《圣经创世纪》第11章中说，人类最早的时候都住在一个地方，讲∮一种语言。他们决定造一座通天的塔，所有∶的人住在里面，人类●再也不会分散。上帝不同意，他将人类拆散到世界各地，让人类讲不同的语言，从此难于沟通。

因此，"巴别塔"就成了混乱和语言不通的代名词，是《圣经》中最广为人知的故事之一。

An◁d all the earth had one language and oneの tongue.

他们说，来吧，我△们要建造一座城和一座塔，塔顶通天，为要传扬我们的名，免得我们分散在全┏地上。

And they said, Come, let u⇔s make a tЮown, and a tower whose top will go up as high as heaven; and l⿰et us make a great name for ou※rsel&ves, so◇ thatγ we may not be wanderers over the face of the earth.

耶和华降临， 要看看世人所建造的城和塔。

And the Lord came down to see the town and the tower which tЛhe children of men wer︹︺︻e building.

耶和华说◎， 看哪，他们▼成为一样的人民，都是一样的言语，如今既作起这事来，以后他们所要作的事就没有不成就的了。

And the Lo⊙rd said, See, they are all one people and have all one language; and this is only the start of what they may ?do: and now it wil┈┉l not be possib⿴le to keep them from any purpose of their♡s.

我们下去，在那里变乱他们的口音，使他们的言语彼此不通。

Come, let usↆ go down and take away the sense of their language,ↅ so that they will not be able to ㄨmake themselves clea♥r to one another.

于╨是，⊙耶和华使他们从那里分散☆在全地♀上。他们就停工，不造那城了。

So the▉ Lord God sent them away into every part of the ea≤rth: and they gave☎ up building their tow≒n.

因为耶和华在『那里变乱天下人的言语，使众人分散在全地上，所۞以那城名叫巴别（就ξ是变乱的意思）。

So it was named Babel, becaus๑e there the Lord took away the Ψsense of all languag☆es andζ from there th❤☜e Lord sent them Б◥away over all the face of the earth.