Confusion

Y: 1830 | The tower of Babel falls and the confusion of languages
Genesis 11:5-9, Jasher 9:32-39, 10:2-5, Jubilees 10:21-27
They worked on building the tower for 43 years. It was 203 bricks wide, with each brick being one-third the size of a unit. The tower reached a height of 5,433 cubits and 2 palms. One wall measured 13 stades, and another stretched 30 stades.

The Lord came down, and we came down with Him to see the city and the tower that the people had built.

The Lord said, “Look, the people are united and speak the same language. And this is what they’ve started to do? Now nothing they plan will be impossible for them.”

Then God spoke to the 70 angels closest to Him, saying, “Come, let us go down and confuse their language so that no one will understand what his neighbor is saying.” And they did just that.

From that day on, each person forgot his neighbor’s language. They could no longer communicate. When one builder received lime or stone from another that he hadn’t asked for, he would throw it at the other in frustration, sometimes killing him. This went on for many days, and many were killed in this way.

Then the Lord struck the three divisions of people there, punishing them according to their intentions. Those who had said, “We will go up to heaven and serve our gods,” were turned into creatures like apes and elephants. Those who said, “We will attack heaven with arrows,” were killed by their own companions. The third group, who said, “We will ascend and fight against Him,” were scattered across the earth by the Lord.

Those who remained, realizing the judgment that had come upon them, abandoned the project. They too were scattered over the face of the whole earth.

They stopped building the city and the tower. That place was named Babel because the Lord confused the language of the whole earth there. It was located in the eastern part of the land of Shinar.

As for the tower the people had built, the earth opened up and swallowed one-third of it. Another third was burned by fire from heaven. The remaining third still exists today; it was the top part. The tower’s circumference is a 3-day walk. Many people died in the tower—so many they couldn’t be counted. Then the Lord sent a powerful wind against the tower, knocking it to the ground. It landed between Asshur and Babylon in the land of Shinar, and the place was called “Overthrow.”

After the Lord scattered humanity because of their sin at the tower, they divided into many groups. They spread out to the four corners of the earth. Each family settled in different lands and cities, based on their own languages. People built many cities wherever they went, in all the areas to which the Lord had scattered them. Some of these cities were later destroyed, but they had been named after the builders themselves, their children, or significant events in their lives.

Y: 1831 | Cities are built
Genesis 11:10-11, Jasher 10:7-39, Jubilees 10:28-36
The sons of Ham—Cush, Mitzraim, Phut, and Canaan—each built cities wherever they found suitable land in the south. They named their cities after themselves.

Canaan saw that the land stretching from Lebanon to the river of Egypt was very good, so he chose not to go to his rightful inheritance in the west, by the sea. Instead, he settled in Lebanon, both east and west of the Jordan border and near the coast.

His father Ham, along with his brothers Cush and Mitzraim, said to him, “You’ve settled in land that isn’t yours—it wasn’t allotted to us. Don’t do this. If you stay, both you and your children will be cursed and eventually driven out, because you’ve taken it by rebellion, and rebellion will cause your fall. You’ll be rooted out forever. Don’t live in the territory of Shem, for it was given to Shem and his descendants. You are cursed—cursed more than any of Noah’s sons—because of the oath we swore before the Holy Judge and our father Noah.”

But Canaan didn’t listen. He lived in the land of Lebanon from Hamath to the border of Egypt, he and his sons, up to this day. That’s why the land is called Canaan.

The descendants of Mitzraim were the Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuchim, Pathrusim, Casluchim, and Caphturim—7 families. They lived by the river Sihor, also known as the brook of Egypt. Each family built cities and named them after themselves. The children of Pathros and Casluch intermarried, and from them came the Pelishtim, Azathim, Gerarim, Githim, and Ekronim—5 families in total. They too built cities and named them after their ancestors. The children of Canaan also built cities—11 in total—and many others beyond counting, naming them after themselves.

Four men from Ham’s family—Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboyim—went to the land of the plain. Each built a city named after himself. They, their children, and all their households lived in those cities. They prospered, multiplied, and lived in peace.

