The Bible

 

Genesis 11

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1 And the whole earth had one language, and the same words.

2 And it came to pass as they journeyed from the east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there.

3 And they said one to another, Come on, let us make bricks, and burn [them] thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and they had asphalt for mortar.

4 And they said, Come on, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, the top of which [may reach] to the heavens; and let us make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered over the face of the whole earth.

5 And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men built.

6 And Jehovah said, Behold, the people is one, and have all one language; and this have they begun to do. And now will they be hindered in nothing that they meditate doing.

7 Come, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one another's speech.

8 And Jehovah scattered them thence over the face of the whole earth. And they left off building the city.

9 Therefore was its name called Babel; because Jehovah there confounded the language of the whole earth. And Jehovah scattered them thence over the face of the whole earth.

10 These are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and begot Arphaxad two years after the flood.

11 And Shem lived after he had begotten Arphaxad five hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

12 And Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and begot Shelah.

13 And Arphaxad lived after he had begotten Shelah four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.

14 And Shelah lived thirty years, and begot Eber.

15 And Shelah lived after he had begotten Eber four hundred and three years, and begot sons and daughters.

16 And Eber lived thirty-four years, and begot Peleg.

17 And Eber lived after he had begotten Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.

18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begot Reu.

19 And Peleg lived after he had begotten Reu two hundred and nine years, and begot sons and daughters.

20 And Reu lived thirty-two years, and begot Serug.

21 And Reu lived after he had begotten Serug two hundred and seven years, and begot sons and daughters.

22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begot Nahor.

23 And Serug lived after he had begotten Nahor two hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

24 And Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and begot Terah.

25 And Nahor lived after he had begotten Terah a hundred and nineteen years, and begot sons and daughters.

26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 And these are the generations of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begot Lot.

28 And Haran died before the face of his father Terah in the land of his nativity at Ur of the Chaldeans.

29 And Abram and Nahor took wives: the name of Abram's wife was Sarai; and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, a daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah and the father of Iscah.

30 And Sarai was barren: she had no child.

31 And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot the son of Haran his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife; and they went forth together out of Ur of the Chaldeans, to go into the land of Canaan, and came as far as Haran, and dwelt there.

32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

   

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Arcana Coelestia #1279

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1279. Genesis 11

1. And the whole earth was of one lip, and its words were one.

2. And so it was that, when they travelled away from the east, they found a valley in the land of Shinar, and they dwelt there.

3. And they said, one man to the next, Come, let us make bricks, and let us burn them thoroughly. And they had brick for stone, and they had bitumen for clay.

4. And they said, Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower, and its head in heaven; and let us make a name for ourselves, lest perhaps we are scattered over the face 1 of the whole earth.

5. And Jehovah came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of man were building.

6. And Jehovah said, See, they are one people, and they all have one lip, and this they have started to do; and now they will not be held back from anything which they have thought of doing.

7. Come, let us go down, and let us there confound their lip so that they do not hear each man the lip of his companion.

8. And Jehovah scattered them from there over the face 1 of the whole earth; and they left off building the city.

9. Therefore He called the name of it Babel, because there Jehovah confounded the lip of the whole earth; and from there Jehovah scattered them over the face 1 of the whole earth.

10. These are the generations of Shem: Shem was a son of a hundred years, and he begot Arpachshad two years after the Flood.

11. And Shem lived after he begot Arpachshad five hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters.

12. And Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and he begot Shelah.

13. And Arpachshad lived after he begot Shelah four hundred and three years; and he begot sons and daughters.

14. And Shelah lived thirty years, and he begot Eber.

15. And Shelah lived after he begot Eber four hundred and three years; and he begot sons and daughters.

16. And Eber lived thirty-four years, and he begot Peleg.

17. And Eber lived after he begot Peleg four hundred and thirty years; and he begot sons and daughters.

18. And Peleg lived thirty years, and he begot Reu.

19. And Peleg lived after he begot Reu two hundred and nine years; and he begot sons and daughters.

20. And Reu lived thirty-two years, and he begot Serug.

21. And Reu lived after he begot Serug two hundred and seven years; and he begot sons and daughters

22. And Serug lived thirty years, and he begot Nahor.

23. And Serug lived after he begot Nahor two hundred years; and he begot sons and daughters.

24. And Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and he begot Terah.

25. And Nahor lived after he begot Terah a hundred and nineteen years; and he begot sons and daughters.

26. And Terah lived seventy years, and he begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27. And these are the generations of Terah: Terah begot Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran begot Lot.

28. And Haran died in the presence 2 of Terah his father, in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans.

29. And Abram and Nahor took to themselves wives; the name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife was Milkah, the daughter of Haran, Milkah's father and Iskah's father.

30. And Sarai was barren; she had no offspring.

31. And Terah took Abram his son, and Lot, the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, the wife of Abram his son; and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan. And they came as far as Haran and remained there.

32. And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran.

CONTENTS

The subject in verses 1-9 is the first Ancient Church, which came after the Flood.

Footnotes:

1. literally, the faces

2. literally, before the faces

  
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Thanks to the Swedenborg Society for the permission to use this translation.