Babel

The Tower of Babel (Genesis 11: 1-9)

English


Wycliffe Bible (1395) - Middle English

The Tower of Babel

  1. Forsothe the lond was of o langage, and of the same speche.
  2. And whanne thei ȝeden forth fro the eest, thei fonden a feeld in the lond of Sennaar, and dwelliden ther ynne.
  3. And oon seide to his neiȝbore, Come ȝe, and make we tiel stonys, and bake we tho with fier; and thei hadden tiel for stonus, and pitche for morter;
  4. and seiden, Come ȝe, and make we to vs a citee and tour, whos hiȝnesse stretche 'til to heuene; and make we solempne oure name bifor that we be departid in to alle londis.
  5. Forsothe the Lord cam down to se the citee and tour, which the sones of Adam bildiden.
  6. And he seide, Lo! the puple is oon, and o langage is to alle, and thei han bigunne to make this, nethir thei schulen ceesse of her thouȝtis, til thei fillen tho in werk; therfor come ȝe, go we doun,
  7. and scheende we there the tunge of hem, that ech man here not the voys of his neiȝbore.
  8. And so the Lord departide hem fro that place in to alle londis; and thei cessiden to bielde a cytee.
  9. And therfor the name therof was clepid Babel, for the langage of al erthe was confoundide there; and fro thennus the Lord scaterede hem on the face of alle cuntrees.

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2011&version=WYC

IPA transcription

θə tuːɾ əv baːbɛl

  1. fɔɾˈsoːθ θə lɔnd was əv ɔː laŋˈgaːʒ | and əf θə saːm spɛːt͜ʃ ‖
  2. and ʍan θɛj jeːdɛn fɔɾθ fɾɔ ðə ʔeːst | θɛj fʊndɛn aː feːld ɪn θə lɔnd əf sɛːnaːɾ | and dwɛlɪdɛn θɛːɾ ɪn ‖
  3. and ɔːn sɛːd toː his nɛjxbuːɾ | kɔm jeː | and maːk weː tiːl stɔːnəs | and baːk weː θɔː wɪθ fiːɾ | and θɛj hadən tiːl fɔɾ stɔːnəs | and pɪt͜ʃ fɔɾ mɔɾtəɾ |
  4. and sɛːdən | kɔm jeː | and maːk weː toː ʊs aː sɪˈteː and tuːɾ | ʍoːs hɪxnɛs stɾɛt͜ʃ tɪl toː hɛvɛn | and maːk weː sɔlempnə uːɾ naːm bɪˈfɔɾ θat weː beː dɛˈpaɾtɪd ɪn toː al lɔndəs ‖
  5. fɔɾˈsoːθ θə lɔɾd kaːm duːn toː seː ðə sɪˈteː and tuːɾ | ʍɪt͜ʃ θə sɔnəs əv adam biːldɪdɛn ‖
  6. and heː sɛːd | lɔː | θə peːpl̩ ɪs ɔːn | and ɔː laŋˈgaːʒ ɪs toː al | and θɛj han bɪˈgʊn toː maːk θɪs | neːðɪɾ θɛj ʃʊlɛn sɛːs əf hɛɾ θowxtɪs | tɪl θɛj fɪlɛn θɔː ɪn wɛɾk | θɛːɾˈfɔɾ kɔm jeː | gɔː weː duːn |
  7. and ʃeːnd weː ðɛːɾ θə tʊŋg əf hɛm | θat ɛːt͜ʃ man heːɾ nɔːt θə vɔjs əf hɪs nɛjxbuːɾ ‖
  8. and sɔː ðə lɔɾd dɛˈpaɾtɪd hɛm fɾɔ ðat plaːs ɪn toː al lɔndəs | and θɛj sɛsɪdɛn toː biːld aː sɪˈteː ‖
  9. and θɛːɾˈfɔɾ θə naːm θɛːɾˈɔf was clɛpɪd baːbɛl | fɔɾ θə laŋˈgaːʒ əv al ɛɾθ was kɔnˈfuːndɪd θɛːɾ | and fɾɔ ðɛnəs θə lɔɾd skatɛɾɛd hɛm ɔn θə faːs əv al kʊnˈtɾeː ‖

Hear a recording of this text by Scott Brewer

[top]


