The Tower of Babel
Englisc Old English / Anglo-Saxon)
Bābeles Stīpel
Sōþliċe ealle menn sprǣcon ðā āne sprǣċe.
Ðā ðā hīe feredon fram ēastdæle, hīe fundon ānne felde on Senaarlande, ond wunodon ðæron.
Ðā cwǣdon hīe him betwēonum, “Uton wyrċean ūs tiġelan ond ǣlan hīe on fȳre. Witodlīċe hīe hæfdon tiġelan for stān ond tyrwan for weall-līm,”
Ond cwǣdon: “Uton timbrian ūs ċeastre ond stīpel oð heofon hēahne, ond uton weorðian ūrne naman, ǣr þǣm ðe wē sind tōdǣlede ġeond ealle eorðan.”
Witodlīċe Drihten āstāh niðer tō þǣm ðæt hē ġesāwe ðā burh ond ðone stīpel ðe Adames bearn ġetimbredon,
Ond hē cwæð: “Ðis is ān folc, ond ealle hīe sprecaþ ān lēoden ond hīe begunnon ðis tō wyrċanne; ne ġeswīcaþ hīe ǣr þan ðe hit ġēara sȳ.
“Sōþliċe uton cuman ond tōdǣlan ðǣr heora sprǣċe.”
Swā Drihten hīe tōdǣlde of ðǣre stōwe ġeond ealle eorðan,
Ond for ðǣm man namede ðā stōwe Bābel, for ðǣm wǣron tōdǣlede ealle sprǣċe
Anglo-Saxon Futhorc version
ᛋᚩᚦᛚᛁᚳᚫ᛬ᛠᛚᚫ᛬ᛗᛖᚾ᛬ᛋᛈᚱᚫᚳᚩᚾ᛬ᚦᚪ᛬ᚪᚾᚫ᛬ᛋᛈᚱᚫᚳᚫ᛬
ᚦᚪ᛬ᚦᚪ᛬ᚻᛁᛖ᛬ᚠᛖᚱᛖᛞᚩᚾ᛬ᚠᚱᚪᛗ᛬ᛠᛥᛞᚫᛚᚫ᛬ᚻᛁᛖ᛬ᚠᚢᚾᛞᚩᚾ᛬ᚪᚾᚫ᛬ᚠᛖᛚᛞᚫ᛬ᚩᚾ᛬ᛋᛖᚾᚪᚱᛚᚪᚾᛞᚫ᛬ᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᚹᚢᚾᚩᛞᚩᚾ᛬ᚦᚫᚱᚩᚾ᛬
ᚦᚪ᛬ᛢᚫᛞᚩᚾ᛬ᚻᛁᛖ᛬ᚻᛁᛗ᛬ᛒᛖᛏᚹᛖᚩᚾᚢᛗ᛬ᚢᛏᚩᚾ᛬ᚹᚣᚱᚳᛠᚾ᛬ᚢᛋ᛬ᛏᛁᚷᛖᛚᚪᚾ᛬ᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᚫᛚᚪᚾ᛬ᚻᛁᛖ᛬ᚩᚾ᛬ᚠᚣᚱᚫ᛬ᚹᛁᛏᚩᛞᛚᛁᚳᚫ᛬ᚻᛁᛖ᛬
ᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᛢᚫᛞᚩᚾ᛬ᚢᛏᚩᚾ᛬ᛏᛁᛗᛒᚱᛁᚪᚾ᛬ᚢᛋ᛬ᚳᛠᛥᚱᚫ᛬ᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᛥᛁᛈᛖᛚ᛬ᚩᚦ᛬ᚻᛖᚩᚠᚩᚾ᛬ᚻᛠᛇᚾᚫ᛬ᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᚢᛏᚩᚾ᛬ᚹᛖᚩᚱᚦᛁᚪᚾ᛬ᚢᚱᚾᚫ᛬
ᚹᛁᛏᚩᛞᛚᛁᚳᚫ᛬ᛞᚱᛁᛇᛏᛖᚾ᛬ᚪᛥᚪᛇ᛬ᚾᛁᚦᛖᚱ᛬ᛏᚩ᛬ᚦᚫᛗ᛬ᚦᚫᛏ᛬ᚻᛖ᛬ᚷᛖᛋᚪᚹᚫ᛬ᚦᚪ᛬ᛒᚢᚱᛇ᛬ᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᚦᚩᚾᚫ᛬ᛥᛁᛈᛖᛚ᛬ᚦᛖ᛬ᚪᛞᚪᛗᛖᛋ᛬
ᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᚻᛖ᛬ᛢᚫᚦ᛬ᚦᛁᛋ᛬ᛁᛋ᛬ᚪᚾ᛬ᚠᚩᛚᚳ᛬ᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᛠᛚᚫ᛬ᚻᛁᛖ᛬ᛋᛈᚱᛖᚳᚪᚦ᛬ᚪᚾ᛬ᛚᛖᚩᛞᛖᚾ᛬ᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᚻᛁᛖ᛬ᛒᛖᚷᚢᚾᚩᚾ᛬ᚦᛁᛋ᛬ᛏᚩ᛬ᚹᚣᚱᚳᚪᚾᚫ᛬
