¶ And the whole earth was¹ of one language², and of one speech.

And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east³, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar⁴; and they dwelt there.

And they said one to another⁵, Go to, let us make brick, and burn them throughly⁶. And they had brick for stone, and slime⁷ had they for morter.

And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, whose⁸ top may reach unto heaven; and let⁹ us make us a name, lest¹⁰ we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

¶¹¹And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

And the LORD said, Behold,¹² the people¹³ 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 imagined¹⁴ to do.

Go to¹⁵, let¹⁶ us go down, and there confound¹⁷ their language, that they may¹⁸ not understand one another's speech.

So the LORD¹⁹ scattered them abroad from thence upon²⁰ the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Therefore is the name of it called Babel²¹; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face²² of all the earth.

¶ These are the generations of Shem²³: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

And Shem²⁴ lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and begat sons²⁵ and daughters.

And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and begat²⁶ Salah:

And Arphaxad lived²⁷ after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

And Salah lived²⁸ thirty years, and begat Eber:

And Salah lived²⁹ after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

And Eber³⁰ lived four and thirty years, and begat Peleg³¹:

And Eber lived³² after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat Reu³³:

And Peleg lived³⁴ after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

¶ And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat Serug³⁵:

And Reu lived³⁶ after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

And Serug lived thirty years, and begat Nahor³⁷:

And Serug lived³⁸ after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat Terah³⁹:

And Nahor lived⁴⁰ after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

And Terah lived seventy years, and begat Abram⁴¹, Nahor, and Haran.

¶ Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat Lot⁴².

And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in Ur⁴³ of the Chaldees.

And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai⁴⁴; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah⁴⁵, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah⁴⁶.

¶ But Sarai was barren⁴⁷; she had no child.

And Terah took⁴⁸ Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter in law, his son Abram's wife; and they went⁴⁹ forth with them from Ur⁵⁰ of the Chaldees, to go into the land⁵¹ of Canaan; and they came unto Haran⁵², and dwelt there.

And the days of Terah⁵³ were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.