The table of nations

1This is the account of Shem, Ham and Japheth, Noah’s sons, who themselves had sons after the flood.

The Japhethites

2The sons10:2 Sons may mean descendants or successors or nations; also in verses 3, 4, 6, 7, 20-23, 29 and 31. of Japheth:

Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek and Tiras.

3The sons of Gomer:

Ashkenaz, Riphath and Togarmah.

4The sons of Javan:

Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites and the Rodanites.10:4 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text and Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Septuagint and 1 Chron. 1:7); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Dodanites 5(From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)

The Hamites

6The sons of Ham:

Cush, Egypt, Put and Canaan.

7The sons of Cush:

Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah and Sabteka.

The sons of Raamah:

Sheba and Dedan.

8Cush was the father10:8 Father may mean ancestor or predecessor or founder; also in verses 13, 15, 24 and 26. of Nimrod, who became a mighty warrior on the earth. 9He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; that is why it is said, ‘Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.’ 10The first centres of his kingdom were Babylon, Uruk, Akkad and Kalneh, in10:10 Or Uruk and Akkad – all of them in Shinar.10:10 That is, Babylonia 11From that land he went to Assyria, where he built Nineveh, Rehoboth Ir,10:11 Or Nineveh with its city squares Calah 12and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah – which is the great city.

13Egypt was the father of

the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom the Philistines came) and Caphtorites.

15Canaan was the father of

Sidon his firstborn,10:15 Or of the Sidonians, the foremost and of the Hittites, 16Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18Arvadites, Zemarites and Hamathites.

(Later the Canaanite clans scattered 19and the borders of Canaan reached from Sidon towards Gerar as far as Gaza, and then towards Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboyim, as far as Lasha.)

20These are the sons of Ham by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

The Semites

21Sons were also born to Shem, whose elder brother was10:21 Or Shem, the elder brother of Japheth; Shem was the ancestor of all the sons of Eber.

22The sons of Shem:

Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud and Aram.

23The sons of Aram:

Uz, Hul, Gether and Meshek.10:23 See Septuagint and 1 Chron. 1:17; Hebrew Mash.

24Arphaxad was the father of10:24 Hebrew; Septuagint father of Cainan, and Cainan was the father of Shelah,

and Shelah the father of Eber.

25Two sons were born to Eber:

One was named Peleg,10:25 Peleg means division. because in his time the earth was divided; his brother was named Joktan.

26Joktan was the father of

Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29Ophir, Havilah and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan.

30(The region where they lived stretched from Mesha towards Sephar, in the eastern hill country.)

31These are the sons of Shem by their clans and languages, in their territories and nations.

32These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their lines of descent, within their nations. From these the nations spread out over the earth after the flood.