MEV Bible Thinline Reference: Modern English Version

By Charisma House

The Beauty of the Past with Clarity for Today

This Thinline Reference Bible is small, lightweight, and perfect for your Bible study, reading, and devotions. Beautiful and easy to carry, it is ideal for use at home or at church and includes study tools such as:

• Cross-references
• Parallel references
• Concordance
• Words of Jesus in red
• Four-color maps

Clear. Reverent. Accurate.
 

• Language: English
• Publisher: Charisma House
• Release date: Nov 28, 2014
• ISBN: 9781629982182

Book preview

MEV THINLINE REFERENCE BIBLE

Published by Passio

Charisma Media/Charisma House Book Group

600 Rinehart Road

Lake Mary, Florida 32746

www.charismahouse.com

The MEV Thinline Reference Bible is an edition of the Holy Bible, Modern English Version, copyright © 2014 by Charisma House.

The Holy Bible, Modern English Version

Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. All rights reserved.

The text of the Modern English Version (MEV) may be quoted or reprinted without prior written permission with the following qualifications:

(1) up to and including 500 verses may be quoted in printed form as long as the verses quoted amount to less than 50 percent of a complete book of the Bible and make up less than 50 percent of the total work in which they are quoted;

(2) all MEV quotations must conform accurately to the MEV text.

Any use of the MEV text must include a proper acknowledgment as follows:

Scripture taken from the Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

However, when quotations from the MEV text are used in church bulletins, orders of service, Sunday school lessons, church newsletters, and similar works in the course of religious instruction or services at a place of worship or other religious assembly, the following notice may be used at the end of each quotation: MEV.

For quotation requests not covered by the above guidelines, write to Passio, ATTN: Bible Rights and Permissions, 600 Rinehart Road, Lake Mary, FL 32746.

Published in cooperation with The Livingstone Corporation.

Like all translations of the Bible, this translation of the Scriptures is subject to human limitations and imperfections. Recognizing these limitations, the publisher and translators sought God’s guidance and wisdom throughout this project. Our prayer is that He will use this translation for the benefit of the church and His kingdom. Should a mistake be found, please feel free to contact the publisher.

CONTENTS

PREFACE TO THE READER

OLD TESTAMENT

Genesis (Ge)

Exodus (Ex)

Leviticus (Lev)

Numbers (Nu)

Deuteronomy (Dt)

Joshua (Jos)

Judges (Jdg)

Ruth (Ru)

1 Samuel (1Sa)

2 Samuel (2Sa)

1 Kings (1Ki)

2 Kings (2Ki)

1 Chronicles (1Ch)

2 Chronicles (2Ch)

Ezra (Ezr)

Nehemiah (Ne)

Esther (Est)

Job (Job)

Psalms (Ps)

Proverbs (Pr)

Ecclesiastes (Ecc)

Solomon (SS)

Isaiah (Isa)

Jeremiah (Jer)

Lamentations (La)

Ezekiel (Eze)

Daniel (Da)

Hosea (Hos)

Joel (Joel)

Amos (Am)

Obadiah (Ob)

Jonah (Jnh)

Micah (Mic)

Nahum (Na)

Habakkuk (Hab)

Zephaniah (Zep)

Haggai (Hag)

Zechariah (Zec)

Malachi (Mal)

NEW TESTAMENT

Matthew (Mt)

Mark (Mk)

Luke (Lk)

John (Jn)

Acts (Ac)

Romans (Ro)

1 Corinthians (1Co)

2 Corinthians (2Co)

Galatians (Gal)

Ephesians (Eph)

Philippians (Php)

Colossians (Col)

1 Thessalonians (1Th)

2 Thessalonians (2Th)

1 Timothy (1Ti)

2 Timothy (2Ti)

Titus (Titus)

Philemon (Phm)

Hebrews (Heb)

James (Jas)

1 Peter (1Pe)

2 Peter (2Pe)

1 John (1Jn)

2 John (2Jn)

3 John (3Jn)

Jude (Jude)

Revelation (Rev)

Concordance

Maps

To Her Majesty Elizabeth II, by the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and of Her Other Realms and Territories, Queen, Head of the Commonwealth, Defender of the Faith.

The translators of the Bible wish grace, mercy, and peace through Jesus Christ our Lord.

PREFACE TO

THE READER

In January 1604, King James I convened the Hampton Court Conference at the Hampton Court Palace. Meeting with King James I were two parties representing the Church of England. One party comprised the Archbishop of Canterbury, John Whitgift, and eight bishops who represented the episcopacy, supported by eight deans and one archdeacon. The second party comprised several Anglicans who were moderate Puritans led by John Rainolds, who was the president of Corpus Christi College, Oxford. The conference comprised three meetings over a period of three days.

