Study Desk

The Table of Nations

This is the account^(a) of Shem, Ham and Japheth,^(b) Noah's sons,^(c) who themselves had sons after the flood.

The Japhethites^(d)

The sons^[a] of Japheth: Gomer,^(e) Magog,^(f) Madai, Javan,^(g) Tubal,^(h) Meshek⁽ⁱ⁾ and Tiras.

The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz,^(j) Riphath and Togarmah.^(k)

The sons of Javan: Elishah,^(l) Tarshish,^(m) the Kittites⁽ⁿ⁾ and the Rodanites.^[b]

(From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)^(o)

The Hamites^(p)

The sons of Ham: Cush,^(q) Egypt, Put^(r) and Canaan.^(s)

The sons of Cush: Seba,^(t) Havilah,^(u) Sabtah, Raamah^(v) and Sabteka. The sons of Raamah: Sheba^(w) and Dedan.^(x)

Cush was the father^[c] of Nimrod,^(y) who became a mighty warrior on the earth.

He was a mighty^(z) hunter^(aa) before the Lord ; that is why it is said, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord ."

The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon,^(ab) Uruk,^(ac) Akkad and Kalneh,^(ad) in^[d] Shinar.^[e](ae)

From that land he went to Assyria,^(af) where he built Nineveh,^(ag) Rehoboth Ir,^[f] Calah

and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.

Egypt was the father of the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites,

Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines^(ah) came) and Caphtorites.^(ai)

Canaan^(aj) was the father of Sidon^(ak) his firstborn,^[g](al) and of the Hittites,^(am)

Jebusites,^(an) Amorites,^(ao) Girgashites,^(ap)

Hivites,^(aq) Arkites, Sinites,

Arvadites,^(ar) Zemarites and Hamathites.^(as) Later the Canaanite^(at) clans scattered

and the borders of Canaan^(au) reached from Sidon^(av) toward Gerar^(aw) as far as Gaza,^(ax) and then toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim,^(ay) as far as Lasha.

These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

The Semites^(az)

Sons were also born to Shem, whose older brother was^[h] Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.^(ba)

The sons of Shem: Elam,^(bb) Ashur,^(bc) Arphaxad,^(bd) Lud and Aram.^(be)

The sons of Aram: Uz,^(bf) Hul, Gether and Meshek.^[i]

Arphaxad was the father of^[j] Shelah, and Shelah the father of Eber.^(bg)

Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg,^[k] because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.

Joktan was the father of Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,

Hadoram, Uzal,^(bh) Diklah,

Obal, Abimael, Sheba,^(bi)

Ophir,^(bj) Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.

The region where they lived stretched from Mesha toward Sephar, in the eastern hill country.

These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

These are the clans of Noah's sons,^(bk) according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth^(bl) after the flood.

The Tower of Babel

Now the whole world had one language^(a) and a common speech.

As people moved eastward,^[a] they found a plain in Shinar^[b](b) and settled there.

They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks^(c) and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone,^(d) and tar^(e) for mortar.

Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens,^(f) so that we may make a name^(g) for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered^(h) over the face of the whole earth."⁽ⁱ⁾

But the Lord came down^(j) to see the city and the tower the people were building.

The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language^(k) they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them.

Come, let us^(l) go down^(m) and confuse their language so they will not understand each other."⁽ⁿ⁾

So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth,^(o) and they stopped building the city.

That is why it was called Babel^[c](p)—because there the Lord confused the language^(q) of the whole world.^(r) From there the Lord scattered^(s) them over the face of the whole earth.

This is the account^(u) of Shem's family line. Two years after the flood, when Shem was 100 years old, he became the father^[d] of Arphaxad.^(v)

And after he became the father of Arphaxad, Shem lived 500 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Arphaxad had lived 35 years, he became the father of Shelah.^(w)

And after he became the father of Shelah, Arphaxad lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.^[e]

When Shelah had lived 30 years, he became the father of Eber.^(x)

And after he became the father of Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Eber had lived 34 years, he became the father of Peleg.^(y)

And after he became the father of Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Peleg had lived 30 years, he became the father of Reu.^(z)

And after he became the father of Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Reu had lived 32 years, he became the father of Serug.^(aa)

And after he became the father of Serug, Reu lived 207 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Serug had lived 30 years, he became the father of Nahor.^(ab)

And after he became the father of Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and had other sons and daughters.

When Nahor had lived 29 years, he became the father of Terah.^(ac)

And after he became the father of Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and had other sons and daughters.

After Terah had lived 70 years, he became the father of Abram,^(ad) Nahor^(ae) and Haran.^(af)

This is the account^(ag) of Terah's family line. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor^(ah) and Haran. And Haran became the father of Lot.^(ai)

While his father Terah was still alive, Haran died in Ur of the Chaldeans,^(aj) in the land of his birth.

Abram and Nahor^(ak) both married. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai,^(al) and the name of Nahor's wife was Milkah;^(am) she was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milkah and Iskah.

Now Sarai was childless because she was not able to conceive.^(an)

Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot^(ao) son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law^(ap) Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans^(aq) to go to Canaan.^(ar) But when they came to Harran,^(as) they settled there.

Terah^(at) lived 205 years, and he died in Harran.

The Call of Abram

The Lord had said to Abram, "Go from your country, your people and your father's household^(a) to the land^(b) I will show you.^(c)

"I will make you into a great nation,^(d) and I will bless you;^(e) I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing.^[a](f)

I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse;^(g) and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you.^(h)"^[b]

So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot⁽ⁱ⁾ went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old^(j) when he set out from Harran.^(k)

He took his wife Sarai,^(l) his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated^(m) and the people⁽ⁿ⁾ they had acquired in Harran, and they set out for the land of Canaan,^(o) and they arrived there.

Abram traveled through the land^(p) as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh^(q) at Shechem.^(r) At that time the Canaanites^(s) were in the land.

The Lord appeared to Abram^(t) and said, "To your offspring^[c] I will give this land.^(u)"^(v) So he built an altar there to the Lord ,^(w) who had appeared to him.

From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel^(x) and pitched his tent,^(y) with Bethel on the west and Ai^(z) on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord .^(aa)

Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev.^(ab)

Now there was a famine in the land,^(ad) and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe.^(ae)

As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai,^(af) "I know what a beautiful woman^(ag) you are.

When the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live.

Say you are my sister,^(ah) so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you."

When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that Sarai was a very beautiful woman.^(ai)

And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace.

He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female servants, and camels.^(aj)

But the Lord inflicted^(ak) serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household^(al) because of Abram's wife Sarai.

So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?"^(am) he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife?^(an)

Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,'^(ao) so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!"

Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had.