1I begyndelsen talte alle mennesker samme sprog.2Efter oversvømmelsen bevægede de sig rundt i Østen og kom til en frugtbar slette i landet Shinar,[1] hvor de slog sig ned.3De sagde til hinanden: „Lad os forme mursten og brænde dem hårde, og lad os bruge asfalt som mørtel.4Så kan vi bygge en stor by med et tårn, som når op til himlen. Et sådant projekt vil gøre os berømte og hindre, at vi bliver spredt ud over jorden.”5Men Gud steg ned for at se på byen og tårnet, som de var ved at bygge.6„Se, hvad de er i stand til at udrette, når de er enige og taler samme sprog,” sagde Gud. „Intet vil være umuligt for dem.7Lad os derfor give dem forskellige sprog, så de ikke længere forstår hinanden.”8På den måde fik Gud spredt dem ud over hele jorden, og de fik aldrig fuldendt deres byggeri.9Man kaldte den påbegyndte by for Babel,[2] for det var dér, Herren forvirrede menneskene ved at give dem forskellige sprog, og som følge deraf spredtes de ud over hele jorden.
Slægtslinien fra Sem til Abram
10Det følgende er en liste over Sems efterkommere ned til Abram. To år efter oversvømmelsen—da Sem var 100 år—fik han en søn, som fik navnet Arpakshad.11Derefter levede Sem endnu 500 år og fik andre sønner og døtre.12Arpakshad var 35 år, da han fik sønnen Shela.13Derefter levede Arpakshad endnu 403 år og fik andre sønner og døtre.14Shela var 30 år, da han fik sønnen Eber.15Derefter levede Shela endnu 403 år og fik andre sønner og døtre.16Eber var 34 år, da han fik sønnen Peleg.17Derefter levede Eber endnu 430 år og fik andre sønner og døtre.18Peleg var 30 år, da han fik sønnen Reu.19Derefter levede Peleg endnu 209 år og fik andre sønner og døtre.20Reu var 32 år, da han fik sønnen Zerug.21Derefter levede Reu endnu 207 år og fik andre sønner og døtre.22Zerug var 30 år, da han fik sønnen Nakor.23Derefter levede Zerug endnu 200 år og fik andre sønner og døtre.24Nakor var 29 år, da han fik sønnen Tera.25Derefter levede Nakor endnu 119 år og fik andre sønner og døtre.26Tera var 70 år, før han fik sønnerne Abram, Nakor og Haran.[3] (Ap G 7,4)
Teras slægt
27Det følgende er en liste over Teras efterkommere. Tera var far til Abram, Nakor og Haran. Haran fik en søn, der blev kaldt Lot,28men døde ellers forholdsvis ung på sin fødeegn ved den kaldæiske by Ur. (Hans far, Tera, var stadig i live på det tidspunkt.)29Abram giftede sig med Saraj, og Nakor giftede sig med sin niece Milka, en datter af Haran og søster til Jiska.30Saraj kunne ikke få børn.31Tera tog sin søn Abram, sin svigerdatter Saraj og sit barnebarn Lot med sig og forlod sin hjemby Ur for at drage til Kana’ans land. Men da de kom til byen Karan, slog de sig ned der.32Tera blev 205 år gammel og døde i Karan.
1Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.2And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. (1.Mos 10,10; 1.Mos 14,1; 1.Mos 14,9; Es 11,11; Dan 1,2; Zak 5,11)3And they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar. (1.Mos 14,10; 2.Mos 2,3)4Then they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be dispersed over the face of the whole earth.” (5.Mos 1,28)5And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built. (1.Mos 18,21)6And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. And nothing that they propose to do will now be impossible for them.7Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.” (1.Mos 1,26; Salm 2,4)8So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city. (1.Mos 10,25; 1.Mos 10,32; Luk 1,51)9Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused[1] the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth. (1.Mos 10,10)
Shem’s Descendants
10These are the generations of Shem. When Shem was 100 years old, he fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. (1.Mos 10,22; 1.Krøn 1,17)11And Shem lived after he fathered Arpachshad 500 years and had other sons and daughters.12When Arpachshad had lived 35 years, he fathered Shelah.13And Arpachshad lived after he fathered Shelah 403 years and had other sons and daughters.14When Shelah had lived 30 years, he fathered Eber.15And Shelah lived after he fathered Eber 403 years and had other sons and daughters.16When Eber had lived 34 years, he fathered Peleg.17And Eber lived after he fathered Peleg 430 years and had other sons and daughters.18When Peleg had lived 30 years, he fathered Reu.19And Peleg lived after he fathered Reu 209 years and had other sons and daughters.20When Reu had lived 32 years, he fathered Serug.21And Reu lived after he fathered Serug 207 years and had other sons and daughters.22When Serug had lived 30 years, he fathered Nahor.23And Serug lived after he fathered Nahor 200 years and had other sons and daughters.24When Nahor had lived 29 years, he fathered Terah. (Josva 24,2)25And Nahor lived after he fathered Terah 119 years and had other sons and daughters.26When Terah had lived 70 years, he fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran. (1.Mos 11,24)
Terah’s Descendants
27Now these are the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot.28Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in the land of his kindred, in Ur of the Chaldeans.29And Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran the father of Milcah and Iscah. (1.Mos 17,15; 1.Mos 22,20)30Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.31Terah 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 forth together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan, but when they came to Haran, they settled there. (1.Mos 12,1; 1.Mos 15,7; Josva 24,2; Neh 9,7; Ap G 7,2; Ap G 7,4)32The days of Terah were 205 years, and Terah died in Haran.