The conference was called in response to a series of requests for reform set down in the Millenary Petition by the Puritans, a document that contained the signatures of one thousand Puritan ministers. The petition detailed complaints about the terms absolution and confirmation, water baptism administered by women rather than by ministers, excommunication for trifles and twelvepenny matters and ecclesiastical discipline administered by governmental authority, and various other issues.

King James I persuaded the bishops that only ministers should administer baptisms. He also abolished excommunication for trifles and twelvepenny matters, though he maintained that bishops should not be the sole administers of ecclesiastical discipline and that the trial policies of the commissaries’ court should be reviewed by the Lord Chancellor and Lord Chief Justice. The King alleviated many of the Puritans’ concerns and brought much peace between the two parties.

Trouble mounted for the Puritans when Archbishop John Whitgift died soon after the conference. Richard Bancroft was appointed to the See of Canterbury, and due to the King’s concerns, the Puritan ministers were expected to adhere to each of the Thirty-Nine Articles that upheld the hierarchical nature of the Church of England, which the Puritans sought to abolish.

But the major outcome of the conference was that King James I commissioned a new translation of the Holy Bible into the English vernacular, which became the predecessor to the Modern English Version. The translation was to be pleasing both to the episcopacy and to the moderate Puritans who emphasized that man should be able to study the Holy Bible, not only with the help of the ministers but also privately. The translation became known as the ­Authorized Version because only this translation would be authorized to be read in the Church of England once it replaced portions of the Great Bible inserted in the 1662 edition of the Book of Common Prayer. In some parts of the world it is known as the King James Version. The translation enabled King James I to broaden his support in the Church and among the populace. It demonstrated his moderate and inclusive approach to concerns in the Church.

King James I gave certain instructions to the translators: The new translation would contain no marginal notes, it would conform to the ecclesiology of the Church of England, the translation of certain words should reflect old ­ecclesiastical words such as church and were not to be translated as congregation, and the new translation would reflect the episcopal structure of the Church of England and traditional beliefs about ordained clergy.

He also required the Church to use the Bishop’s Bible as the primary guide for the translation and retain the familiar names of the biblical characters. However, for additional textual support, he permitted the Church to use the Tyndale Bible, the Coverdale Bible, Matthew’s Bible, the Great Bible, and the Geneva Bible. This instruction is the basis for the statement in the flyleaf of the Authorized Version: translated out of the original tongues, and with the former translations diligently compared and revised, by His Majesty’s special command. William Tyndale’s translation from the Greek text, now known as the Textus Receptus, comprises eighty percent of the King James Version New Testament. The King James Version Old Testament is based on the Jacob ben Hayyim edition of the Masoretic Text.

Forty-seven scholars represented the Church of England, both Puritans and High Churchmen, including the Anglican scholar Sir Henry Savile, who was not a clergyman. They formed six committees: two at the University of Oxford, two at the University of Cambridge, and two at the Collegiate Church of St. Peter at Westminster, popularly known as Westminster Abbey. The King’s printer printed forty unbound copies of the 1602 Bishop’s Bible for the committees. This meant that the scholars could record their agreed-upon changes in the margins for the printer to insert into the text. The committees were assigned various sections of Scriptures. They then compared their drafts and revised them until they achieved consistency in the translation.

The Anglican clergy working on the King James Version stated their purpose: not to make a new translation, but to make a good one better. They also wanted to make the Bible more known and accessible to the people. Thus they produced the King James Version in 1611.

Later, the University of Oxford produced a standard text of the King James Version, known as the 1769 Oxford Update and edited by Dr. Benjamin Blayney. Dr. Blayney standardized the punctuation and spelling to update the King James Version. The 1769 Oxford Update is the edition commonly used today.

The King James Version has been the standard version for Protestants throughout the English-speaking world for over four hundred years now. Its flowing language, prose rhythm, and powerful and majestic style made it a literary classic, with many of its phrases and expressions embedded in contemporary English.

Today, realizing the need to update the King James Version for the twenty-first century, forty-seven scholars serving as professors, or chaplains to the Armed Forces of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and to the United States Armed Forces, comprising the Committee on Bible Translation under the leadership of the senior editorial advisor Dr. Stanley M. Horton and the chief editor Dr. James F. Linzey, have joined forces to produce a more updated edition of the King James Version called the Modern English Version, which is based on a modern English vernacular.

