10 Here is the genealogy of the sons of Noach — Shem, Ham and Yefet; sons were born to them after the flood.

² The sons of Yefet were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Yavan, Tuval, Meshekh and Tiras. ³ The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Rifat and Togarmah. ⁴ The sons of Yavan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim and Dodanim. ⁵ From these the islands of the nations were divided into their lands, each according to its language, according to their families, in their nations.

⁶ The sons of Ham were Kush, Mitzrayim, Put and Kena‘an. ⁷ The sons of Kush were S’va, Havilah, Savta, Ra‘mah and Savt’kha. The sons of Ra‘mah were Sh’va and D’dan.

⁸ Kush fathered Nimrod, who was the first powerful ruler on earth. ⁹ He was a mighty hunter before Adonai — this is why people say, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before Adonai.” ¹⁰ His kingdom began with Bavel, Erekh, Akkad and Kalneh, in the land of Shin‘ar. ¹¹ Ashur went out from that land and built Ninveh, the city Rechovot, Kelach, ¹² and Resen between Ninveh and Kelach — that one is the great city.

¹³ Mitzrayim fathered the Ludim, the ‘Anamim, the L’havim, the Naftuchim, ¹⁴ the Patrusim, the Kasluchim (from whom came the P’lishtim) and the Kaftorim.

¹⁵ Kena‘an fathered Tzidon his firstborn, Het, ¹⁶ the Y’vusi, the Emori, the Girgashi, ¹⁷ the Hivi, the ‘Arki, the Sini, ¹⁸ the Arvadi, the Tz’mari and the Hamati. Afterwards, the families of the Kena‘ani were dispersed. ¹⁹ The border of the Kena‘ani was from Tzidon, as you go toward G’rar, to ‘Azah; as you go toward S’dom, ‘Amora, Admah and Tzvoyim, to Lesha.

²⁰ These were the descendants of Ham, according to their families and languages, in their lands and in their nations.

²¹ Children were also born to Shem, ancestor of all the descendants of ‘Ever and older brother of Yefet. ²² The sons of Shem were ‘Elam, Ashur, Arpakhshad, Lud and Aram. ²³ The sons of Aram were ‘Utz, Hul, Geter and Mash. ²⁴ Arpakhshad fathered Shelach, and Shelach fathered ‘Ever. ²⁵ To ‘Ever were born two sons. One was given the name Peleg [division], because during his lifetime the earth was divided. His brother’s name was Yoktan. ²⁶ Yoktan fathered Almodad, Shelef, Hatzar-Mavet, Yerach, ²⁷ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²⁸ ‘Oval, Avima’el, Sheva, ²⁹ Ofir, Havilah and Yovav — all these were the sons of Yoktan. ³⁰ Their territory stretched from Mesha, as you go toward S’far, to the mountain in the east.

³¹ These were the descendants of Shem, according to their families and languages, in their lands and in their nations.

³² These were the families of the sons of Noach, according to their generations, in their nations. From these the nations of the earth were divided up after the flood.

11 (S: vii) The whole earth used the same language, the same words. ² It came about that as they traveled from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shin‘ar and lived there. ³ They said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and bake them in the fire.” So they had bricks for building-stone and clay for mortar. ⁴ Then they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city with a tower that has its top reaching up into heaven, so that we can make a name for ourselves and not be scattered all over the earth.”

⁵ Adonai came down to see the city and the tower the people were building. ⁶ Adonai said, “Look, the people are united, they all have a single language, and see what they’re starting to do! At this rate, nothing they set out to accomplish will be impossible for them! ⁷ Come, let’s go down and confuse their language, so that they won’t understand each other’s speech.” ⁸ So from there Adonai scattered them all over the earth, and they stopped building the city. ⁹ For this reason it is called Bavel [confusion] — because there Adonai confused the language of the whole earth, and from there Adonai scattered them all over the earth.

¹⁰ Here is the genealogy of Shem. Shem was 100 years old when he fathered Arpakhshad two years after the flood. ¹¹ After Arpakhshad was born, Shem lived another 500 years and had sons and daughters.

¹² Arpakhshad lived thirty-five years and fathered Shelach. ¹³ After Shelach was born, Arpakhshad lived another 403 years and had sons and daughters.

¹⁴ Shelach lived thirty years and fathered ‘Ever. ¹⁵ After ‘Ever was born, Shelach lived another 403 years and had sons and daughters.

