1. The whole world spoke the same language, with the same vocabulary.

2. Now, as people moved eastwards they found a valley in the land of Shinar where they settled.

3. They said to one another, 'Come, let us make bricks and bake them in the fire.' For stone they used bricks, and for mortar they used bitumen.

4. 'Come,' they said, 'let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top reaching heaven. Let us make a name for ourselves, so that we do not get scattered all over the world.'

5. Now Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower that the people had built.

6. 'So they are all a single people with a single language!' said Yahweh. 'This is only the start of their undertakings! Now nothing they plan to do will be beyond them.

7. Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that they cannot understand one another.'

8. Yahweh scattered them thence all over the world, and they stopped building the city.

9. That is why it was called Babel, since there Yahweh confused the language of the whole world, and from there Yahweh scattered them all over the world.

10. These are Shem's descendants: When Shem was a hundred years old he fathered Arpachshad, two years after the flood.

11. After the birth of Arpachshad, Shem lived five hundred years and fathered sons and daughters.

12. When Arpachshad was thirty-five years old he fathered Shelah.

13. After the birth of Shelah, Arpachshad lived four hundred and three years and fathered sons and daughters.

14. When Shelah was thirty years old he fathered Eber.

15. After the birth of Eber, Shelah lived four hundred and three years and fathered sons and daughters.

16. When Eber was thirty-four years old he fathered Peleg.

17. After the birth of Peleg, Eber lived four hundred and thirty years and fathered sons and daughters.

18. When Peleg was thirty years old he fathered Reu.

19. After the birth of Reu, Peleg lived two hundred and nine years and fathered sons and daughters.

20. When Reu was thirty-two years old he fathered Serug.

21. After the birth of Serug, Reu lived two hundred and seven years and fathered sons and daughters.

22. When Serug was thirty years old he fathered Nahor.

23. After the birth of Nahor, Serug lived two hundred years and fathered sons and daughters.

24. When Nahor was twenty-nine years old he fathered Terah.

25. After the birth of Terah, Nahor lived a hundred and nineteen years and fathered sons and daughters.

26. When Terah was seventy years old he fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran.

27. These are Terah's descendants: Terah fathered Abram, Nahor and Haran. Haran fathered Lot.

28. Haran died in the presence of his father Terah in his native land, Ur of the Chaldaeans.

29. Abram and Nahor both married: Abram's wife was called Sarai, Nahor's wife was called Milcah daughter of Haran, father of Milcah and Iscah.

30. Sarai was barren, having no child.

31. Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law the wife of Abram, and made them leave Ur of the Chaldaeans to go to the land of Canaan. But on arrival in Haran they settled there.

32. Terah's life lasted two hundred and five years; then he died at Haran.





“A prática das bem-aventuranças não requer atos de heroísmo, mas a aceitação simples e humilde das várias provações pelas quais a pessoa passa.” São Padre Pio de Pietrelcina