The Modern English Version is a translation of the Textus Receptus and the Jacob ben Hayyim edition of the Masoretic Text, using the King James Version as the base manuscript. The Committee on Bible Translation adhered to the principle of formal equivalence, the meaning of which is to be as literal as proper English syntax and grammar will allow. At times it is impossible to translate every word or thought from Greek into English with proper syntax or a modern English vernacular. In such instances, it is important to realize certain words may go untranslated. For example, the Semitism in Matthew 11:4 transliterated as, kai apokritheis Ho Iesous eipen autois, is translated in the King James Version as Jesus answered and said unto them. This is not an effective rendition in the modern English vernacular due to the redundant speech, nor is it translated literally in the King James Version. So, to translate the Greek into the modern English vernacular, the phrase is translated as Jesus answered them. Additionally, the original translators of the King James Version did not translate the Greek Ho, translated as the, nor did they translate apokritheis literally as ‘answering. Their goal was to use proper English syntax in the modern English vernacular of their day. Yet, by leaving certain terms untranslated in this update, it may appear that a Greek text other than the Textus Receptus may have been used. Such is not the case. A different English rendering is being used to re-translate the Textus Receptus while updating the King James Version manuscript.

When using the Textus Receptus as the base text for a contemporary English translation, the translators cannot use archaic, non-standard, purely literalistic English, nor fail to use what is known today about linguistics and ancient literary and cultural understandings in contemporary English translations. The original translators of the King James Version had this same approach for their own cultural and linguistic setting.

The original motive for creating this translation was to provide an update by military chaplains for the troops so they could understand the King James Version better. This project grew larger than anticipated in the search for academically qualified scholars when the chaplains enlisted the help of those who were not chaplains to get the job done, and when an unexpected publishing opportunity was offered. The target audience grew from the military to the entire English-speaking world. The translators began their work on June 2, 2005; they completed the New Testament on October 25, 2011, and the Old Testament on May 28, 2014.

The forty-seven American and English translators, being in great Christian unity and cooperation, who have a personal relationship with God through Jesus Christ and who have formed an interdenominational translation committee, represent churches such as the Baptist Union of Great Britain, Charismatic Episcopal Church, Central Church of the Nazarene, Church of Christ, Church of England, Church of God, Elim Church, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, Free Methodist Church of North America, General Council of the Assemblies of God, International Church of the Foursquare Gospel, Methodist Church of Great Britain, Methodist Episcopal Church, Presbyterian Church of America, Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, Southern Baptist Convention, United Church of Christ, United Methodist Church, and the United Reformed Church. The translators represent a cross section of the English-speaking Church. So it is their prayer that the Modern English Version will please the entire English-speaking world.

As professors or graduates of some of the world’s leading colleges, seminaries, and universities, they represent institutions such as the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary, the College of William and Mary, Evangel University, Fuller Theological Seminary, Geneva College, Golden Gate Baptist Theological Seminary, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary, Harvard University, Hebrew Union College, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary, Oklahoma Baptist University, Oral Roberts University, the Oxford Centre for Hebrew and Jewish Studies, Pentecostal Theological Seminary, Princeton Theological Seminary, Reformed Presbyterian Theological Seminary, Saint Leo University, the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, Stanford University, the University of Notre Dame, Vanguard University of Southern California, Westminster Seminary California, Westminster Theological Seminary, and Yale University. The translators are devoted to making a good translation better and ensuring that the Modern English Version is an accurate and responsible update of the King James Version.

The work of translating Scripture has always been an important part of Christian missions. Due to the work of missionary Bible translators, the complete Bible is available in over four hundred languages today. Missionaries normally have not used ancient Greek, Hebrew, or Aramaic texts in translation work. Instead, they usually have relied on the King James Version. In like manner, the Modern English Version is useful to continue translation work on the mission field. The Modern English Version is a translator’s Bible for missions work to provide the Word of God to all English-speaking people and the entire world.

Compare the original Tyndale Translation with the updates of the following passage:

For when the worlde thorow wysdome knew not God in ye wysdome of God: it pleased God thorow folisshnes of preachinge to save them yt beleve (1Co 1:21, Tyndale Translation, 1534).

For after that, in the wisedom of God, the world by wisedome knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishnesse of preaching, to saue them that beleeue (1Co 1:21, KJV, 1611).

For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe (1Co 1:21, KJV, 1769).

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe (1Co 1:21, NKJV, 1982).

For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through its wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe (1Co 1:21, MEV, 2014).

The clergymen and scholars comprising the Committee on Bible Translation offer up to God the Modern English Version, the inspired Word of God, in the spirit of praise and gratitude, for the purpose of making disciples and teaching all nations in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.

The Committee on Bible Translation

COMMITTEE ON BIBLE TRANSLATION

SENIOR EDITORIAL ADVISOR

Stanley M. Horton, Th.D.