¹⁶ ‘Ever lived thirty-four years and fathered Peleg. ¹⁷ After Peleg was born, ‘Ever lived another 430 years and had sons and daughters.

¹⁸ Peleg lived thirty years and fathered Re‘u. ¹⁹ After Re‘u was born, Peleg lived another 209 years and had sons and daughters.

²⁰ Re‘u lived thirty-two years and fathered S’rug. ²¹ After S’rug was born, Re‘u lived another 207 years and had sons and daughters.

²² S’rug lived thirty years and fathered Nachor. ²³ After Nachor was born, S’rug lived another 200 years and had sons and daughters.

²⁴ Nachor lived twenty-nine years and fathered Terach. ²⁵ After Terach was born, Nachor lived another 119 years and had sons and daughters.

²⁶ Terach lived seventy years and fathered Avram, Nachor and Haran. ²⁷ Here is the genealogy of Terach. Terach fathered Avram, Nachor and Haran; and Haran fathered Lot. ²⁸ Haran died before his father Terach in the land where he was born, in Ur of the Kasdim.

(Maftir) ²⁹ Then Avram and Nachor took wives for themselves. The name of Avram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nachor’s wife was Milkah the daughter of Haran. He was the father of Milkah and of Yiskah. ³⁰ Sarai was barren — she had no child. ³¹ Terach took his son Avram, his son Haran’s son Lot, and Sarai his daughter-in-law, his son Avram’s wife; and they left Ur of the Kasdim to go to the land of Kena‘an. But when they came to Haran, they stayed there. ³² Terach lived 205 years, and he died in Haran.

Haftarah Noach: Yesha‘yahu (Isaiah) 54:1–55:5 (A); 54:1–10 (S)

[Messianic adaptation: commence the reading at 52:13]

B’rit Hadashah suggested readings for Parashah Noach: Mattityahu (Matthew) 24:36–44; Luke 17:26–37; Acts 2:1–16; 1 Kefa (1 Peter) 3:18–22; 2 Kefa (2 Peter) 2:5

Parashah 3: Lekh L’kha (Get yourself out) 12:1–17:27

12 Now Adonai said to Avram, “Get yourself out of your country, away from your kinsmen and away from your father’s house, and go to the land that I will show you. ² I will make of you a great nation, I will bless you, and I will make your name great; and you are to be a blessing. ³ I will bless those who bless you, but I will curse anyone who curses you; and by you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”

⁴ So Avram went, as Adonai had said to him, and Lot went with him. Avram was 75 years old when he left Haran. ⁵ Avram took his wife Sarai, his brother’s son Lot, and all their possessions which they had accumulated, as well as the people they had acquired in Haran; then they set out for the land of Kena‘an and entered the land of Kena‘an.

⁶ Avram passed through the land to the place called Sh’khem, to the oak of Moreh. The Kena‘ani were then in the land. ⁷ Adonai appeared to Avram and said, “To your descendants I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to Adonai, who had appeared to him.

⁸ He left that place, went to the hill east of Beit-El and pitched his tent. With Beit-El to the west and ‘Ai to the east, he built an altar there and called on the name of Adonai. ⁹ Then Avram traveled on, continuing toward the Negev. ¹⁰ But there was a famine in the land, so Avram went down into Egypt to stay there, because the famine in the land was severe.

¹¹ When he came close to Egypt and was about to enter, he said to Sarai his wife, “Here now, I know that you are a good-looking woman; ¹² so that when the Egyptians see you, they will say, ‘This is his wife,’ and kill me but keep you alive. ¹³ Please say that you are my sister, so that it will go well with me for your sake, and so that I will stay alive because of you.”

(ii) ¹⁴ When Avram entered Egypt, the Egyptians did notice that the woman was very beautiful. ¹⁵ Pharaoh’s princes saw her and commended her to Pharaoh, so the woman was taken into Pharaoh’s house. ¹⁶ He treated Avram well for her sake, giving him sheep, cattle, male and female donkeys, male and female slaves, and camels.

¹⁷ But Adonai inflicted great plagues on Pharaoh and his household because of Sarai Avram’s wife. ¹⁸ Pharaoh called Avram and said, “What is this that you have done to me? Why didn’t you tell me that she was your wife? ¹⁹ Why did you say, ‘She is my sister,’ so that I took her to be my own wife? Now therefore, here is your wife! Take her, and go away!” ²⁰ So Pharaoh gave orders concerning him to his men, and they sent him on his way with his wife and everything he had.