Coverdale Bible (1535)

  1. Morouer all the worlde had one tonge & language.
  2. Now as they wente towarde the Eaſt, they founde a playne in yᵉ londe of Synear, & there they dwelt,
  3. & ſaide one to another: Come on, let vs make bryck & burne it. And they toke bryck for ſtone, & ſlyme for morter,
  4. And ſayde: Come, let vs buylde a cite & a tower, whoſe toppe maye reach vnto heauē, yᵗ we maye make vs a name, afore we be ſcatred abrode in all londes.
  5. Then came yᵉ LORDE downe, to ſe yᵉ cite & tower, yᵗ yᵉ childrē of mē had buylded.
  6. And yᵉ LORDE ſaide: Beholde, the people is one, & haue one maner of language amōge thē all, & this haue they begonne to do, & wil not leaue of from all yᵗ they haue purpoſed to do.
  7. Come on, let vs go downe, & cōfounde their tonge euē there, yᵗ one vnderſtonde not what another ſaieth.
  8. Thus yᵉ LORDE ſcatred thē frō thēce in all lōdes, so yᵗ they left of to buylde the cite.
  9. Therfore is it called Babell, because the LORDE cōfounded there the language of all the worlde, and from thēce ſcatred them abrode in to all londes.

Source: https://www.bibliatodo.com/en/the-bible/coverdale-miles-1535-bible/genesis-11

[top]


Tyndale Bible (1536)

  1. ANd all the world was of one tonge and one language.
  2. And as they came from the eaſt/ they founde a playne in the lande of Synear/ and there they dwelled.
  3. And they ſayd one to a nother: come on/ let us make brycke ād burne it wyth fyre. So brycke was there ſtone and ſlyme was there morter
  4. And they ſayd: Come on/ let vs buylde vs a cyte and a toure/ that the toppe may reach vnto heauen. And let vs make us a name/ for perauenture we ſhall be ſcatered abrode over all the erth.
  5. And the LORde came downe to ſee the cyte and the toure which the childern of Adā had buylded.
  6. And the LORde ſayd: See/ the people is one and haue one tonge amonge them all. And thys haue they begon to do/ and wyll not leaue of from all that they haue purpoſed to do.
  7. Come on/ let vs deſcende and myngell theire tonge even there/ that one vnderſtonde not what a nother ſayeth.
  8. Thus yᵉ LORde ſkatered them from thence vppon all the erth. And they left of to buylde the cyte.
  9. Wherfore the name of it is called Babell/ becauſe that the LORDE there confounded the tonge of all the world. And becauſe that the LORde from thence/ ſkatered them abrode vppon all the erth.

Source: https://www.biblestudytools.com/tyn/genesis/11.html

[top]


Thomas Matthew's Bible (1537)

  1. ANd all the worlde was of one tōge & one language.
  2. And as they came frō the eaſt/ they founde a playne in the lāde of Synear/ & there they dwelled.
  3. And they ſayde one to a nother: come on/ let vs make brycke & burne it with fyre. So brycke was their ſtone and ſlyme was their morter.
  4. And they ſayde: Come on/ let vs buylde vs a cyte and a toure/ yᵗ the toppe may reach vnto heauē. And let vs make us a name for perauenture we ſhall be ſcatered abrode over all the erth.
  5. And the Lorde came downe to ſee the cyte and the toure whych the chyldren of Adam had buylded.
  6. And the Lorde ſayde: See/ the people is one and haue one tonge amonge them all. And thys haue they begon to do/ and wyll not leaue of from all that they haue purpoſed to do.
  7. Come on/ let vs deſcende/ and myngell theyr tonge even there/ that one vnderſtonde not what another ſayeth.
  8. Thus the Lorde ſkatered them from thence vpon all the erth. And they left of to buylde the cyte.
  9. Wherfore the name of it is called Babell/ becauſe that the Lorde there confounded the tōge of all the world. And becauſe that the Lorde from thence/ ſkatred them abrode vpon all the erth.

