The Family of Nations

Noah's three sons become seventy nations, spread out by clan, language and land. Nimrod's kingdoms and Canaan's borders get named, quietly setting the map for everything that follows. The scattering is described here as spreading, before Babel explains why.

Chapter 10.

This is the account of Noah's sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

The sons of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

The sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. The sons of Javan: Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim. From these the coastland peoples divided into their lands, each by language, clan, and nation.

The sons of Ham: Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. The sons of Raamah: Sheba and Dedan. Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the first mighty man on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before God, so they say, "Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before God." The beginning of his kingdom was Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of Shinar. ^a From that land he went out to Assyria and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, and Resen, between Nineveh and Calah; this is the great city. Mizraim fathered the Ludim, the Anamim, the Lehabim, the Naphtuhim, the Pathrusim, the Casluhim (from whom the Philistines came), and the Caphtorim.

Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, and Heth, and the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites, the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the clans of the Canaanites spread out. Canaan's border ran from Sidon toward Gerar to Gaza, and toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, to Lasha. These are Ham's sons, by their clans, languages, lands, and nations.

Children were also born to Shem, older brother of Japheth, father of all Eber's descendants. The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. The sons of Aram: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. Arphaxad fathered Shelah, and Shelah fathered Eber. Eber had two sons: one named Peleg, for the earth was divided in his days, and his brother named Joktan. ^b Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all these were the sons of Joktan. Their territory extended from Mesha toward Sephar, to the hill country of the east. These are Shem's sons, by their clans, languages, lands, and nations.

These are the clans of Noah's sons, by their lines of descent, in their nations; from these the nations spread across the earth after the flood.