¹The whole earth was of one language and of one speech.

¹Zvino nyika yose yaiva yerurimi rwumwe neyeshoko rimwe.

²It happened, as they traveled east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and they lived there.

²Zvino zvakaitika vachifamba kubva kumabvazuva, kuti vakawana bani munyika yeShinari, ndokugarako.

³They said one to another, “Come, let’s make bricks, and burn them thoroughly.” They had brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar.

³Ndokuti umwe neumwe kumuvakidzani wake: Uyai, ngatiite zvidhina, tizvipise zvikuru. Zvino zvidhina zvakava mabwe kwavari, netara ikava dope kwavari.

⁴They said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top reaches to the sky, and let’s make ourselves a name, lest we be scattered abroad on the surface of the whole earth.”

⁴Zvino vakati: Uyai, ngatizviva­kire guta neshongwe ine musoro uri­kudenga, uye ngatizviitirei zita, zvikasadaro tingapararira pamusoro pechiso chenyika yose.

⁵Yahweh came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men built.

⁵Zvino Jehovha wakaburuka kuzoona guta neshongwe, yakangi yava­kwa nevanakomana vevanhu.

⁶Yahweh said, “Behold, they are one people, and they have all one language, and this is what they begin to do. Now nothing will be withheld from them, which they intend to do.

⁶Jehovha ndokuti: Tarira, rudzi nderwumwe, uye vane rurimi rwumwe vose, zvino ndizvo zvavanotanga kuita; uye ikozvino hakuchina chi­nhu chavangada kuita chavangadziviswa.

⁷Come, let’s go down, and there confuse their language, that they may not understand one another’s speech.”

⁷Uyai, ngatiburuke, tivhiringidze rurimi rwavo ipapo, kuti vasanzwa mutauro weumwe neumwe.

⁸So Yahweh scattered them abroad from there on the surface of all the earth. They stopped building the city.

⁸Naizvozvo Jehovha wakavaparadzira kubva ipapo pamusoro pechiso chenyika, vakamira kuvaka guta.

⁹Therefore its name was called Babel, because there Yahweh confused the language of all the earth. From there, Yahweh scattered them abroad on the surface of all the earth.

⁹Naizvozvo va­katumidza zita raro kuti Bhabheri, nekuti ipapo Jeho­vha wakavhiringidza rurimi rwenyika yose; uye kubva ipapo Jehovha akavaparadzira pachiso chenyika yose.

¹⁰This is the history of the generations of Shem. Shem was one hundred years old and became the father of Arpachshad two years after the flood.

¹⁰Awa marudzi aShemu. Shemu wakange ane makore zana, akabereka Aripakishadhi, makore maviri shure kwemafashame.

¹¹Shem lived five hundred years after he became the father of Arpachshad, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹¹Shemu ndokurarama, shure kwekubereka Aripakishadhi, makore mazana mashanu; akabereka vanako­mana nevanasikana.

¹²Arpachshad lived thirty-five years and became the father of Shelah.

¹²Aripakishadhi ndokurarama makore makumi matatu nemashanu, akabe­reka Shera.

¹³Arpachshad lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Shelah, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹³Aripakishadhi ndokurarama, shure kwekubereka kwake Shera, makore mazana mana nematatu; akabereka vanakomana nevanasikana.

¹⁴Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber:

¹⁴Shera ndokurarama makore ma­kumi matatu, akabereka Ebheru.

¹⁵and Shelah lived four hundred three years after he became the father of Eber, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹⁵Shera ndokurarama, shure kwekubereka kwake Ebheru, makore mazana mana nematatu; akabereka vanakomana nevanasikana.

¹⁶Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg.

¹⁶Ebheru ndokurarama makore ma­kumi matatu nemana, akabereka Peregi.

¹⁷Eber lived four hundred thirty years after he became the father of Peleg, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹⁷Ebheru ndokurarama, shure kwekubereka kwake Peregi, makore mazana mana nemakumi matatu; akabereka vanakomana nevanasi­kana.

¹⁸Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu.

¹⁸Peregi ndokurarama makore ma­kumi matatu, akabereka Rehu.

¹⁹Peleg lived two hundred nine years after he became the father of Reu, and became the father of sons and daughters.

¹⁹Zvino Peregi wakararama, shure kwekubereka kwake Rehu, makore mazana maviri nemapfumbamwe; akabereka vanakomana nevanasikana.

²⁰Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug.

²⁰Rehu ndokurarama makore ma­kumi matatu nemaviri, akabereka Serugu.

²¹Reu lived two hundred seven years after he became the father of Serug, and became the father of sons and daughters.

²¹Zvino Rehu wakararama, shure kwekubereka kwake Serugu, makore mazana maviri nemanomwe; akabereka vanakomana nevanasikana.

²²Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor.

²²Serugu ndokurarama makore ma­kumi matatu, akabereka Nahori.

²³Serug lived two hundred years after he became the father of Nahor, and became the father of sons and daughters.

²³Zvino Serugu wakararama, shure kwekubereka kwake Nahori, makore mazana maviri, akabereka vanako­mana nevanasikana.

²⁴Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah.

²⁴Nahori ndokurarama makore ma­kumi maviri nemapfumbamwe, akabe­reka Tera.

²⁵Nahor lived one hundred nineteen years after he became the father of Terah, and became the father of sons and daughters.

²⁵Zvino Nahori wakararama, shure kwekubereka kwake Tera, makore zana negumi nemapfumbamwe, akabereka vanakomana nevanasikana.

²⁶Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁶Tera ndokurarama makore ma­kumi manomwe, akabereka Abhuramu, Nahori naHarani.

²⁷Now this is the history of the generations of Terah. Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran. Haran became the father of Lot.

²⁷Zvino izvi zvizvarwa zvaTera. Tera waka­bereka Abhuramu, Nahori naHarani; Harani ndokubereka Roti;

²⁸Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldees.

²⁸Harani akafa, baba vake Tera vasati vafa, panyika yechiberekerwa chake, muUri yevaKara­dhea.

²⁹Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milcah, the daughter of Haran who was also the father of Iscah.

²⁹Zvino Abhuramu naNahori vakazvitorera vakadzi; zita remukadzi waAbhu­ramu raiva Sarai; uye zita remukadzi waNahori raiva Mirika, mukunda waHa­rani, baba vaMirika, nababa vaIsika.

³⁰Sarai was barren. She had no child.

³⁰Asi Sarai waiva mhanje, wakange asina mwana.

³¹Terah took Abram his son, Lot the son of Haran, his son’s son, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Abram’s wife. They went from Ur of the Chaldees, to go into the land of Canaan. They came to Haran and lived there.

³¹Zvino Tera wakatora Abhuramu mwanakomana wake, naRoti, mwanakomana waHarani, mwanako­mana wemwanakomana wake, naSarai, muroora wake, mukadzi waAbhuramu mwanakomana wake; vakabva Uri yevaKaradhea navo, kuenda kunyika yeKanani; vakasvika Harani, vakagarapo.

³²The days of Terah were two hundred five years. Terah died in Haran.

³²Zvino mazuva aTera aiva makore mazana maviri nemashanu; Tera akafira Harani.