Source: https://bibles-online.net/flippingbook/1537/66/

[top]


Great Bible (1541)

  1. Al the whole erth was of one language & lyke speche.
  2. And it happened whan they wente furth from the east, they founde a playne in the londe of Sinhar, & there they abode.
  3. And they sayd euery one to his neyghboure: Come, let vs prepare brycke, & burne them in the fyre. And they had brycke for stone, & slyme had they in steade of morter.
  4. And they sayde: Go to, let vs buylde vs a citie & a tower, whose toppe maye reach vnto heauen: & let vs make vs a name, lest haply we be scatred abrode in to the vpper face of the whole erth.
  5. But the Lord came downe, to se the cytie and tower whych the chyldren of men buylded.
  6. And the Lorde sayde: Beholde, the people is one, and they haue all one language, & thys they begynne to do, neyther wyll it be restrayned from them, whatsoeuer they haue ymagined to do.
  7. Come on, let vs go downe, and confounde theyr language, that euery one perceaue not hys neyghbours speche.
  8. And so the Lorde scatred them from that place into the vpper face of all the erth. And they left of to buylde the cytie.
  9. And therfore is the name of it called Babel, because the Lorde dyd there confounde the language of all the erth. And from thence dyd the Lorde scater them abrode vpon the face of all the erth.

Source: https://studybible.info/Great/Genesis%2011

[top]


Taverner's Bible (1551)

  1. ANd all the world was of one tounge, and one language.
  2. And as they came from the eaſt, they found a playne in the lande of Synear, and there they dwelled.
  3. And they ſayde one to another: come on let vs make brycke and burne it wyth fyre. So brycke was their ſtone, and ſlyme was there morter.
  4. And they ſayed: Come on, let vs buyld vs a cyte and a towre, that the toppe may reach vnto heauen. And let vs make vnto us a name afore we be ſcatered abrode ouer al the earth.
  5. And the Lord came downe to ſe the cytie and the towre whiche the children of Adam had builded.
  6. And the Lord ſayde: See, the people is one and haue one tonge amonge them al, And thys haue they begon to do, and wyll not leaue from all that they haue purpoſed to do.
  7. Come on, let vs deſcende, and myngle theyr tonge euen there, that one vnderſtād not what another ſayeth.
  8. Thus yᵉ Lorde ſkattered them from thence vpon all the earthe. And they lefte of to buylde the cytye.
  9. Wherfore the name of it is called Babell, becauſe that the Lord ther cōfoūded yᵉ tonge of al the World. And becauſe that the Lorde from thence ſcattered them abrode vpon all the earthe.

Source: https://studybible.info/Great/Genesis%2011

[top]


Geneva Bible (1560)

  1. Then the whole earth was of one language and one ſpeache.
  2. And as they went from the Eaſt, they founde a plaine in the land of Shinár, & there they abode.
  3. And they ſaid one to an other, Come let vs make brycke, and burne it in the fire. So thei had brycke for ſtone, and ſlyme had they in ſteade of morter.
  4. Alſo they ſaid, Go to, let bs buylde vs a citie and a tower, whoſe toppe may reach vnto the heauen, that we may get vs a name, leſt we be ſcatred vpon yᵉ whole earth.
  5. But the Lord came downe, to ſe the citie & which yᵉ ſonnes of men buylded.
  6. And the Lord ſaid, Beholde, the people is one, & thei all haue one language, & this thei beginne to do, nether can thei now be ſtopped from whatſoeuer thei haue imagined to do.
  7. Come on, let vs go downe, and there confounde their language, that euerie one perceiue not an others ſpeache.
  8. So the Lord ſcatred them from thence vpon all the earth, and they left of to buylde the citie.
  9. Therfore the name of it was called Babél, becauſe the Lord did their confounde the language of all the earth: frō thence then did the Lord ſcater them vpon all the earth.

Source: https://studybible.info/Geneva/Genesis%2011

[top]


Bishop's Bible (1568)

  1. And all the whole earth was of one language and lyke ſpeache.
  2. And when they went foorth from the eaſt, they founde a playne in the lande of Sinar, and there they abode.
  3. And one ſayd to another: Come let vs prepare brycke, and burne them in the fire. And they had brycke for ſtones, and ſlyme had they in ſteade of morter.
  4. And they ſayd: Go to, let vs buylde vs a citie and a towre, whoſe toppe may reache vnto heauen, and let vs make vs a name, leſt peraduenture we be ſcattered abrode into the vpper face of the whole earth.
  5. But the Lorde came downe to ſee the citie and towre which the chyldren of men buylded.
  6. And the Lorde ſayd: Beholde, the people is one, and they haue all one language, and this they begin to do: neither is there any let to them from all thoſe thinges whiche they haue imagined to do.
  7. Come one, let vs go downe, and there confounde their language, that euery one perceaue not his neighbours ſpeache.
  8. And ſo the Lorde ſcattered them from that place into the vpper face of all the earth, and they left of to buylde that citie.
  9. And therfore is the name of it called Babel, becauſe the Lord dyd there confounde the language of all the earth: and from thence dyd the Lorde ſcatter them abrode vpon the face of all the earth.

