| NIV |
The Message |
Amplified |
| The Tower of Babel |
"God Turned Their Language into 'Babble'" |
Chapter 11 |
| 1 Now the whole world had one language and a common speech. |
1 At one time, the whole Earth spoke the same language. |
1 AND THE whole earth was of one language and of one accent and mode of expression. |
| 2 As men moved eastward, they found a plain in Shinar and settled there. |
2 It so happened that as they moved out of the east, they came upon a plain in the land of Shinar and settled down. |
2 And as they journeyed eastward, they found a plain (valley) in the land of Shinar, and they settled and dwelt there. |
| 3 They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for mortar. |
3 They said to one another, "Come, let's make bricks and fire them well." They used brick for stone and tar for mortar. |
3 And they said one to another, Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly. So they had brick for stone, and slime (bitumen) for mortar. |
| 4 Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves and not be scattered over the face of the whole earth." |
4 Then they said, "Come, let's build ourselves a city and a tower that reaches Heaven. Let's make ourselves famous so we won't be scattered here and there across the Earth." |
4 And they said, Come, let us build us a city and a tower whose top reaches into the sky, and let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered over the whole earth. |
| 5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the men were building. |
5 God came down to look over the city and the tower those people had built. |
5 And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. |
| 6 The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. |
6 God took one look and said, "One people, one language; why, this is only a first step. No telling what they'll come up with next—they'll stop at nothing! |
6 And the Lord said, Behold, they are one people and they have all one language; and this is only the beginning of what they will do, and now nothing they have imagined they can do will be impossible for them. |
| 7 Come, let us go down and confuse their language so they will not understand each other." |
7 Come, we'll go down and garble their speech so they won't understand each other." |
7 Come, let Us go down and there confound (mix up, confuse) their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech. |
| 8 So the Lord scattered them from there over all the earth, and they stopped building the city. |
8 Then God scattered them from there all over the world. And they had to quit building the city. |
8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from that place upon the face of the whole earth, and they gave up building the city. |
| 9 That is why it was called Babel--because there the Lord confused the language of the whole world. From there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth. |
9 That's how it came to be called Babel, because there God turned their language into "babble." From there God scattered them all over the world. |
9 Therefore the name of it was called Babel—because there the Lord confounded the language of all the earth; and from that place the Lord scattered them abroad upon the face of the whole earth. |
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| The Call of Abram |
Abram and Sarai |
Chapter 12 |
| 1 The Lord had said to Abram, "Leave your country, your people and your father's household and go to the land I will show you. |
1 God told Abram: "Leave your country, your family, and your father's home for a land that I will show you. |
1 NOW [in Haran] the Lord said to Abram, Go for yourself [for your own advantage] away from your country, from your relatives and your father’s house, to the land that I will show you. |
| 2 "I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. |
2 I'll make you a great nation and bless you. I'll make you famous; you'll be a blessing. |
2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you [with abundant increase of favors] and make your name famous and distinguished, and you will be a blessing [dispensing good to others]. |
| 3 I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you." |
3 I'll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I'll curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you." |
3 And I will bless those who bless you [who confer prosperity or happiness upon you] and curse him who curses or uses insolent language toward you; in you will all the families and kindred of the earth be blessed [and by you they will bless themselves]. |
| 4 So Abram left, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Haran. |
4 So Abram left just as God said, and Lot left with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. |
4 So Abram departed, as the Lord had directed him; and Lot [his nephew] went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he left Haran. |
| 5 He took his wife Sarai, his nephew Lot, all the possessions they had accumulated and the people they had acquired in Haran, and they set out for the land of Canaan, and they arrived there. |
5 Abram took his wife Sarai and his nephew Lot with him, along with all the possessions and people they had gotten in Haran, and set out for the land of Canaan and arrived safe and sound. |
