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10 October 2026 · from German · 9 sentences

The Tower of Babel

Source: Genesis 11:1–9, Luther Bible 1912 (public domain), text from bibel-online.net. Proper names stay unchanged (Babel, Shinar). “The LORD” stands for the name of God in Luther; translated as lavema (God).

Literal: PST = po, FUT = vi, PL = ma, NOT = ne, REQ = vo, QUOTE = re, NEAR = hi, FAR = da. Compounds with hyphens.

Whole text in one piece

bida nali bure po pavu sena. ma mela nube po va favama. su ma lo lire po geda lanudi di nisabira Sinear, su ma lo vele po di nisa da. su ma lo sene po seremo re „vo ma mi bine ma botabina, su ma mi tadene ma lo di duna!“ su ma lo peme po ma botabina fu bota, su ma lo peme po nolesageda fu medota. su ma lo sene po re „vo ma mi fabe geva su dovatara fu gesa ma mi!“ re „vo dovatara nube va goka!“ re „ma mi nube vi vumedo va nalu tofa, fi ma mi fabe ne geva hi.“ lavema gole po gi tama hi va nisa vutari fu vesa geva su dovatara. ma mela fabe po ma lo. su lavema sene po re „vo ma tu vese!“ re „nalu ma lo lute pavu genatofa, su ma lo bure pavu sena.“ re „ma lo rive po ti bina tama hi.“ re „ma lo bine vi nalu tama je ma lo nume.“ re „vo ma mi nube va nisa vutari, su ma mi vutolene sena ma lo di nisa da!“ re „su nomu mela pele vi sena mela vuluti.“ su lavema vumedene po ma lo ko nisa da va nalu tofa. su ma lo tome po vuriva faba geva. geva hi bure meba Babel, ke lavema vutolene po sena nalu tofa di nisa da, su lavema vumedene po ma lo ko nisa da va nalu tofa.

Es hatte aber alle Welt einerlei Zunge und Sprache. Da sie nun zogen gen Morgen, fanden sie ein ebenes Land im Lande Sinear, und wohnten daselbst. Und sie sprachen untereinander: Wohlauf, laß uns Ziegel streichen und brennen! und nahmen Ziegel zu Stein und Erdharz zu Kalk und sprachen: Wohlauf, laßt uns eine Stadt und einen Turm bauen, des Spitze bis an den Himmel reiche, daß wir uns einen Namen machen! denn wir werden sonst zerstreut in alle Länder. Da fuhr der HERR hernieder, daß er sähe die Stadt und den Turm, die die Menschenkinder bauten. Und der HERR sprach: Siehe, es ist einerlei Volk und einerlei Sprache unter ihnen allen, und haben das angefangen zu tun; sie werden nicht ablassen von allem, was sie sich vorgenommen haben zu tun. Wohlauf, laßt uns herniederfahren und ihre Sprache daselbst verwirren, daß keiner des andern Sprache verstehe! Also zerstreute sie der HERR von dort alle Länder, daß sie mußten aufhören die Stadt zu bauen. Daher heißt ihr Name Babel, daß der HERR daselbst verwirrt hatte aller Länder Sprache und sie zerstreut von dort in alle Länder.

And all the world had one tongue and language. As they journeyed toward the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there. And they said to one another: Come, let us make bricks and burn them! And they used brick for stone and pitch for mortar. And they said: Come, let us build a city and a tower whose top reaches to heaven, so that we make a name for ourselves! For otherwise we will be scattered into all lands. Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men were building. And the LORD said: Behold, they are one people and have one language among them all, and they have begun to do this; they will not leave off from anything they have set out to do. Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that no one understands the other's language! So the LORD scattered them from there into all lands, and they had to stop building the city. Therefore its name is Babel, because there the LORD had confused the language of all lands and scattered them from there into all lands.

Sentence by sentence (9 sentences)

Verse 1

world whole have PST one language

Es hatte aber alle Welt einerlei Zunge und Sprache.

And all the world had one tongue and language.

Notes (2)
  • “Tongue and language” is a double formula for one idea, so one word.
  • “And” here is only a link, not a contrast; so no ho.

Verse 2

PL person go PST to east. and PL he find PST earth flat in area Shinar, and PL he live PST in place FAR

Da sie nun zogen gen Morgen, fanden sie ein ebenes Land im Lande Sinear, und wohnten daselbst.

As they journeyed toward the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar, and dwelt there.

Notes (3)
  • “Toward the east” = va favama. “As they journeyed” (temporal “when”) does not work with fi; so two sentences (paraphrase).
  • “A plain” needed a new root: lanudi = flat, level.
  • dwell = live + di; “there” = di nisa da (at that place).