Seir, the son of Hur (who was the son of Hivi, son of Canaan), found a valley near Mount Paran. He built a city there and lived in it with his 7 sons and household. He named the city Seir, after himself. That’s the land of Seir today. These were the families of Ham’s descendants, according to their languages and cities, after they were scattered from the tower.

The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Medai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. They lived in their own regions, according to their generations.

Japheth and his sons moved toward the sea and settled in their allotted lands. But Madai didn’t like the coastal land. He asked Ham, Asshur, and his brother-in-law Arpachshad for a portion and settled in the land of Media, near his wife’s brother. He named the place—and his sons did too—Media, after himself.

Gomer’s descendants built cities, and they were called the Francum. They live in Franza, by the rivers Franza and Senah.

Rephath’s children were the Bartonim. They settled in Bartonia, by the river Ledah, which flows into the great sea Gihon, also called Oceanus.

Togarmah’s descendants formed 10 families: Buzar, Parzunac, Balgar, Elicanum, Ragbib, Tarki, Bid, Zebuc, Ongal, and Tilmaz. They moved north and built cities, naming them after themselves. These cities are still located along the rivers Hithlah and Italac.

The families of Angoli, Balgar, and Parzunac live by the great river Dubnee, and their cities are also named after themselves.

Javan’s descendants, the Javanim, live in the land of Makdonia. Medai’s children, the Orelum, live in Curson. Tubal’s children settled in Tuskanah by the river Pashiah.

Meshech’s children are the Shibashni, and Tiras’s children are Rushash, Cushni, and Ongolis. They all built cities near the sea Jabus, by the river Cura, which flows into the Tragan river.

Elishah’s children, the Almanim, also built cities. These are found between the mountains of Job and Shibathmo. Among them are the people of Lumbardi, who live opposite those mountains. They conquered the land of Italia and still live there.

Chittim’s children are the Romim, who live in the valley of Canopia by the river Tibreu.

Dudonim’s children live in cities along the sea Gihon, in the land of Bordna. These are the families of Japheth’s descendants, organized by their cities and languages after they were scattered from the tower. They named their cities after themselves or significant events in their lives.

Some of Shem’s children, the father of all Eber’s descendants, also built cities where they had been scattered. The sons of Shem were Elam, Ashur, Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram. Each built cities and named them after themselves.

Ashur and a large group of his descendants left and traveled to a distant land. There they found a wide valley and built four cities, named after themselves or significant events. These cities were Nineveh, Resen, Calah, and Rehobother, and Ashur’s descendants still live there today.

Aram’s descendants also built a city. They named it Uz, after their oldest brother. That’s still the land of Uz today.

In the 2nd year after the tower, a man named Bela, from Ashur’s family, left Nineveh with his household in search of a new home. They arrived opposite the cities of the plain near Sodom and settled there. Bela built a small city and named it after himself. That land is now called Zoar. These are the families of Shem’s descendants, grouped by their languages and cities, after they were scattered from the tower.

After that, each kingdom, city, and family among Noah’s descendants built many cities. They established governments in every city, to keep order. This practice continued among all Noah’s descendants forever.

Y: 1832 | War between Noah’s sons
Jubilees 11:2-5
Noah’s sons began fighting each other—taking captives, killing one another, spilling blood, and even eating it. They built fortified cities with walls and towers. Individuals began to rise above others, creating the first kingdoms. People went to war—nation against nation, city against city. Everyone started doing evil. They began crafting weapons and teaching their children how to fight. Cities were conquered, and people began selling men and women as slaves.

‘Ûr, the son of Kesed, built the city of ‘Ara of the Chaldees, naming it after himself and his father. People made molten idols and began worshipping them. Each one worshipped the image he had made for himself. They carved images and made impure representations. Evil spirits led them into sin and impurity. The prince Mastêmâ worked hard to cause this. He sent out more spirits under his command to spread evil, sin, destruction, and bloodshed across the earth. That’s why the name of Sêrôh was called Serug—because everyone had turned to wickedness and corruption.

Y: 1850 | Serug marries Melka
Jubilees 11:6
Serug grew up in Ur of the Chaldees, near the family of his wife’s mother. He worshipped idols. He married in the 36th jubilee, in the 5th week, in the 1st year. His wife was Melka, the daughter of Kaber, who was the daughter of Serug’s father’s brother.