Genesis Chapter 10
1 These are the descendants of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, to whom sons were born after the flood:
2 Japheth's sons: Gomer, Magog, the Medes, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, Tiras.
3 Gomer's sons: Ashkenaz, Riphath, Togarmah.
4 Javan's sons: Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittim, the Dananites.
5 From these came the dispersal to the islands of the nations. These were Japheth's sons, in their respective countries, each with its own language, by clan and nation.
6 Ham's sons: Cush, Mizraim, Put, Canaan.
7 Cush's sons: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, Sabteca. Raamah's sons: Sheba, Dedan.
8 Cush fathered Nimrod who was the first potentate on earth.
9 He was a mighty hunter in the eyes of Yahweh, hence the saying, 'Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter in the eyes of Yahweh'.
10 The mainstays of his empire were Babel, Erech and Accad, all of them in the land of Shinar.
11 From this country came Asshur, and he built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah,
12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (this being the capital).
13 Mizraim fathered the people of Lud, of Anam, Lehab, Naphtuh,
14 Pathros, Casluh and Caphtor, from which the Philistines came.
15 Canaan fathered Sidon, his first-born, then Heth,
16 and the Jebusites, the Amorites, Girgashites,
17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites,
18 Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites. Later, the Canaanite clans spread out.
19 The Canaanite frontier stretched from Sidon all the way to Gerar near Gaza, and all the way to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboiim near Lesha.
20 These were Ham's sons, by clans and languages, by countries and nations.
21 Shem too fathered sons, being ancestor of all the sons of Eber and Japheth's elder brother.
22 Shem's sons: Elam, Asshur, Arpachshad, Lud, Aram.
23 Aram's sons: Uz, Hul, Gether and Mash.
24 Arpachshad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber.
25 To Eber were born two sons: the first was called Peleg, because it was in his time that the earth was divided, and his brother was called Joktan.
26 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah,
27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah,
28 Obal, Abima-El, Sheba,
29 Ophir, Havilah, Jobab; all these were sons of Joktan.
30 They occupied a stretch of country from Mesha all the way to Sephar, the eastern mountain range.
31 These were Shem's sons, by clans and languages, by countries and nations.
32 Such were the clans of Noah's descendants, listed by descent and nation. From them, other nations branched out on earth after the flood.
Genesis Chapter 11
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.
Psalm 2
1 Why this uproar among the nations, this impotent muttering of the peoples?
2 Kings of the earth take up position, princes plot together against Yahweh and his anointed,
3 ‘Now let us break their fetters! Now let us throw off their bonds!’
4 He who is enthroned in the heavens laughs, Yahweh makes a mockery of them,
5 then in his anger rebukes them, in his rage he strikes them with terror.
6 ‘I myself have anointed my king on Zion my holy mountain.’
7 I will proclaim the decree of Yahweh: He said to me, ‘You are my son, today have I fathered you.
8 Ask of me, and I shall give you the nations as your birthright, the whole wide world as your possession.
9 With an iron sceptre you will break them, shatter them like so many pots.’
10 So now, you kings, come to your senses, you earthly rulers, learn your lesson!
11 In fear be submissive to Yahweh;
12 with trembling kiss his feet, lest he be angry and your way come to nothing, for his fury flares up in a moment. How blessed are all who take refuge in him!
Thoughts and Reflection
In this passage we learn of Nimrod who was considered to be a mighty man. He establishes his own kingdom on Earth. He has a never ending quest for power and to show this he builds the Tower of Babel. We have a decision point in our lives to strive to do great things for ourselves or others. We must stop and reflect when we pursue our own fame and glory over what God intended us to be.
Are there areas of your life where you are trying to make a name for yourself rather than glorifying God?
About This Project
For the year 2022, I decided that my New Year’s Resolution was to read the whole Bible following the Bible in the Year plan presented by Fr. Mike Schmitz. It is a big and bold undertaking. You can follow along by subscribing. Feel free to look at previous day’s post and comment. It’s something we can all learn from together!
