Genesis 1 - 11 - Legacy Standard Bible

Genesis 1 - 11

Creation

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day. 6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8 And God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day. 9 Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day. 14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 So God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and also the stars. 17 And God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and to rule the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. 20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the expanse of the heavens.” 21 And God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day. 24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing of the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 26 Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness, so that they will have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that creeps on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given to you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has the fruit of the tree yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that creeps on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 And on the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it He rested from all His work which God had created in making it.

The Generations of the Heavens and the Earth

4 These are the generations of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made earth and heaven. 5 Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet grown, for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then Yahweh God formed man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and so the man became a living being. 8 And Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden, toward the east; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 And out of the ground Yahweh God caused to grow every tree that is desirable in appearance and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one that went around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 Now the gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 And the name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one that went around the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is Tigris; it is the one that went east of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 Then Yahweh God took the man and set him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16 And Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may surely eat; 17 but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat from it; for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.” 18 Then Yahweh God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” 19 And out of the ground Yahweh God had formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and He brought each to the man to see what he would call it; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 And the man gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21 So Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 And Yahweh God fashioned the rib, which He had taken from the man, into a woman, and He brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

“This one finally is bone of my bones,

And flesh of my flesh;

This one shall be called Woman,

Because this one was taken out of Man.”

24 Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Adam and Eve Sent Out from the Garden

Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which Yahweh God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from any tree of the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, and you shall not touch it, lest you die.’” 4 And the serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 Then the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, so she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loin coverings. 8 Then they heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Yahweh God in the midst of the trees of the garden. 9 Yahweh God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 And the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave to me from the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then Yahweh God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” 14 And Yahweh God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

Cursed are you more than any of the cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you will go,

And dust you will eat

All the days of your life;

And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her seed;

He shall bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

16 To the woman He said,

“I will greatly multiply

Your pain and conception,

In pain you will bear children;

Your desire will be for your husband,

And he will rule over you.”

17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;

Cursed is the ground because of you;

In pain you will eat of it

All the days of your life.

Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;

And you will eat the plants of the field;

By the sweat of your face

You will eat bread,

Till you return to the ground,

Because from it you were taken;

For you are dust,

And to dust you shall return.”

20 Now the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 21 Then Yahweh God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them. 22 Then Yahweh God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us to know good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever”— 23 therefore Yahweh God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. 24 So He drove the man out; and at the east of the garden of Eden He stationed the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cain and Abel

Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a man with the help of Yahweh.” 2 And again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a cultivator of the ground. 3 So it happened in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh of the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel, on his part, also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And Yahweh had regard for Abel and for his offering; 5 but for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So Cain became very angry, and his countenance fell. 6 Then Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is lying at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” 8 Then Cain spoke to Abel his brother; and it happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 9 Then Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” 10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground. 11 And now, cursed are you from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 And Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is too great to bear! 14 Behold, You have driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and it will be that whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 So Yahweh said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” And Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one who found him would strike him. 16 Then Cain went out from the presence of Yahweh and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden. 17 Then Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. 18 Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech. 19 And Lamech took for himself two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. 20 And Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock. 21 And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah. 23 And Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah,

Hear my voice,

You wives of Lamech,

Give ear to my word,

For I have killed a man for striking me;

And a boy for wounding me;

If Cain is avenged sevenfold,

Then Lamech seventy‑sevenfold.”

25 Then Adam knew his wife again; and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, for she said, “God has set for me another seed in place of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 And to Seth, to him also, a son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of Yahweh.

