1 And Haran, son of Teraḥ, Aḇram’s oldest brother, took a wife in those days.
2 Haran was thirty-nine years old when he took her; and the wife of Haran conceived and bore a son, and he called his name Lot.
3 And she conceived again and bore a daughter, and she called her name Milkah; and she again conceived and bore a daughter, and she called her name Sarai.
4 Haran was forty-two years old when he brought forth Sarai, which was in the tenth year of the life of Aḇram; and in those days Aḇram and his mother and nurse went out from the cave, as the sovereign and his subjects had forgotten the matter of Aḇram.
5 And when Aḇram came out from the cave, he went to Noaḥ and his son Shĕm, and he remained with them to learn the instruction of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and His Ways, and no man knew where Aḇram was, and Aḇram served Noaḥ and Shĕm his son for a long time.
6 And Aḇram was in Noaḥ ‘s house thirty-nine years, and Aḇram knew 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 from three years old, and he went in the Ways of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 until the day of his death, as Noaḥ and his son Shĕm had taught him; and all the sons of the earth in those days greatly transgressed against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and they rebelled against Him and they served other mighty ones, and they forgot who 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 had created them in the earth; and the inhabitants of the earth at that time made for themselves, every man his mighty one; mighty ones of wood and stone which could neither speak, hear, nor deliver, and the sons of men served them and they became their mighty ones.
7 And the sovereign and all his servants, and Teraḥ with all his household were then the first of those that served mighty ones of wood and stone.
8 And Teraḥ had twelve mighty ones of large size, made of wood and stone, after the twelve months of the year, and he served each one monthly. And every month Teraḥ would bring his grain offering and drink offering to his mighty ones; thus Teraḥ did all the days.
9 And all that generation were wicked in the sight of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and they thus made every man his elohim, but they forsook 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 who had created them.
10 And there was not a man found in those days in the whole earth, who knew 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 – for they served each man his own mighty one – except Noaḥ and his household, and all those who were under his counsel knew 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 in those days.
11 And Aḇram son of Teraḥ was becoming great in those days in the house of Noaḥ, and no man knew it, and 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 was with him.
12 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 gave Aḇram an understanding heart, and he knew all the works of that generation were worthless, and that all their mighty ones were worthless and were of no use.
13 And Aḇram saw the sun shining upon the earth, and Aḇram said to himself, “Indeed now this sun that shines upon the earth is the mighty one, and I will serve him.”
14 And Aḇram served the sun in that day and he prayed to it, and when evening came the sun went down as usual, and Aḇram said within himself, “Indeed this cannot be Elohim!”
15 And Aḇram still continued to speak within himself, “Who is He who made the shamayim and the earth? Who created upon earth? Where is He?”
16 And night darkened over him, and he lifted up his eyes toward the west, north, south, and east, and he saw that the sun had vanished from the earth, and the day became dark.
17 And Aḇram saw the stars and moon before him, and he said, “Indeed this is the mighty one who created the whole earth as well as man, and see, these, his servants are mighty ones around him.” And Aḇram served the moon and prayed to it all that night.
18 And in the morning when it was light and the sun shone upon the earth as usual, Aḇram saw all the matters that 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim had made on earth.
19 And Aḇram said to himself, “Indeed these are not mighty ones that made the earth and all mankind, but these are the servants of Elohim.” And Aḇram remained in the house of Noaḥ and there knew 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 and His Ways and he served 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 all the days of his life. And all that generation forgot 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄, and served other mighty ones of wood and stone, and rebelled all their days.
20 And sovereign Nimroḏ reigned safely, and all the earth was under his control, and all the earth was of one tongue and words of union.
21 And all the princes of Nimroḏ and his great men took counsel together; Put, Mitsrayim, Kush and Kena’an with their clans, and they said to each other, “Come let us build ourselves a city and in it a strong tower, and its top reaching the shamayim, and we will make ourselves renowned, so that we may reign over the whole world, in order that the evil of our enemies may cease from us, that we may reign mightily over them, and that we may not become scattered over the earth because of their wars.”
22 And they all went before the sovereign, and they told the sovereign these words, and the sovereign agreed with them in this matter, and he did so.
23 And all the clans assembled consisting of about six hundred thousand men, and they went to seek a spacious piece of ground to build the city and the tower, and they sought in the whole earth and they found none like one valley at the east of the land of Shin’ar, about two days’ walk, and they journeyed there and they dwelt there.
24 And they began to make bricks and burn fires to build the city and the tower that they had planned to complete.
25 And the building of the tower was a transgression to them and a sin, and they began to build it, and while they were building against 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim of the shamayim, they devised in their hearts to fight against him and to go up into the shamayim.
26 And all these people and all the clans divided themselves in three parts; the first said, “We will go up into the shamayim and fight against Him!” The second said, “We will go up to the shamayim and place our own mighty ones there and serve them!” And the third part said, “We will go up to the shamayim and smite him with bows and spears!” And Elohim knew all their works and all their evil thoughts, and He saw the city and the tower which they were building.
27 And when they were building they built themselves a great city and a very high and strong tower; and because of its height the mortar and bricks did not reach the builders in their ascent to it, until those who went up had completed a full year, and after that, they reached the builders and gave them the mortar and the bricks; thus was it done daily.
28 And see, these went up and others came down the whole day; and if a brick should fall from their hands and get broken, they would all weep over it, and if a man fell and died, none of them would look at him.
29 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 knew their thoughts, and it came to be when they were building they shot the arrows toward the shamayim, and all the arrows fell upon them filled with blood, and when they saw them they said to each other, “Indeed we have slain all those that are in the shamayim.”
30 For this was from 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 in order to cause them to stray, and in order to destroy them from off the face of the earth.
31 And they built the tower and the city, and they did this matter daily until many days and years were passed.
32 And Elohim said to the seventy messengers who stood foremost before Him, to those who were near to Him, saying, “Come let us go down and confuse their tongues, that one man shall not understand the language of his neighbour.” And they did so to them.
33 And from that day following, they forgot each man his neighbour’s tongue, and they could not understand to speak in one tongue, and when the builder took from the hands of his neighbour lime or stone which he did not order, the builder would cast it away and throw it on his neighbour, that he would die.
34 And they did so many days, and they killed many of them in this way.
35 And 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 smote the three divisions that were there, and He punished them according to their works and designs; those who said, “We will go up to the shamayim and serve our mighty ones,” became like apes and elephants; and those who said, “We will smite the shamayim with arrows,” 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 killed them, one man through the hand of his neighbour; and the third division of those who said, “We will go up to the shamayim and fight against Him,” 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 scattered them throughout the earth.
36 And those who were left among them, when they knew and understood the evil which was coming upon them, they forsook the building, and they also became scattered upon the face of the whole earth.
37 And they ceased building the city and the tower; therefore he called that place Baḇel, for there 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 confused the language of the whole earth; see, it was in the east of the land of Shin’ar.
38 And as for the tower which the sons of men built, the earth opened its mouth and swallowed up one third part of it, and a fire also came down from the shamayim and burned another third, and the other third is left to this day, and it is of that part which was raised, and its circumference is three day’s walk.
39 And many of the sons of men died in that tower, a people without number.