Source: https://studybible.info/Bishops/Genesis%2011

[top]


Douay Rheims Bible (1609)

  1. AND the earth was of one tongue, and al one ſpeach.
  2. And when they remoued from the eaſt, they found a plaine in the land of Sennaar, and dwelt in it.
  3. And eech one ſaid to his neighboure: Come, let vs make bricke, and bake them with fire. And they had bricke in ſteed of ſtone, and bitume in ſteed of morter:
  4. and they ſaid: Come, let bs make vs a citie and a towre, the toppewherof may reach to heauen: and let vs renowne our name before we be diſperſed into al lands.
  5. And our Lord deſcended to ſee the citie and the towre, which the children of Adam builded,
  6. and he ſaid: Behold, it is one people, and one tongue is to al: and they haue begunne to doe this, neyther wil they leaue of from their determinations, til they accomplish them indede.
  7. Come ye therfore, let vs goe downe, and there confound their tounge, that none may heare is neighbours voice.
  8. And ſo our Lord diſperſed them from that place into al lands, and they seaſed to build the citie.
  9. And therfore the name therof was called Babel, becauſe there the tongue of the whole earth was confounded: and from thence our Lord diſperſed them vpon the face of al countries.

Source: https://studybible.info/DouayRheims/Genesis%2011

[top]


King James Bible (1611)

The Tower of Babel

  1. And the whole earth was of one language, and of one ſpeach.
  2. And it came to paſſe as they iourneyed from the Eaſt, that they found a plaine in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
  3. And they ſayd one to another; Goe to, let vs make bricke, and burne them thorowly. And they had bricke for ſtone, and ſlime had they for morter.
  4. And they ſaid; Goe to, let vs build vs a city and a tower, whoſe top may reach vnto heauen, and let vs make vs a name, leſt we be ſcattered abroad vpon the face of the whole earth.
  5. And the LORD came downe to ſee the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.
  6. And the LORD said; Behold, the people is one, and they haue all one language: and this they begin to doe: and now nothing will be reſtrained from them, which they haue imagined to doe.
  7. Goe to, let vs go downe, and there cōfound their language, that they may not vnderſtand one anothers ſpeech.
  8. So the LORD ſcattered them abroad from thence, vpon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the Citie.
  9. Therefore is the name of it called Babel, becauſe the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD ſcatter them abroad vpon the face of all the earth.

