1Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.2As people moved eastward,[1] they found a plain in Shinar[2] and settled there.3They said to each other, ‘Come, let’s make bricks and bake them thoroughly.’ They used brick instead of stone, and bitumen for mortar.4Then they said, ‘Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.’5But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower the people were building.6The Lord 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.7Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other.’8So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.9That is why it was called Babel[3] – because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.
From Shem to Abram
10This is the account of Shem’s family line. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father[4] of Arphaxad.11And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.12When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.13And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.[5] (Ge 10:24; Lu 3:35; Lu 3:36)14When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.15And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.16When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.17And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.18When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.19And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.20When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.21And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.22When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.23And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.24When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.25And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.26After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran.
Abram’s family
27This is the account of Terah’s family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.28While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans, in the land of his birth.29Abram and Nahor both married. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was Milkah; she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.30Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.31Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.32Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.
1A cette époque-là[1], tous les hommes parlaient la même langue et tenaient le même langage. (Ge 10:1)2Lors de leurs migrations depuis l’est, ils découvrirent une vaste plaine dans le pays de Shinéar et ils s’y établirent.3Ils se dirent les uns aux autres: Allons, moulons des briques et cuisons-les au four. Ainsi ils employèrent les briques comme pierres et le bitume leur servit de mortier.4Puis ils dirent: Allons, construisons-nous une ville et une tour dont le sommet atteindra le ciel, alors notre nom deviendra célèbre et nous ne serons pas disséminés sur l’ensemble de la terre.5L’Eternel descendit pour voir la ville et la tour que les hommes construisaient.6Il dit alors: Ils forment un seul peuple parlant tous la même langue, et voilà ce qu’ils ont entrepris de faire! Maintenant, quels que soient leurs projets, rien ne les empêchera de les réaliser.7Allons, descendons et brouillons là leur langage pour qu’ils ne se comprennent plus entre eux!8Et l’Eternel les dissémina loin de là sur toute la terre; ils cessèrent donc la construction de la ville.9C’est pourquoi on l’appela Babel[2] parce que là, l’Eternel avait confondu le langage des hommes de toute la terre, et c’est de là qu’il les a dispersés sur toute la terre.10Voici la généalogie de Sem. Deux ans après le déluge, alors qu’il était âgé de cent ans, il eut pour fils Arpakshad.11Après cela, Sem vécut encore 500 ans et eut d’autres enfants.12Arpakshad, âgé de 35 ans, eut pour fils Shélah.13Après cela, il vécut encore 403 ans et eut d’autres enfants[3].14Shélah, âgé de 30 ans, eut pour fils Héber.15Puis il vécut encore 403 ans et eut d’autres enfants.16Héber, âgé de 34 ans, eut pour fils Péleg.17Après cela, Héber vécut 430 ans et eut d’autres enfants.18Péleg, âgé de 30 ans, eut pour fils Reou.19Après cela, il vécut 209 ans et eut d’autres enfants.20Reou, âgé de 32 ans, eut pour fils Seroug.21Après cela, il vécut 207 ans et eut d’autres enfants.22Seroug, âgé de 30 ans, eut pour fils Nahor.23Après cela, Seroug vécut 200 ans et eut d’autres enfants.24Nahor, âgé de 29 ans, eut pour fils Térah.25Après cela, il vécut encore 119 ans et eut d’autres enfants.26Térah, âgé de 70 ans, eut pour fils Abram, Nahor et Harân.
D’Our à Harân
27Voici l’histoire de la famille de Térah: il eut pour fils Abram, Nahor et Harân; ce dernier fut le père de Loth.28Harân mourut du vivant de son père Térah, dans son pays natal, à Our des Chaldéens.29Abram et Nahor se marièrent. La femme d’Abram s’appelait Saraï et celle de Nahor Milka. Milka était la fille de Harân, qui, outre Milka, avait eu une autre fille du nom de Yiska.30Saraï était stérile, elle ne pouvait pas avoir d’enfant.31Térah partit d’Our des Chaldéens, emmenant avec lui son fils Abram, son petit-fils Loth, le fils de Harân, et Saraï, sa belle-fille, la femme d’Abram, pour se rendre au pays de Canaan, mais arrivés à Harân[4], ils s’y établirent.32Térah vécut 205 ans, puis il mourut à Harân.