CHIEF EDITOR

James F. Linzey, M.Div., D.D.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, OLD TESTAMENT

N. Blake Hearson, Ph.D.

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, NEW TESTAMENT

Edward W. Watson, Ph.D.

SECTIONAL EDITORS

PENTATEUCH

T. J. Betts, Ph.D., Editor

HISTORICAL WRITINGS

Eric A. Mitchell, Ph.D., Editor

POETIC AND WISDOM LITERATURE

David M. Morgan, Ph.D., Editor

MAJOR PROPHETS

Ishwaran Mudliar, Ph.D., Editor

MINOR PROPHETS

Stephen L. Herring, Ph.D., Editor

SYNOPTIC GOSPELS AND ACTS

Jonathan M. Watt, Ph.D., Editor

PAULINE CORPUS

Edward W. Watson, Ph.D., Editor

HEBREWS AND GENERAL EPISTLES

Jeffrey S. Lamp, Ph.D., Editor

JOHANNINE CORPUS

Daniel Fletcher, Ph.D., Editor

TRANSLATORS

William C. Baron, S.T.D., Ph.D.

Exodus, 2 Thessalonians

Robert A. Berg, Ph.D.

1, 2 and 3 John

John Berger, M.Div.

Job

Derke P. Bergsma, Th.D., Rel.D.

Colossians

T. J. Betts, Ph.D.

Genesis, Exodus

Jim F. Betz, M.Div.

2 John

R. Glenn Brown, M.Div., Th.M.

Matthew

Scott N. Callaham, Ph.D.

Joshua, Judges, Ruth

Nicolas Camacho, M.Div.

1 Peter

Jack J. Chinn, M.Div.

Leviticus, Numbers, Deuteronomy, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

David C. Cleaveland, M.Div.

John

R. Adam Dodd, M.Div., Th.M., Ph.D. Candidate

2 Samuel

Archie W. England, Ph.D.

2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther

Daniel Fletcher, Ph.D.

Ephesians

Rudolph D. Gonzalez, Ph.D.

Philippians, Philemon

N. Blake Hearson, Ph.D.

Deuteronomy

Stephen L. Herring, Ph.D.

Hosea, Obadiah, Jonah

James Hough, M.Div., D.Min.

Romans

Richard D. Israel, Ph.D.

Psalms, Galatians

Tommy Keene, Ph.D.

Hebrews

Glen R. Kelso, M.Div., D.Min.

Ephesians

John D. Laing, Ph.D.

1 Kings

Jeffrey S. Lamp, Ph.D.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, Romans, 1 and 2 Timothy, Titus

James F. Linzey, M.Div., D.D.

Acts

Verna M. Linzey, D.D.

Proverbs

Robert J. Lucas, D.D.

1 and 2 Chronicles, Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther,

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Joel, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Revelation

Lee Roy Martin, Th.D.

Job

Eric A. Mitchell, Ph.D.

1 Samuel

David M. Morgan, Ph.D.

Leviticus, Numbers, Psalms, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi

Ishwaran Mudliar, Ph.D.

Isaiah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Ezekiel, Daniel

Rob E. Noland, M.A., M.Div., M.R.E.

Genesis, Colossians, Philippians, I Thessalonians, I and II Timothy, Philemon, Titus, James, 2 Peter

Michael Pacella, III, M.Div., Th.M.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, Acts, 1 and 2 Corinthians, James, Revelation

Randy Payne, M.A., Ph.D. Candidate

2 Kings

David W. Plank, Ph.D.

Ruth

Gail F. Porter, M.Div.

Hebrews

John B. Porter, Ph.D.

Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings, Job, Hosea, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah,

Daniel, Mark, John, 1 and 3 John

Richard Prendergast, D.D.

Jude

Jeffrey Rankin, Ph.D.

1 Chronicles

Paul A. Smith, Ph.D.

Numbers

Arthur R. Stull, II, M.Div.

Luke

Jerry Sutton, D.D.

Galatians

Eugene C. Ulrich, Ph.D.

Amos

Donald R. Vance, Ph.D.

Leviticus, Numbers

Ting Wang, Ph.D.

Joel, Micah

Edward W. Watson, Ph.D.

1 and 2 Peter, Jude

Jonathan M. Watt, Ph.D.