The Generations of Adam

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female, and He blessed them and named them Man in the day when they were created. 3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. 4 Then the days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were 800 years, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were 930 years, and he died. 6 And Seth lived 105 years and became the father of Enosh. 7 Then Seth lived 807 years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had other sons and daughters. 8 So all the days of Seth were 912 years, and he died. 9 And Enosh lived 90 years and became the father of Kenan. 10 Then Enosh lived 815 years after he became the father of Kenan, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 11 So all the days of Enosh were 905 years, and he died. 12 And Kenan lived 70 years and became the father of Mahalalel. 13 Then Kenan lived 840 years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Kenan were 910 years, and he died. 15 And Mahalalel lived 65 years and became the father of Jared. 16 Then Mahalalel lived 830 years after he became the father of Jared, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Mahalalel were 895 years, and he died. 18 And Jared lived 162 years and became the father of Enoch. 19 Then Jared lived 800 years after he became the father of Enoch, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were 962 years, and he died. 21 And Enoch lived 65 years and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Then Enoch walked with God 300 years after he became the father of Methuselah, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were 365 years. 24 Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. 25 And Methuselah lived 187 years and became the father of Lamech. 26 Then Methuselah lived 782 years after he became the father of Lamech, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Methuselah were 969 years, and he died. 28 And Lamech lived 182 years and became the father of a son. 29 Now he called his name Noah, saying, “This one will give us rest from our work and from the pain of our hands arising from the ground which Yahweh has cursed.” 30 Then Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Lamech were 777 years, and he died. 32 And Noah was 500 years old, and Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

The Nephilim and the Daughters of Men

Now it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were good in appearance; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then Yahweh said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever because he indeed is flesh; nevertheless his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. 5 Then Yahweh saw that the evil of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And Yahweh regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. 7 And Yahweh said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky; for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.

The Generations of Noah

9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among those in his generations; Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 Now the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth. 13 Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. 14 Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and you shall cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 Now this is how you shall make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16 You shall make a window for the ark, and complete it to one cubit from the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 As for Me, behold I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall breathe its last. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; and you shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 Of the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 As for you, take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” 22 Thus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.

Noah and the Flood

Then Yahweh said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me in this generation. 2 You shall take with you of every clean animal by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean, two, a male and his female; 3 also of the birds of the sky, by sevens, male and female, to keep their seed alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For after seven more days, I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land every living thing that I have made.” 5 And Noah did according to all that Yahweh had commanded him. 6 Now Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of water came upon the earth. 7 Then Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood. 8 Of clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, 9 by twos they came to Noah into the ark, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 Now it happened after the seven days, that the water of the flood came upon the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day all the fountains of the great deep split open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened. 12 Then the rain came upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. 13 On this very day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, 14 they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind—every fowl, every winged creature. 15 So they came to Noah into the ark, by twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. 16 And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and Yahweh closed it behind him. 17 Then the flood came upon the earth for forty days, and the water multiplied and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. 18 And the water prevailed and multiplied greatly upon the earth, and the ark went on the surface of the water. 19 And the water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains under all the heavens were covered. 20 The water prevailed fifteen cubits higher, and the mountains were covered. 21 And all flesh that moved on the earth breathed its last, that is birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, as well as all mankind. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life—of all that was on the dry land—died. 23 Thus He blotted out every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only Noah remained, and those that were with him in the ark. 24 And the water prevailed upon the earth 150 days.

The Water Dries Up

Then God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. 2 Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of the sky were closed, and the rain from the sky was restrained; 3 and the water receded from the earth, going forth and returning, and at the end of 150 days the water decreased. 4 In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. 5 Now the water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared. 6 Then it happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made; 7 and he sent out a raven, and it went out flying back and forth until the water was dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land; 9 but the dove found no resting place for the sole of its foot, so it returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the surface of all the earth. Then he stretched out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark to himself. 10 Then he waited yet another seven days; and again he sent out the dove from the ark. 11 And the dove came to him toward evening, and behold, in its beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth. 12 Then he waited yet another seven days and sent out the dove; but it did not return to him again. 13 Now it happened in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may swarm on the earth, and that they may be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by their families from the ark.

Yahweh’s Covenant with Noah

20 Then Noah built an altar to Yahweh and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And Yahweh smelled the soothing aroma; and Yahweh said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; and I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done. 22

While all the days of the earth remain,

Seedtime and harvest,

And cold and heat,

And summer and winter,

And day and night

Shall not cease.”

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. 3 Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; as with the green plant, I give all to you. 4 However, flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat. 5 Surely I will require your lifeblood; from every living thing I will require it. And from every man, from each man’s brother I will require the life of man. 6

Whoever sheds man’s blood,

By man his blood shall be shed,

For in the image of God

He made man.

As for you, be fruitful and multiply;

Swarm on the earth and multiply in it.”

