Genesis 11:1-9

New American Standard Bible 1995

Universal Language, Babel, Confusion

11 Now the whole earth ^[a]used the same language and ^[b]the same words. ² It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land ^(A)of Shinar and ^[c]settled there. ³ They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used ^(B)tar for mortar. ⁴ They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top ^(C)will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves ^(D)a name, otherwise we ^(E)will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” ^5 (F)The Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. ⁶ The Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have ^[d](G)the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be ^[e]impossible for them. ⁷ Come, ^(H)let Us go down and there ^(I)confuse their ^[f]language, so that they will not understand one another’s ^[g]speech.” ⁸ So the Lord ^(J)scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name was called ^[h](K)Babel, because there the Lord confused the ^[i]language of the whole earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.