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

עברית (Hebrew)

  1. וַיְהִי כָל-הָאָרֶץ, שָׂפָה אֶחָת, וּדְבָרִים, אֲחָדִים.
  2. וַיְהִי, בְּנָסְעָם מִקֶּדֶם; וַיִּמְצְאוּ בִקְעָה בְּאֶרֶץ שִׁנְעָר, וַיֵּשְׁבוּ שָׁם.
  3. וַיֹּאמְרוּ אִישׁ אֶל-רֵעֵהוּ, הָבָה נִלְבְּנָה לְבֵנִים, וְנִשְׂרְפָה, לִשְׂרֵפָה; וַתְּהִי לָהֶם הַלְּבֵנָה, לְאָבֶן, וְהַחֵמָר, הָיָה לָהֶם לַחֹמֶר.
  4. וַיֹּאמְרוּ הָבָה נִבְנֶה-לָּנוּ עִיר, וּמִגְדָּל וְרֹאשׁוֹ בַשָּׁמַיִם, וְנַעֲשֶׂה-לָּנוּ, שֵׁם:  פֶּן-נָפוּץ, עַל-פְּנֵי כָל-הָאָרֶץ.
  5. וַיֵּרֶד יְהוָה, לִרְאֹת אֶת-הָעִיר וְאֶת-הַמִּגְדָּל, אֲשֶׁר בָּנוּ, בְּנֵי הָאָדָם.
  6. וַיֹּאמֶר יְהוָה, הֵן עַם אֶחָד וְשָׂפָה אַחַת לְכֻלָּם, וְזֶה, הַחִלָּם לַעֲשׂוֹת; וְעַתָּה לֹא-יִבָּצֵר מֵהֶם, כֹּל אֲשֶׁר יָזְמוּ לַעֲשׂוֹת.
  7. הָבָה, נֵרְדָה, וְנָבְלָה שָׁם, שְׂפָתָם--אֲשֶׁר לֹא יִשְׁמְעוּ, אִישׁ שְׂפַת רֵעֵהוּ.
  8. וַיָּפֶץ יְהוָה אֹתָם מִשָּׁם, עַל-פְּנֵי כָל-הָאָרֶץ; וַיַּחְדְּלוּ, לִבְנֹת הָעִיר.
  9. עַל-כֵּן קָרָא שְׁמָהּ, בָּבֶל, כִּי-שָׁם בָּלַל יְהוָה, שְׁפַת כָּל-הָאָרֶץ; וּמִשָּׁם הֱפִיצָם יְהוָה, עַל-פְּנֵי כָּל-הָאָרֶץ.

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Transliteration

  1. Vayehi khol-ha'arets safa ekhat udvarim akhadim.
  2. Vayehi bnas'am mikedem vayyimtse'u vik'a b'erets Shin'ar vayyeshvu sham.
  3. Vayyomru ish el-re'ehu hava nilbena lvenim venisrefa lisrefa vatehi lahem hallvena l'aven vehakhemor haya lahem lakhomer.
  4. Vayyomru hava nivne-lanu ir umigdal verosho vashamayim vena'ase-lanu shem pen-nafuts al-pnei khol-ha'arets.
  5. Vayyered Adonai lir'ot et-ha'ir ve'et-hammigdal asher banu bnei ha'adam.
  6. Vayyomer Adonai hen am ekhad vesafa akhat lekhullam veze hakhillam la'asot ve'ata lo-yibatser mehem kol asher yazmu la'asot.
  7. Vhava nerda vnovla sham sfatam asher lo yishme'u ish sefat re'ehu.
  8. Vayyafets Adonai otam misham al-pnei khol-ha'arets vayyakhdelu livnot ha'ir.
  9. Al-ken kara shmah bavel ki-sham balal Adonai shefat kol-ha'arets umisham hefitsam Adonai al-pnei kol-ha'arets.

Transliteration by Libor Sztemon,
source: http://www.langmaker.com/db/bbl_hebrew.htm

Listen to a recording of this text made by Israel Radvinsky for Librivox.org

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