The Bible

 

Genesis 11

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1 The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.

2 It happened, as they traveled east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.

3 They said one to 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 ourselves a name, 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 have all 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.

10 This is the history of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood.

11 Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and became the father of sons and daughters.

12 Arpachshad lived thirty-five years and became the father of Shelah.

13 Arpachshad lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Shelah, and became the father of sons and daughters.

14 Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber:

15 and Shelah lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Eber, and became the father of sons and daughters.

16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg.

17 Eber lived four hundred thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and became the father of sons and daughters.

18 Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu.

19 Peleg lived two hundred nine years after he became the father of Reu, and became the father of sons and daughters.

20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug.

21 Reu lived two hundred seven years after he became the father of Serug, and became the father of sons and daughters.

22 Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor.

23 Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and became the father of sons and daughters.

24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah.

25 Nahor lived one hundred nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and became the father of sons and daughters.

26 Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot.

28 Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.

29 Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram's wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor's wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran who was also the father of Iscah.

30 Sarai was barren. She had no child.

31 Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son's son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram's wife. They went forth from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran and lived there.

32 The days of Terah were two hundred five years. 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.