New International Version NIV
New Century Version NCV
1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
1
At this time the whole world spoke one language, and everyone used the same words.
2 As people moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
2
As people moved from the east, they found a plain in the land of Babylonia and settled there.
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.
3
They said to each other, "Let's make bricks and bake them to make them hard." So they used bricks instead of stones, and tar instead of mortar.
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.”
4
Then they said to each other, "Let's build a city and a tower for ourselves, whose top will reach high into the sky. We will become famous. Then we will not be scattered over all the earth."
5 But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.
5
The Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built.
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.
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The Lord said, "Now, these people are united, all speaking the same language. This is only the beginning of what they will do. They will be able to do anything they want.
7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”
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Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not be able to understand each other."
8 So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
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So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
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.
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The place is called Babeln since that is where the Lord confused the language of the whole world. So the Lord caused them to spread out from there over the whole world.
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.
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This is the family history of Shem. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, his son Arphaxad was born.
11 And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
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After that, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.
12 When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.
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When Arphaxad was 35 years old, his son Shelah was born.
13 And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
13
After that, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
14 When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.
14
When Shelah was 30 years old, his son Eber was born.
15 And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
15
After that, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.
16 When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.
16
When Eber was 34 years old, his son Peleg was born.
17 And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
17
After that, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.
18 When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.
18
When Peleg was 30 years old, his son Reu was born.
19 And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
19
After that, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.
20 When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.
20
When Reu was 32 years old, his son Serug was born.
21 And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
21
After that, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.
22 When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.
22
When Serug was 30 years old, his son Nahor was born.
23 And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
23
After that, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.
24 When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.
24
When Nahor was 29 years old, his son Terah was born.
25 And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
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After that, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.
26 After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
26
After Terah was 70 years old, his sons Abram, Nahor, and Haran were born.
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.
27
This is the family history of Terah. Terah was the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran was the father of Lot.
28 While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.
28
While his father, Terah, was still alive, Haran died in Ur in Babylonia, where he was born.
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.
29
Abram and Nahor both married. Abram's wife was named Sarai, and Nahor's wife was named Milcah. She was the daughter of Haran, who was the father of both Milcah and Iscah.
30 Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.
30
Sarai was not able to have children.
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.
31
Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran's son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai (Abram's wife) and moved out of Ur of Babylonia. They had planned to go to the land of Canaan, but when they reached the city of Haran, they settled there.
32 Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.
32
Terah lived to be 205 years old, and then he died in Haran.
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.
Scripture taken from the New Century Version. Copyright © 1987, 1988, 1991 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.