1 and 2 Thessalonians

The

OLD TESTAMENT

The First Book of Moses, Called

GENESIS

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10

11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20

21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30

31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40

41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | 49 | 50

Genesis was probably written between 1440 and 1400 BC. Jewish tradition and the New Testament writers attribute this book to Moses. Since secondary sources and edited comments are included, Moses may be responsible for the core of the writing and may have used other sources for the events that preceded him. The themes of the book are the beginnings of creation, humanity, and Israel. It chronicles the creation of the world and reveals God’s desire and plan to have a people of His very own who are set apart to worship Him. Set in the Middle East, places include the Garden of Eden, Babel, Bethel, Egypt, and Sodom and Gomorrah. Genesis not only provides an account of God’s creation of the cosmos and the earth, but also it sets the stage for the rest of the Bible. God is revealed as Creator and Redeemer in Genesis, as it speaks to the creation, fall, and restoration of humanity. Genesis recounts humanity’s tragic fall into sin and death and God’s unfolding plan of redemption through His covenant with Abraham and his descendants.

The Creation

1In the beginninga God created the heavens and the earth.b ² The earth was formless and void,a ¹ darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving ² over the surface of the water.b

³ God said,a Let there be light, and there was light.b ⁴ God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. ⁵ God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night.a So the evening and the morning were the first day.

⁶ Then God said, "Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters,a and let it separate the waters from the waters." ⁷ So God made the expanse and separated the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse.a And it was so. ⁸ God called the expanse Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

⁹ Then God said, "Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place,a and let the dry land appear." And it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. Then God saw that it was good.

¹¹ Then God said, "Let the earth produce vegetation:a ³ plants yielding seed and fruit trees on the earth yielding fruit after their kind with seed in them." And it was so. ¹² The earth produced vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind and trees yielding fruit with seed in them after their kind. And God saw that it was good. ¹³ So the evening and the morning were the third day.

¹⁴ And God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night,a and let them be signs to indicate seasons, and days, and years.b ¹⁵ Let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth." And it was so. ¹⁶ God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also.a ¹⁷ Then God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness.a Then God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

²⁰ Then God said, Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures and let the birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens. ²¹ So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. ²² Then God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.a ²³ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

²⁴ Then God said, Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.a And it was so. ²⁵ So God made the beasts of the earth according to their kind, and the livestock according to their kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness,a and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."

²⁷ So God created man in His own image;

in the image of God He created him;

male and female He created them.a

²⁸ God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it.a Rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth."

²⁹ Then God said, "See, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is on the face of all the earth and every tree which has fruit yielding seed. It shall be food for you.a ³⁰ To every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the earth which has the breath of life in it, I have given every green plant for food."a And it was so.

³¹ God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good.a So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

2So the heavens and the earth, and all their hosts,a were finished.

² On the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.a ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He had rested from all His work which He had created and made.a

Adam and Eve

⁴ This is the account ¹ of the heavens and the earth when they were created.

In the day that the

LORD

God made the earth and the heavens, ⁵ no shrub of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted,a for the L ORD

God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.b ⁶ But a mist ² arose from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. ⁷ Then the L ORD

God formed man from the dust of the grounda and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.b

⁸ The L ORD

God planted a garden in the east, in Eden,a and there He placed the man whom He had formed. ⁹ Out of the ground the L ORD

God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden,a along with the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four rivers. ¹¹ The name of the first is Pishon; it encompasses the whole land of Havilah,a where there is gold. ¹² The gold of that land is good; bdellium and the onyx stone are there. ¹³ The name of the second river is Gihon; it encompasses the whole land of Cush. ¹⁴ The name of the third river is Tigris;a it goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ The L ORD

God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and to keep it. ¹⁶ And the L ORD

God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, ¹⁷ but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.a

¹⁸ Then the L ORD

God said, It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him.a

¹⁹ Out of the ground the L ORD

God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky,a and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.b ²⁰ The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam ³ there was not found a helper suitable for him.

²¹ So the L ORD

God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept.a Then He took one of his ribs and closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the rib which the L ORD

God had taken from man, He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.

²³ Then Adam said,

"This is now bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;a

she will be called Woman,

for she was taken out of Man."

²⁴ Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and they will become one flesh.a

²⁵ They were both naked, the man and his wife,a and were not ashamed.

The Fall

3Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the L ORD

God had made.a And he said to the woman, Has God said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?

² And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the garden; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You will not eat of it, nor will you touch it, or else you will die.’

⁴ Then the serpent said to the woman, "You surely will not die!a ⁵ For God knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."a

⁶ When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasing to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise,a she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave to her husband with her, and he ate.b ⁷ Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.a So they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

⁸ Then they heard the sound of the L ORD

God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the

LORD

Goda among the trees of the garden. ⁹ The L ORD

God called to the man and said to him, Where are you?a

¹⁰ He said, I heard Your voice in the garden and was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.

¹¹ And He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?

¹² The man said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate."

¹³ Then the L ORD

God said to the woman, What have you done?

And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.a

¹⁴ The L ORD

God said to the serpent: "Because you have done this,

You are cursed above all livestock,

and above every beast of the field;

you will go on your belly,

and you will eat dusta

all the days of your life.