Verse 3

and PL he speak PST each-other QUOTE REQ PL I make PL stone-made, and PL I hard-make PL he in fire! and PL he use PST PL stone-made for stone, and PL he use PST oil-earth for together-object

Und sie sprachen untereinander: Wohlauf, laß uns Ziegel streichen und brennen! und nahmen Ziegel zu Stein und Erdharz zu Kalk

And they said to one another: Come, let us make bricks and burn them! And they used brick for stone and pitch for mortar.

Notes (4)
  • “To one another” = seremo (adverb from “exchange”).
  • New words from the list of terms: botabina (brick = stone that has been made), tadene (harden, also to fire bricks), nolesageda (bitumen, pitch), medota (binder = object that holds together; general term for mortar, glue, putty). That is exactly what Luther means: pitch served as the binder.
  • The quotation ends with the sentence. What follows is a new sentence without re.
  • The verb is repeated in the second part (peme), because the verb is never left out.

Verse 4

and PL he speak PST QUOTE REQ PL I build town and house-high for fame PL I! QUOTE REQ house-high go to sky! QUOTE PL I go FUT separate to all country, if PL I build NOT town NEAR

und sprachen: Wohlauf, laßt uns eine Stadt und einen Turm bauen, des Spitze bis an den Himmel reiche, daß wir uns einen Namen machen! denn wir werden sonst zerstreut in alle Länder.

And they said: Come, let us build a city and a tower whose top reaches to heaven, so that we make a name for ourselves! For otherwise we will be scattered into all lands.

Notes (4)
  • “Whose top” does not work (there is no “whose”); instead a sentence of its own: the tower shall reach to the sky.
  • “Make a name for ourselves” = for our fame (gesa, from gesi = known).
  • “Otherwise” = a condition, turned around: “if we do not build this city”. The fi clause comes at the end.
  • Every further quoted sentence starts with re. At the end of the sentence the punctuation of the quotation applies.

Verse 5

God come PST after thing NEAR to place low for seeing town and house-high. PL person build PST PL he

Da fuhr der HERR hernieder, daß er sähe die Stadt und den Turm, die die Menschenkinder bauten.

Then the LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the children of men were building.

Notes (4)
  • “Then” = gi tama hi (after this). Time phrases go in the rest, never at the start of the sentence.
  • “Came down” = va nisa vutari (to a low place), like va nisa hi = to here.
  • “To see” = purpose: fu + action.
  • The relative clause “which … were building” would refer only to the tower (su links groups). Because city and tower are both meant, a sentence of its own.

Verse 6

and God speak PST QUOTE REQ PL you see! QUOTE all PL he same-be one group-country, and PL he have one language. QUOTE PL he begin PST already making thing NEAR. QUOTE PL he make FUT all thing which PL he plan

Und der HERR sprach: Siehe, es ist einerlei Volk und einerlei Sprache unter ihnen allen, und haben das angefangen zu tun; sie werden nicht ablassen von allem, was sie sich vorgenommen haben zu tun.

And the LORD said: Behold, they are one people and have one language among them all, and they have begun to do this; they will not leave off from anything they have set out to do.

Notes (2)
  • “They are one people” = they all are one people (lute + noun as in “He is my friend”).
  • “Not leave off from anything they have set out to do” is a double negative; translated as “They will do everything they plan.” Same meaning, simpler.

Verse 7

QUOTE REQ PL I go to place low, and PL I unclear-make language PL he in place FAR! QUOTE and zero person understand FUT language person other

Wohlauf, laßt uns herniederfahren und ihre Sprache daselbst verwirren, daß keiner des andern Sprache verstehe!

Come, let us go down and confuse their language there, so that no one understands the other's language!

Notes (3)
  • God goes on speaking; the sentence still belongs to verse 6, so it begins with re.
  • confuse = unclear + -en- (make): vutolene.
  • “No one … the other's” = zero person … the language of another person (mela vuluti).

Verse 8

and God separate-make PST PL he from place FAR to all country. and PL he must PST end building town

Also zerstreute sie der HERR von dort alle Länder, daß sie mußten aufhören die Stadt zu bauen.

So the LORD scattered them from there into all lands, and they had to stop building the city.

Notes (2)
  • scatter = separate + -en- (vumedene).
  • “Stop building the city” without a chain of verbs: they had to (do) the end of the building of the city.

Verse 9

town NEAR have name Babel, because God unclear-make PST language all country in place FAR, and God separate-make PST PL he from place FAR to all country

Daher heißt ihr Name Babel, daß der HERR daselbst verwirrt hatte aller Länder Sprache und sie zerstreut von dort in alle Länder.

Therefore its name is Babel, because there the LORD had confused the language of all lands and scattered them from there into all lands.

Notes (2)
  • to be called = “have + name”. The name stands as a word of its own after meba.
  • “Therefore …, because” = main clause + ke clause.