ᛋᚩᚦᛚᛁᚳᚫ᛬ᚢᛏᚩᚾ᛬ᚳᚢᛗᚪᚾ᛬ᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᛏᚩᛞᚫᛚᚪᚾ᛬ᚦᚫᚱ᛬ᚻᛖᚩᚱᚪ᛬ᛋᛈᚱᚫᚳᚫ᛬
ᛋᚹᚪ᛬ᛞᚱᛁᛇᛏᛖᚾ᛬ᚻᛁᛖ᛬ᛏᚩᛞᚫᛚᛞᚫ᛬ᚩᚠ᛬ᚦᚫᚱᚫ᛬ᛥᚩᚹᚫ᛬ᚷᛖᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᛠᛚᚫ᛬ᛖᚩᚱᚦᚪᚾ᛬
ᚩᚾᛞ᛬ᚠᚩᚱ᛬ᚦᚫᛗ᛬ᛗᚪᚾ᛬ᚾᚪᛗᛖᛞᚫ᛬ᚦᚪ᛬ᛥᚩᚹᚫ᛬ᛒᚪᛒᛖᛚ᛬ᚠᚩᚱ᛬ᚦᚫᛗ᛬ᚹᚫᚱᚩᚾ᛬ᛏᚩᛞᚫᛚᛖᛞᚫ᛬ᛠᛚᚫ᛬ᛋᛈᚱᚫᚳᚫ᛬
IPA transcription
bɑːbɛlɛs stiːpɛl
soːðlit͜ʃə æ͜ɑlːə mɛnː spɾæːkɔn θɑː ɑːnə spɾæːt͜ʃə ‖
θɑː θɑː hiː͜e fɛɾɛdɔn fɾɑm æː͜ɑstdælə | hiː͜e fʊndɔn ɑːnːə fɛldə ɔn sɛnɑːɾlɑndə | ɔnd wʊnɔdɔn θæːˈɾɔn ‖
θɑː kwæːdɔn hiː͜e hɪm bɛˈtweː͜onʊm | ʊtɔn wʏɾt͜ʃæ͜ɑn uːs tɪjɛlɑn ɔnd æːlɑn hiː͜e ɔn fyːɾə ‖ wɪtɔdliːt͜ʃə hiː͜e hævdɔn tɪjɛlɑn fɔɾ stɑːn ɔnd tʏɾwɑn fɔɾ wæ͜ɑl‿liːm |
ɔnd kwæːdɔn | ʊtɔn tɪmbɾɪɑn uːs t͜ʃæ͜ɑstɾə ɔnd stiːpɛl ɔθ he͜ovɔn hæ͜ɑxnə | ɔnd ʊtɔn we͜oɾðɪɑn uːɾnə nɑmɑn | æːɾ θæːm θɛ weː sɪnd toːˈdæːlɛdə je͜ond æ͜ɑlːə e͜oɾðɑn ‖
wɪtɔdliːt͜ʃə dɾɪxtɛn ɑːˈstɑːx nɪðɛɾ toː θæːm θæt heː jɛˈsɑːwə θɑː bʊɾx ɔnd θɔnə stiːpɛl ðɛ ɑdɑmɛs bæ͜ɑɾn jɛˈtɪmbɾɛdɔn |
ɔnd heː kwæθ | θɪs ɪs ɑːn fɔlk | ɔnd æ͜ɑlːə hiː͜e spɾɛkɑθ ɑːn le͜odɛn ɔnd hiː͜e bɛˈgʊnːɔn θɪs toː wʏɾt͜ʃɑnːə | nɛ jɛˈswiːkɑθ hiː͜e æːɾ θɑn θɛ hɪt jæː͜ɑɾɑ syː ‖
soːðlit͜ʃə ʊtɔn kʊmɑn ɔnd toːˈdæːlɑn θæːɾ he͜oɾɑ spɾæːt͜ʃə ‖
swɑː dɾɪxtɛn hiː͜e toːˈdæːldə ɔf θæːɾə stoːwə je͜ond æ͜ɑlːə e͜oɾðɑn |
ɔnd fɔɾ θæːm mɑn nɑmɛdə θɑː stoːwə bɑːbɛl | fɔɾ θæːm wæːɾɔn toːˈdæːlɛdə æ͜ɑlːə spɾæːt͜ʃə ‖
Hear a recording of this text by Scott Brewer
A version of this text with glosses in Modern English (PDF)
Source: Old English translation of the Hexateuch, ed. J. Crawford.
Texts and transcriptions provided by Scott Brewer and Corey Murray. The text is in normalized early West Saxon orthography
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