8 Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 “As for Me, behold, I establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. 11 Indeed I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall never again be cut off by the water of the flood, and there shall never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 Then God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am giving to be between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all successive generations; 13 I put My bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 And it will be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 So the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, to remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Noah’s Three Sons

18 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was scattered abroad. 20 Then Noah began to be a man of the land and planted a vineyard. 21 And he drank of the wine and became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Then Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took the garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned backward, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 Then Noah awoke from his wine, and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 So he said,

“Cursed be Canaan;

A servant of servants

He shall be to his brothers.”

26 And he said,

“Blessed be Yahweh,

The God of Shem;

And let Canaan be his servant.

May God enlarge Japheth,

And let him dwell in the tents of Shem;

And let Canaan be his servant.”

28 And Noah lived 350 years after the flood. 29 So all the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

The Generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth

Now these are the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah; and sons were born to them after the flood. 2 The sons of Japheth were Gomer and Magog and Madai and Javan and Tubal and Meshech and Tiras. 3 The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz and Riphath and Togarmah. 4 The sons of Javan were Elishah and Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim. 5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to his tongue, according to their families, into their nations. 6 The sons of Ham were Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan. 7 The sons of Cush were Seba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were Sheba and Dedan. 8 Now Cush was the father of Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before Yahweh; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before Yahweh.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel and Erech and Accad and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went out to Assyria and built Nineveh and Rehoboth-Ir and Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. 13 Mizraim was the father of Ludim and Anamim and Lehabim and Naphtuhim 14 and Pathrusim and Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines) and Caphtorim. 15 Canaan was the father of Sidon, his firstborn, and Heth 16 and the Jebusite and the Amorite and the Girgashite 17 and the Hivite and the Arkite and the Sinite 18 and the Arvadite and the Zemarite and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were scattered. 19 The border of the Canaanite extended from Sidon as you go toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; as you go toward Sodom and Gomorrah and Admah and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their tongues, by their lands, by their nations. 21 Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth, children were born. 22 The sons of Shem were Elam and Asshur and Arpachshad and Lud and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram were Uz and Hul and Gether and Mash. 24 Arpachshad was the father of Shelah; and Shelah was the father of Eber. 25 Now two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26 And Joktan was the father of Almodad and Sheleph and Hazarmaveth and Jerah 27 and Hadoram and Uzal and Diklah 28 and Obal and Abimael and Sheba 29 and Ophir and Havilah and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. 30 Now their settlement extended from Mesha as you go toward Sephar, the hill country of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their tongues, by their lands, according to their nations. 32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, by their nations; and out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.

The Tower of Babel

Now the whole earth had the same language and the same words. 2 And it happened as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and they had tar for mortar. 4 And they said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth.” 5 Then Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 And Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they have begun to do. So now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s language.” 8 So Yahweh scattered them from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of the whole earth; and from there Yahweh scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

The Generations of Shem

10 These are the generations of Shem. Shem was 100 years old and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood; 11 and Shem lived 500 years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 12 And Arpachshad lived 35 years and became the father of Shelah; 13 and Arpachshad lived 403 years after he became the father of Shelah, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 14 And Shelah lived 30 years and became the father of Eber; 15 and Shelah lived 403 years after he became the father of Eber, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 16 And Eber lived 34 years and became the father of Peleg; 17 and Eber lived 430 years after he became the father of Peleg, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 18 And Peleg lived 30 years and became the father of Reu; 19 and Peleg lived 209 years after he became the father of Reu, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 20 And Reu lived 32 years and became the father of Serug; 21 and Reu lived 207 years after he became the father of Serug, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 22 And Serug lived 30 years and became the father of Nahor; 23 and Serug lived 200 years after he became the father of Nahor, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 24 Nahor lived 29 years and became the father of Terah; 25 and Nahor lived 119 years after he became the father of Terah, and he became the father of other sons and daughters. 26 And Terah lived 70 years and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

The Generations of Terah

27 Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran became the father of Lot. 28 And Haran died in the presence of Terah his father in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah. 30 And Sarai was barren; she had no child. 31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife; and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans in order to go to the land of Canaan; and they came as far as Haran and settled there. 32 And the days of Terah were 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.