Source: https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/1/GEN.11.KJV

IPA transcription

ðə tə͜ʊɚ əv bɛːbəl

  1. ən ðə hoɫ ɐ˞θ was əv wɤn laŋgwɪd͡ʒ | ən əv wɤn spiːt͜ʃ ‖
  2. ən ɪt kɛːm tə pas | əz d͡ʒɐ˞neːə̆d fɹɤm ðə‿eːst | ðət ðɛ fə͜ʊnd ə pleːn ɪn ðə land ə ʃə͜ɪnɐ˞ | ən ðɛ dwɛlt ðeːɹ ‖
  3. ən ðɛ seːd wɤn tə‿aˈnɤðɚ | goː tuː | lɛt ɤs mɛːk bɹɪk | ən bɐ˞n‿əm θɤɹɑlə͜ɪ ‖ ən ðɛː‿əd bɹɪk fɚ stoːn | ən slə͜ɪm‿əd ðɛ fɚ mɔ˞tɚ ‖
  4. ən ðɛ seːd | goː tuː | lɛt ɤs bɪld ɤs ə sɪtə͜ɪ ən ə tə͜ʊɚ | huːz tɑp mɛːi ɹeːt͜ʃ ɤntə hɛə̆n | ən lɛt ɤs mɛːk ɤs ə nɛːm | lɛst wiː bɪ skatɛɹəd əbɹoːd ɤˈpɑn ðə fɛːs ə ðə hoɫ ɐ˞θ ‖
  5. ən ðə lɔ˞d kɛːm də͜ʊn tə siː ðə sɪtə͜ɪ ən ðə tə͜ʊɚ | ʍɪt͜ʃ ðə t͜ʃɪldɹən ə mɛn bɪldəd ‖
  6. ən ðə lɔ˞d seːd | bɪˈhɔld | ðə piːpəl ɪz wɤn | ən ðɛː‿əv al wɤn laŋgwɪd͡ʒ | ən ðɪs ðɛ bəˈgɪn tə duː | ən nə͜ʊ nɤθɪŋ wɪl biː ɹɪsˈtɹɛːnəd fɹəm‿əm | ʍɪt͜ʃ ðɛː‿əv ɪˈmad͡ʒɪnəd tə duː ‖
  7. goː tuː | lɛt ɤs goː də͜ʊn | ən ðeːɹ kɤnˈfə͜ʊnd ðɛ˞ laŋgwɪd͡ʒ | ðət ðɛ mɛːi nɑt ɤndɚˈstand wɤn əˈnɤðɚz spiːt͜ʃ ‖
  8. soː ðə lɔ˞d skatɛɹəd‿əm əˈbɹoːd fɹɤm ðɛns ɤˈpɑn ðə fɛːs əv al ðə ɐ˞θ | ən ðɛ lɛft ɑf tə bɪld ðə sɪtə͜ɪ ‖
  9. ðɛ˞ˈfɔ˞ ɪz ðə nɛːm əv ɪt kaləd bɛːbəl | bɪˈkɑz ðə lɔ˞d dɪd ðeːɹ kɤnˈfə͜ʊnd ðə laŋgwɪd͡ʒ əv al ðə ɐ˞θ | ən fɹɤm ðɛns dɪd ðə lɔ˞d skatɛɹ‿əm əˈbɹoːd ɤˈpɑn ðə fɛːs əv al ðə ɐ˞θ ‖

Hear a recording of this text by Scott Brewer

[top]


Basic English Bible (1949)

  1. And all the earth had one language and one tongue.
  2. And it came about that in their wandering from the east, they came to a stretch of flat country in the land of Shinar, and there they made their living-place.
  3. And they said one to another, Come, let us make bricks, burning them well. And they had bricks for stone, putting them together with sticky earth.
  4. And they said, Come, let us make a town, and a tower whose top will go up as high as heaven; and let us make a great name for ourselves, so that we may not be wanderers over the face of the earth.
  5. And the Lord came down to see the town and the tower which the children of men were building.
  6. And the Lord said, See, they are all one people and have all one language; and this is only the start of what they may do: and now it will not be possible to keep them from any purpose of theirs.
  7. Come, let us go down and take away the sense of their language, so that they will not be able to make themselves clear to one another.
  8. So the Lord God sent them away into every part of the earth: and they gave up building their town.
  9. So it was named Babel, because there the Lord took away the sense of all languages and from there the Lord sent them away over all the face of the earth.

Source: https://studybible.info/BBE/Genesis%2011

[top]


New International Version (1973)

  1. Now the whole world had one language and a common speech.
  2. As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there.
  3. They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar.
  4. Then 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 and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
  5. But the LORD came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building.
  6. The 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.
  7. Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."
  8. So the LORD scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city.
  9. That is why it was called Babel -- because there the LORD confused the language of the whole world. From there the LORD scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

Source: https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Genesis%2011&version=NIV

[top]


New King James Bible (1982)

The Tower of Babel

  1. Now the whole earth had one language and one speech.
  2. And it came to pass, as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.
  3. Then they said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.
  4. And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
  5. But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built.
  6. And the Lord said, “Indeed the people are one and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do; now nothing that they propose to do will be withheld from them.
  7. Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
  8. So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they ceased building the city.
  9. Therefore its name is called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Source: https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/114/GEN.11.NKJV

Hear a recording of this text by Scott Brewer

[top]


World English Bible (2000)

  1. The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.
  2. As they traveled from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.
  3. They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.
  4. They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”
  5. Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.
  6. Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do.
  7. Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
  8. So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city.
  9. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.

