13
After Arphaxad had Shelah, he lived 403 more years and had other sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah was 30 years old, he became the father of Eber.
14
When Shelah was thirty years old, he had Eber.
15 After Eber was born, Shelah lived 403 years; he had other sons and daughters.
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After Shelah had Eber, he lived 403 more years and had other sons and daughters.
16 When Eber was 34 years old, he became the father of Peleg.
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When Eber was thirty-four years old, he had Peleg.
17 After Peleg was born, Eber lived 430 years; he had other sons and daughters.
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After Eber had Peleg, he lived 403 more years and had other sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg was 30 years old, he became the father of Reu.
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When Peleg was thirty years old, he had Reu.
19 After Reu was born, Peleg lived 209 years; he had other sons and daughters.
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After he had Reu, he lived 209 more years and had other sons and daughters.
20 When Reu was 32 years old, he became the father of Serug.
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When Reu was thirty-two years old, he had Serug.
21 After Serug was born, Reu lived 207 years; he had other sons and daughters.
21
After Reu had Serug, he lived 207 more years and had other sons and daughters.
22 When Serug was 30 years old, he became the father of Nahor.
22
When Serug was thirty years old, he had Nahor.
23 After Nahor was born, Serug lived 200 years; he had other sons and daughters.
23
After Serug had Nahor, he lived 200 more years and had other sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor was 29 years old, he became the father of Terah.
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When Nahor was twenty-nine years old, he had Terah.
25 After Terah was born, Nahor lived 119 years; he had other sons and daughters.
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After Nahor had Terah, he lived 119 more years and had other sons and daughters.
26 When Terah was 70 years old, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
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When Terah was seventy years old, he had Abram, Nahor, and Haran. The Family Tree of Terah
27 These are Terah's descendants. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot.
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This is the story of Terah. Terah had Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
28 Haran died while with his father Terah in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans.
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Haran died before his father, Terah, in the country of his family, Ur of the Chaldees.
29 Abram and Nahor both married; Abram's wife was Sarai, and Nahor's wife was Milcah the daughter of Haran, father of both Milcah and Iscah.
29
Abram and Nahor each got married. Abram's wife was Sarai; Nahor's wife was Milcah, the daughter of his brother Haran. Haran had two daughters, Milcah and Iscah.
30 Sarai was unable to have children.
30
Sarai was barren; she had no children.
31 Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (son of Haran), and his son Abram's wife, Sarai his daughter-in-law. They left Ur of the Chaldeans for the land of Canaan, and arriving at Haran, they settled there.
31
Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran's son), and Sarai his daughter-in-law (his son Abram's wife) and set out with them from Ur of the Chaldees for the land of Canaan. But when they got as far as Haran, they settled down there.
32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.
32
Terah lived 205 years. He died in Haran.