The whole earth was of one language and of one speech. As people moved eastward, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.

They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and burn them thoroughly.”

They had brick for stone and they used tar for mortar.

They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”

Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.

Yahweh 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.”

“Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”

So Yahweh scattered them from there over all the earth and they stopped building the city.

Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of the whole earth. From there Yahweh scattered them over the surface of the whole earth.

This is the history of the generations of Shem: Shem was one hundred years old when he became the father of Arphaxad two years after the flood. Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arphaxad and he became the father of other sons and daughters.

Arphaxad lived thirty-five years and became the father of Shelah. Arphaxad lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Shelah and he became the father of other sons and daughters.

Shelah lived thirty years and became the father of Eber. Shelah lived four hundred and three years after he became the father of Eber and he became the father of other sons and daughters.

Eber lived thirty-four years and became the father of Peleg. Eber lived four hundred and thirty years after he became the father of Peleg and he became the father of other sons and daughters.

Peleg lived thirty years and became the father of Reu. Peleg lived two hundred and nine years after he became the father of Reu and he became the father of other sons and daughters.

Reu lived thirty-two years and became the father of Serug. Reu lived two hundred and seven years after he became the father of Serug and he became the father of other sons and daughters.

Serug lived thirty years and became the father of Nahor. Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor and he became the father of other sons and daughters.

Nahor lived twenty-nine years and became the father of Terah. Nahor lived one hundred and nineteen years after he became the father of Terah and he became the father of other sons and daughters.

After Terah had lived seventy years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

Haran became the father of Lot.

Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.

Abram and Nahor married wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milcah, the daughter of Haran who was also the father of Iscah. Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and then they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Harran and lived there.

Terah lived two hundred and five years.

Terah died in Harran.