¹⁵ I will put enmity

between you and the woman,

and between your offspring and her offspring;a

he will bruise your head,b

and you will bruise his heel."

¹⁶ To the woman He said,

"I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth,

and in pain you will bring forth children;

your desire will be for your husband,

and he will rule over you."a

¹⁷ And to Adam He said, "Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’

Cursed is the ground on account of you;

in hard labor you will eat of ita

all the days of your life.

¹⁸ Thorns and thistles it will bring forth for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.a

¹⁹ By the sweat of your face

you will eat bread

until you return to the ground,

because out of it you were taken;

for you are dust,

and to dust you will return."a

²⁰ The man called his wife’s name Eve because she was the mother of all the living.a

²¹ The L ORD

God made garments of skins for both Adam and his wife and clothed them. ²² The L ORD

God said, "The man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil.a And now, he might reach out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever"— ²³ therefore the L ORD

God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.a ²⁴ He drove the man out, and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction,a to guard the way to the tree of life.

Cain and Abel

4Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived, gave birth to Cain and said, "I have gotten a man with the help of the L ORD

." ² Then she gave birth again to his brother Abel.

And Abel was a keeper of flocks,a but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³ In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the L ORD

of the fruit of the ground.a ⁴ Abel also brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the L ORD

had respect for Abel and for his offering,a ⁵ but for Cain and for his offering, He did not have respect. And Cain was very angry and his countenance fell.

⁶ The L ORD

said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is your countenance fallen? ⁷ If you do well, shall you not be accepted? ¹ But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must rule over it."a

⁸ Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.a

⁹ The L ORD

said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother?

He said, I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?

¹⁰ And then He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground.a ¹¹ Now you are cursed from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² From now on when you till the ground, it will not yield for you its best. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth."

¹³ Then Cain said to the L ORD

, My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴ You have driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from your face will I be hidden; and I will be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.a

¹⁵ So the L ORD

said to him, Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold. Then the

LORD

put a mark upon Cain, so that no one finding him would kill him.a ¹⁶ Then Cain went out from the presence of the L ORD

and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

¹⁷ Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.a ¹⁸ To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

¹⁹ Lamech took two wives. The name of one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.a ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. ²² Zillah gave birth to Tubal-Cain, a forger of every tool of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives:

"Adah and Zillah, hear my voice,

you wives of Lamech, and listen to my speech.

For I have killed a man for wounding me,

a young man who hurt me.

²⁴ If Cain will be avenged sevenfold,

then truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold."a

²⁵ Adam had relations with his wife again, and she had another son and called his name Seth,a for she said, God has granted me another offspring instead of Abel because Cain killed him. ²⁶ To Seth also was born a son, and he called his name Enosh.

At that time men began to call on the name of the

LORD

.a

Adam’s Descendants

5This is the book of the generations of Adam.

In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God.a ² He created them male and female.a He blessed them and called them Mankind in the day when they were created.

³ Adam lived a hundred and thirty years and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his own image, and called his name Seth.a ⁴ The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. ⁵ So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.a

⁶ Seth lived one hundred and five years and became the father of Enosh.a ⁷ Seth lived after the birth of Enosh eight hundred and seven years and had other sons and daughters. ⁸ So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.

⁹ Enosh lived ninety years and became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰ Enosh lived after the birth of Kenan eight hundred and fifteen years and had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.

¹² Kenan lived seventy years and became the father of Mahalalel. ¹³ Kenan lived after the birth of Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

¹⁵ Mahalalel lived sixty-five years and became the father of Jared. ¹⁶ Mahalalel lived after the birth of Jared eight hundred and thirty years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

¹⁸ Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years and became the father of Enoch. ¹⁹ Jared lived after the birth of Enoch eight hundred years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

²¹ Enoch lived sixty-five years and became the father of Methuselah. ²² Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah for three hundred years and had other sons and daughters.a ²³ So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more because God took him.a

²⁵ Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years and became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ Methuselah lived after the birth of Lamech seven hundred and eighty-two years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁷ So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

²⁸ Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years and had a son. ²⁹ He named his son Noah, saying, "This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands because of the ground which the L ORD

has cursed."a ³⁰ Lamech lived after the birth of Noah five hundred and ninety-five years and had other sons and daughters. ³¹ So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.

³² Noah was five hundred years old and became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.a

Man’s Wickedness

6When men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them,a ² the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair and took as wives any they chose. ³ The L ORD

said, "My Spirit will not always strive with man, for he is flesh;a yet his days will be a hundred and twenty years."

