THE TOWER OF BABEL

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Once, long ago, the entire world spoke one uniform language. Mankind traveled from the east and came upon a valley in the land of Shinar, where (s)he decided to settle. He began to build a city, with a tower whose outer wall was the main defense of the city. He built the tower using bricks made with fire, which they used as stones, and clay to be used as mortar. The tower was of solid masonry, upon which lay a second tower, then a third, and on up to eight. He spent forty-three years building the tower, intending it to reach the heavens when completed.

When the Lord descended to view the city that man had built, he was horrified to see what man had done using his common language. In His eyes, by building the tower to the heavens, man was aiming to act as God. And so the Lord scattered man all over the earth, and confused his languages, so that each spoke a different language. He then named the city and tower Babel, from the Hebrew verb balal, meaning to confuse or confound.

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