Source: https://studybible.info/WEB/Genesis%2011

[top]


English Standard Version (2016)

  1. Now the whole earth had one language and the same words.
  2. And as people migrated from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
  3. And they said to one another, "Come, let us make bricks, and burn them thoroughly." And they had brick for stone, and bitumen for mortar.
  4. Then 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. And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of man had built.
  6. And 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.
  7. Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another's speech."
  8. So the Lord dispersed them from there over the face of all the earth, and they left off building the city.
  9. Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. And from there the Lord dispersed them over the face of all the earth.

Source: https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/59/GEN.11.ESV

[top]


New World Translation of The Holy Scriptures (2013)

  1. Now all the earth continued to be of one language and of one set of words.
  2. And it came about that in their journeying eastward they eventually discovered a valley plain in the land of Shi'nar, and they took up dwelling there.
  3. And they began to say, each one to the other: 'Come on! Let us make bricks and bake them with a burning process.' So brick served as stone for them, but bitumen served as mortar for them.
  4. They now said: 'Come on! Let us build ourselves a city and also a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a celebrated name for ourselves, for fear we may be scattered over all the surface of the earth.'
  5. And Jehovah proceeded to go down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men had built.
  6. After that Jehovah said: 'Look! They are one people and there is one language for them all, and this is what they start to do. Why, now there is nothing that they may have in mind to do that will be unattainable for them.
  7. Come now! Let us go down and there confuse their language that they may not listen to one another's language.'
  8. Accordingly Jehovah scattered them from there over all the surface of the earth, and they gradually left off building the city.
  9. That is why its name was called Ba'bel, because there Jehovah had confused the language of all the earth, and Jehovah had scattered them from there over all the surface of the earth.

Source: https://www.bibliatodo.com/en/the-bible/new-world-translation-of-the-holy-scriptures/genesis-11

[top]


Easy English Bible (2018)

The tower in Babel

  1. At this time, everyone who lived on the earth spoke one language. They used the same words.
  2. People moved to the east. They reached a large flat piece of land called Shinar. They stayed there to live.
  3. They said to each other, ‘We should make bricks and cook them until they are hard.’ These people used bricks instead of stones to build houses. They used tar to hold the bricks together, instead of cement.
  4. They said, ‘Let us build a city to live in. We should also build a very tall tower. The tower will go up into the heavens. Then we will always be famous. If we do that, we will not have to separate and go to live in different places on the earth.’
  5. But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower. He saw that the people had started to build them.
  6. The Lord said, ‘Because they all speak the same language, they are able to do this. If they can do this together, they may decide to do whatever they want.
  7. Now we must go down to them. We must make their language become confused. Then they will not be able to understand each other.’
  8. So the Lord separated the people from one another. They went to live in different lands all over the earth. They stopped building the city for themselves.
  9. That is why people called the city Babel. It was because the Lord confused all the people of the world and he gave them different languages to speak. From that time, the Lord separated the people from each other so that they lived in different places all over the earth.

Source: https://www.bible.com/en-GB/bible/2079/GEN.11.EASY

[top]


Some translations provided by Corey Murray

Information about English | Phrases | Numbers | Time | Family words | Tongue twisters | Tower of Babel | Articles | Books | Links

Tower of Babel in Germanic languages

Afrikaans, Alsatian, Anglo-Saxon / Old English, Bavarian, Danish, Dutch, English, Faroese, Frisian, German, Gothic, Gronings, Icelandic, Low Saxon / Low German, Norwegian, Palatine German, Pennsylvania German, Swabian, Swedish, Swiss German, Värmlandic, Yiddish

Other Tower of Babel translations

By language | By language family

[top]


Green Web Hosting - Kualo

Why not share this page:

 

Learn a Language with gymglish

If you like this site and find it useful, you can support it by making a donation via PayPal or Patreon, or by contributing in other ways. Omniglot is how I make my living.

 

Note: all links on this site to Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.fr are affiliate links. This means I earn a commission if you click on any of them and buy something. So by clicking on these links you can help to support this site.

Get a 30-day Free Trial of Amazon Prime (UK)

If you're looking for home or car insurance in the UK, why not try Policy Expert?

[top]

iVisa.com