⁴ The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.a

⁵ The L ORD

saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was continually only evil.a ⁶ The L ORD

was sorry that He had made man on the earth,a and it grieved Him in His heart. ⁷ So the L ORD

said, I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the birds of the sky, for I am sorry that I have made them. ⁸ But Noah found grace in the eyes of the L ORD

.a

Noah and the Flood

⁹ These are the generations of Noah.

Noah was a just man and blameless among his contemporaries. Noah walked with God.a ¹⁰ Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.a

¹¹ The earth was corrupt before God and filled with violence.a ¹² God looked on the earth and saw it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.a ¹³ So God said to Noah, The end of all flesh is come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I will destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴ Make an ark of cypress wood for yourself. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.a ¹⁵ And this is how you must make it: The length of the ark will be three hundred cubits, the width of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. ¹ ¹⁶ Make an opening ² one cubit ³ below the top of the ark all around; and you must set the door of the ark on the side. Make it with a lower, a second, and a third story. ¹⁷ I will bring a flood of waters on the earth to destroy all flesh, wherever there is the breath of life under heaven, and everything that is on the earth will die.a ¹⁸ But I will establish My covenant with you; you must go into the ark—you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.a ¹⁹ Bring every living thing of all flesh, two of every kind, into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. ²⁰ Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal, and of every kind of creeping thing of the earth will come to you to be kept alive. ²¹ Also, take with you of every kind of food that is eaten and gather it to yourself, and it will be for food for you and for them.a

²² Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.a

7The L ORD

said to Noah, "You and your entire household go into the ark, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me among this generation.a ² Take with you seven each of every clean animal, the male and its female, and two each of every unclean animal, the male and its female,a ³ and seven each of birds of the air, the male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. ⁴ In seven days I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will destroy from the face of the earth."

⁵ And Noah did according to all that the L ORD

commanded him.a

⁶ Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came upon the earth. ⁷ And Noah went with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives into the ark because of the floodwaters. ⁸ Everything that creeps on the land from clean and unclean animals and birds ⁹ came in two by two, male and female, to Noah into the ark, as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰ After seven days, the waters of the flood were on the earth.

¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the same day, all the fountains of the great deep burst open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened.a ¹² The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

¹³ On the very same day Noah and the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark. ¹⁴ They and every wild animal according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind, every bird of every sort, ¹⁵ went with Noah into the ark, two by two of all flesh in which was the breath of life. ¹⁶ So they went in, male and female of all flesh, just as God had commanded him; then the L ORD

shut him in.

¹⁷ The flood was on the earth forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose up above the earth. ¹⁸ The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. ¹⁹ The water prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. ²⁰ The waters prevailed upward and the mountains were covered fifteen cubits deep. ⁴ ²¹ All flesh that moved on the earth died: birds and livestock and beasts, and every creeping thing that crept on the earth, and every man.a ²² All in whose nostrils was the breath of life,a all that was on the dry land, died. ²³ So He blotted out every living thing which was on the face of the ground, both man and animals and the creeping things and the birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.a

²⁴ The waters prevailed on the earth for one hundred and fifty days.

The Flood Recedes

8God remembered Noah and every living thing and all the livestock that were with him in the ark.a So God made a wind to pass over the earth,b and the water receded. ² Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, and the rain from the heavens was restrained.a ³ The water receded steadily from the earth, and after the end of one hundred and fifty days the waters decreased.a ⁴ The ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat.a ⁵ The water continually decreased until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

⁶ Then at the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made,a ⁷ and he sent forth a raven, which went to and fro until the waters were dried up on the earth. ⁸ Then he sent out a dove to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. ⁹ But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the waters were on the surface of all the earth. Then he put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself. ¹⁰ He waited yet another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark. ¹¹ The dove came to him in the evening, and in her mouth there was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. ¹² He waited another seven days and sent out the dove again, but it did not return to him again.

¹³ So in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw the surface of the ground was dry. ¹⁴ In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

¹⁵ Then God spoke to Noah, saying, ¹⁶ "Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you.a ¹⁷ Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may breed abundantly on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth."a

¹⁸ So Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives went out. ¹⁹ Every beast, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that moves on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the L ORD

and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar.a ²¹ The L ORD

smelled a soothing aroma; and the

LORD

said in His heart, "I will never again curse the ground because of man,a for the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.b

²² While the earth remains,

seedtime and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

and day and night

will not cease."a

The Noahic Covenant

9Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.a ² Every beast of the earth and every bird of the sky and all that moves on the earth and all the fish of the sea will fear you and be terrified of you. They are given into your hand.a ³ Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. I give you everything, just as I gave you the green plant.a

⁴ "Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is , its blood.a ⁵ But for your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; from every animal will I require it;a of man, too, will I require a reckoning for human life, of every man for that of his fellow man.b

⁶ Whoever sheds the blood of man,

by man shall his blood be shed;a

for God made man

in His own image.b

⁷ And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly in the earth and multiply in it."a

⁸ Again God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹ "As for Me, I establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you;a ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, every beast of the earth. ¹¹ I establish My covenant with you. Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood. Never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth."a

¹² Then God said, "This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations.a ¹³ I have set My rainbow in the cloud,a and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ When I bring a cloud over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵ then I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh,a and the waters will never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow will appear in the cloud, and I will see it and remember the everlasting covenanta between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."

