Genesis 10:1-11:9

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.