Genesis — Chapter 11

King James Version (KJV)

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Genesis 11:1 And the whole earth ^Rwas of one ^Tlanguage, and of one ^Tspeech.

Genesis 11:2 And it came to pass, as they journeyed ^Tfrom the east, that they found a plain in the land of ^RShinar; and they dwelt there.

Genesis 11:3 And ^Tthey said one to another, Go to, let us make brick, and ^Tburn them throughly. And they had ^Rbrick for stone, and ^Rslime had they for morter.

Genesis 11:4 And they said, Go to, let us build us a city and a tower, ^Rwhose top may reach unto heaven; ^Rand let us make us a name, ^Rlest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth.

Genesis 11:5 And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded.

Genesis 11:6 And the LORD said, Behold, ^Rthe people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have ^Rimagined to do.

Genesis 11:7 Go to, let us go down, and there ^Rconfound their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.

Genesis 11:8 So the ^RLORD scattered them abroad from thence ^Rupon the face of all the earth: and they left off to build the city.

Genesis 11:9 Therefore is the name of it called ^RTBabel; because the LORD did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the LORD scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.

Genesis 11:10 These are the generations of Shem: Shem was an hundred years old, and begat Arphaxad two years after the flood:

Genesis 11:11 And Shem lived after he begat Arphaxad five hundred years, and ^Rbegat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:12 And Arphaxad lived five and thirty years, and ^Rbegat Salah:

Genesis 11:13 And Arphaxad lived after he begat Salah four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:14 And Salah lived thirty years, and begat Eber:

Genesis 11:15 And Salah lived after he begat Eber four hundred and three years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:16 And ^REber lived four and thirty years, and begat ^RTPeleg:

Genesis 11:17 And Eber lived after he begat Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:18 And Peleg lived thirty years, and begat ^RReu:

Genesis 11:19 And Peleg lived after he begat Reu two hundred and nine years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:20 And Reu lived two and thirty years, and begat ^RTSerug:

Genesis 11:21 And Reu lived after he begat Serug two hundred and seven years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:22 And Serug lived thirty years, and begat ^RNahor:

Genesis 11:23 And Serug lived after he begat Nahor two hundred years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:24 And Nahor lived nine and twenty years, and begat ^RTTerah:

Genesis 11:25 And Nahor lived after he begat Terah an hundred and nineteen years, and begat sons and daughters.

Genesis 11:26 And Terah lived seventy years, and begat ^RAbram, Nahor, and Haran.

Genesis 11:27 Now these are the generations of Terah: Terah begat Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and Haran begat ^RLot.

Genesis 11:28 And Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his nativity, in ^RUr of the Chaldees.

Genesis 11:29 And Abram and Nahor took them wives: the name of Abram’s wife was ^RSarai; and the name of Nahor’s wife, ^RMilcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah, and the father of Iscah.

Genesis 11:30 But Sarai was ^Rbarren; she had no child.

Genesis 11:31 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 with them from ^RUr of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan; and they came ^Runto Haran, and dwelt there.

Genesis 11:32 And the days of Terah were two hundred and five years: and Terah died in Haran.

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📖 What We’re Reading

Genesis 11:1–9 — The Tower of Babel

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

With one language and speech, the people settle in Shinar and determine to build a city and tower and make themselves a name. The LORD confounds their language and scatters them over the earth, and the place is called Babel.

Key Truth: Human plans to remain together at Babel are overturned when the LORD confounds their language and scatters them.

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📖 What We’re Reading

Genesis 11:10–26 — The Generations of Shem

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

The genealogy traces Shem’s descendants through Arphaxad, Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, and Terah, moving the biblical record toward Abram.

Key Truth: The genealogy connects the post-flood generations directly to Terah and his sons.

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📖 What We’re Reading

Genesis 11:27–32 — The Family of Terah

🌱 What These Verses Teach Us

Terah’s family is introduced in greater detail. Haran fathers Lot and dies in Ur of the Chaldees. Abram marries Sarai, who is barren. Terah leads part of the family from Ur toward Canaan, but they settle in Haran, where Terah dies.

Key Truth: Genesis 11 closes by introducing Abram and Sarai and setting the stage for God’s call of Abram in the next chapter.

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