¹⁷ So God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.

The Sons of Noah

¹⁸ The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.a ¹⁹ These were the three sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.

²⁰ Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. ²¹ Then he drank some of the wine and became drunk,a and lay uncovered in his tent. ²² And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. ²³ So Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

²⁴ When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his younger son had done to him, ²⁵ he said,

"Canaan be cursed!

He will be a servant of servants

to his brothers."a

²⁶ He also said,

"Blessed be the

LORD

God of Shem,

and let Canaan be his servant.

²⁷ May God enlarge Japheth,

and may he dwell in the tents of Shem,

and may Canaan be his servant."

²⁸ Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. ²⁹ All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and then he died.

The Table of Nations

10 Now these are the generationsa of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah. And sons were born to them after the flood.

The Japhethites

1Ch 1:5–7

² The sons of Japheth were

Gomer, Magog,a Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek, and Tiras.b

³ The sons of Gomer were

Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

⁴ The sons of Javan were

Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites.a ⁵ From these the coastlands of the nations were divided ¹ into their lands, everyone according to his tongue, according to their families, by their nations.

The Hamites

1Ch 1:8–16

⁶ The sons of Ham were

Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.

⁷ The sons of Cush were

Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteka;

and the sons of Raamah were

Sheba and Dedan.a

⁸ Cush was the father of Nimrod. He became a mighty one on the earth. ⁹ He was a mighty hunter before the L ORD

. Therefore it is said, "Even like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the

LORD

." ¹⁰ The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, ² Uruk, Akkad, and Kalneh in the land of Shinar.a ¹¹ From that land he went to Assyriaa and built Nineveh, the city Rehoboth Ir, and Calah, ¹² and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).

¹³ Egypt was the father of

the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites,a ¹⁴ Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom came the Philistines), and Caphtorites.a

¹⁵ Canaan was the father of

Sidon his firstborn and Heth,a ¹⁶ and the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, ¹⁷ Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, ¹⁸ Arvadites, Zemarites, and the Hamathites.

Later the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. ¹⁹ The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon toward Gerar to Gaza, and then to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboyim, as far as Lasha.a

²⁰ These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.

The Semites

Ge 11:10–27; 1Ch 1:17–27

²¹ To Shem, who was the father of all the children of Eber,a whose older brother was Japheth, ³ were sons born also.

²² The sons of Shem were

Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud,a and Aram.

²³ The sons of Aram were

Uz,a Hul, Gether, and Meshek.

²⁴ Arphaxad was the father of Shelah,

and Shelah was the father of Eber.

²⁵ To Eber were born two sons.

The name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; his brother’s name was Joktan.a

²⁶ Joktan was the father of

Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²⁷ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²⁸ Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ²⁹ Ophir,a Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.

³⁰ Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to Sephar, the hill country of the east.

³¹ These are the sons of Shem, by their families and their language, in their lands and their nations.

³² These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations.a From these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.

The Tower of Babel

11 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. ² As the people journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.a

³ They said to each other, Let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone and tar for mortar.a ⁴ Then they said, Come, let us build us a city and a tower,a whose top will reach to heaven, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.

⁵ But the L ORD

came downa to see the city and the tower that the sons of men built. ⁶ The L ORD

said, "The people are one and they have one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do; now nothing that they propose to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let us go downa and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech."b

⁸ So the L ORD

scattered them abroada from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ Therefore the name of it was called Babel, because there the L ORD

confused the language of all the earth. From there the

LORD

scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.a

Shem’s Descendants

Ge 10:21–31; 1Ch 1:17–27

¹⁰ These are the generations of Shem.a

Shem was a hundred years old, and two years after the flood he became the father of Arphaxad. ¹¹ Shem lived after the birth of Arphaxad five hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.

¹² Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah. ¹³ Arphaxad lived after the birth of Shelah four hundred and three years, and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁴ Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber. ¹⁵ Shelah lived after the birth of Eber four hundred and three years, and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁶ Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg. ¹⁷ Eber lived after the birth of Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and had other sons and daughters.

¹⁸ Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu. ¹⁹ Peleg lived after the birth of Reu two hundred and nine years, and had other sons and daughters.

²⁰