5 Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions that they had gathered, and the persons [servants] that they had acquired in Haran, and they went forth to go to the land of Canaan. When they came to the land of Canaan, |
| 6 Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. |
6 Abram passed through the country as far as Shechem and the Oak of Moreh. At that time the Canaanites occupied the land. |
6 Abram passed through the land to the locality of Shechem, to the oak or terebinth tree of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land. |
| 7 The Lord appeared to Abram and said, "To your offspring I will give this land." So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him. |
7 God appeared to Abram and said, "I will give this land to your children." Abram built an altar at the place God had appeared to him. |
7 Then the Lord appeared to Abram and said, I will give this land to your posterity. So Abram built an altar there to the Lord, Who had appeared to him. |
| 8 From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. |
8 He moved on from there to the hill country east of Bethel and pitched his tent between Bethel to the west and Ai to the east. He built an altar there and prayed to God. |
8 From there he pulled up [his tent pegs] and departed to the mountain on the east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; and there he built an altar to the Lord and called upon the name of the Lord. |
| 9 Then Abram set out and continued toward the Negev. |
9 Abram kept moving, steadily making his way south, to the Negev. |
9 Abram journeyed on, still going toward the South (the Negeb). |
| Abram in Egypt |
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| 10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. |
10 Then a famine came to the land. Abram went down to Egypt to live; it was a hard famine. |
10 Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive (intense and grievous). |
| 11 As he was about to enter Egypt, he said to his wife Sarai, "I know what a beautiful woman you are. |
11 As he drew near to Egypt, he said to his wife, Sarai, "Look. We both know that you're a beautiful woman. |
11 And when he was about to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, I know that you are beautiful to behold. |
| 12 When the Egyptians see you, they will say, 'This is his wife.' Then they will kill me but will let you live. |
12 When the Egyptians see you they're going to say, 'Aha! That's his wife!' and kill me. But they'll let you live. |
12 So when the Egyptians see you, they will say, This is his wife; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. |
| 13 Say you are my sister, so that I will be treated well for your sake and my life will be spared because of you." |
13 Do me a favor: tell them you're my sister. Because of you, they'll welcome me and let me live." |
13 Say, I beg of you, that you are my sister, so that it may go well with me for your sake and my life will be spared because of you. |
| 14 When Abram came to Egypt, the Egyptians saw that she was a very beautiful woman. |
14 When Abram arrived in Egypt, the Egyptians took one look and saw that his wife was stunningly beautiful. |
14 And when Abram came into Egypt, the Egyptians saw that the woman was very beautiful. |
| 15 And when Pharaoh's officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into his palace. |
15 Pharaoh's princes raved over her to Pharaoh. She was taken to live with Pharaoh. |
15 The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh, and she was taken into Pharaoh’s house [harem]. |
| 16 He treated Abram well for her sake, and Abram acquired sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, menservants and maidservants, and camels. |
16 Because of her, Abram got along very well: he accumulated sheep and cattle, male and female donkeys, men and women servants, and camels. |
16 And he treated Abram well for her sake; he acquired sheep, oxen, he-donkeys, menservants, maidservants, she-donkeys, and camels. |
| 17 But the Lord inflicted serious diseases on Pharaoh and his household because of Abram's wife Sarai. |
17 But God hit Pharaoh hard because of Abram's wife Sarai; everybody in the palace got seriously sick. |
17 But the Lord scourged Pharaoh and his household with serious plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife. |
| 18 So Pharaoh summoned Abram. "What have you done to me?" he said. "Why didn't you tell me she was your wife? |
18 Pharaoh called for Abram, "What's this that you've done to me? Why didn't you tell me that she's your wife? |
18 And Pharaoh called Abram and said, What is this that you have done to me? Why did you not tell me that she was your wife? |
| 19 Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife. Take her and go!" |
19 Why did you say, 'She's my sister' so that I'd take her as my wife? Here's your wife back—take her and get out!" |
19 Why did you say, She is my sister, so that I took her to be my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her and get away [from here]! |
| 20 Then Pharaoh gave orders about Abram to his men, and they sent him on his way, with his wife and everything he had. |
20 Pharaoh ordered his men to get Abram out of the country. They sent him and his wife and everything he owned on their way. |
20 And Pharaoh commanded his men concerning him, and they brought him on his way with his wife and all that he had. |