Genesis 10-12

New International Version

The Table of Nations

10 This is the account^(A) of Shem, Ham and Japheth,^(B) Noah’s sons,^(C) who themselves had sons after the flood.

The Japhethites^(D)

The Hamites^(P)

⁸ Cush was the father^[c] of Nimrod,^(Y) who became a mighty warrior on the earth. ⁹ He was a mighty^(Z) hunter^(AA) before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” ¹⁰ The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon,^(AB) Uruk,^(AC) Akkad and Kalneh,^(AD) in^[d] Shinar.^{[e](AE) 11} From that land he went to Assyria,^(AF) where he built Nineveh,^(AG) Rehoboth Ir,^[f] Calah ¹² and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.

Later the Canaanite^(AT) clans scattered ¹⁹ and the borders of Canaan^(AU) reached from Sidon^(AV) toward Gerar^(AW) as far as Gaza,^(AX) and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim,^(AY) as far as Lasha.

²⁰ These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

The Semites^(AZ)

²¹ Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was^[h] Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.^(BA)

³⁰ The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

³¹ These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

³² These are the clans of Noah’s sons,^(BK) according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth^(BL) after the flood.

The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole world had one language^(BM) and a common speech. ² As people moved eastward,^[l] they found a plain in Shinar^[m](BN) and settled there.

³ They said to each other, “Come, let’s make bricks^(BO) and bake them thoroughly.” They used brick instead of stone,^(BP) and tar^(BQ) for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens,^(BR) so that we may make a name^(BS) for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered^(BT) over the face of the whole earth.”^(BU)

⁵ But the Lord came down^(BV) to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶ The Lord said, “If as one people speaking the same language^(BW) they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us^(BX) go down^(BY) and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.”^(BZ)

⁸ So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth,^(CA) and they stopped building the city. ⁹ That is why it was called Babel^[n](CB)—because there the Lord confused the language^(CC) of the whole world.^(CD) From there the Lord scattered^(CE) them over the face of the whole earth.

From Shem to Abram^(CF)

¹⁰ This is the account^(CG) of Shem’s family line.

Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father^[o] of Arphaxad.^{(CH) 11} And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

¹² When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.^{(CI) 13} And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.^[p]

¹⁴ When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.^{(CJ) 15} And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁶ When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.^{(CK) 17} And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁸ When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.^{(CL) 19} And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

²⁰ When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.^{(CM) 21} And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

²² When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.^{(CN) 23} And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

²⁴ When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.^{(CO) 25} And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

²⁶ After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram,^(CP) Nahor^(CQ) and Haran.^(CR)

Abram’s Family

²⁷ This is the account^(CS) of Terah’s family line.

Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor^(CT) and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.^{(CU) 28} While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans,^(CV) in the land of his birth. ²⁹ Abram and Nahor^(CW) both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai,^(CX) and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah;^(CY) she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah. ³⁰ Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.^(CZ)

³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot^(DA) son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law^(DB) Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans^(DC) to go to Canaan.^(DD) But when they came to Harran,^(DE) they settled there.

³² Terah^(DF) lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

The Call of Abram

12 The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household^(DG) to the land^(DH) I will show you.^(DI)

⁴ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot^(DO) went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old^(DP) when he set out from Harran.^{(DQ) 5} He took his wife Sarai,^(DR) his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated^(DS) and the people^(DT) they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan,^(DU) and they arrived there.

⁶ Abram traveled through the land^(DV) as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh^(DW) at Shechem.^(DX) At that time the Canaanites^(DY) were in the land. ⁷ The Lord appeared to Abram^(DZ) and said, “To your offspring^[s] I will give this land.^(EA)”^(EB) So he built an altar there to the Lord,^(EC) who had appeared to him.

⁸ From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel^(ED) and pitched his tent,^(EE) with Bethel on the west and Ai^(EF) on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord.^(EG)

⁹ Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.^(EH)

Abram in Egypt^(EI)

¹⁰ Now there was a famine in the land,^(EJ) and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.^{(EK) 11} As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,^(EL) “I know what a beautiful woman^(EM) you are. ¹² When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.’ Then they will kill me but will let you live. ¹³ Say you are my sister,^(EN) so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”

¹⁴ When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.^{(EO) 15} And when Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. ¹⁶ He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.^(EP)

¹⁷ But the Lord inflicted^(EQ) serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household^(ER) because of Abram’s wife Sarai. ¹⁸ So Pharaoh summoned Abram. “What have you done to me?”^(ES) he said. “Why didn’t you tell me she was your wife?^{(ET) 19} Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’^(EU) so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!” ²⁰ Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.