The three sons of Noah — Shem, Ham, and Japheth — stepped into a cleansed world, and through their children, the nations of the world began to rise.
Japheth, the eldest, had sons who scattered far and wide. Among them were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. Gomer's own sons were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. Javan fathered Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Rodanim — from these came the seafaring clans, each with their own lands, languages, and stories.
Ham, bold and ambitious, fathered Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. Cush's sons were Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca, and Raamah was father to Sheba and Dedan. Among them rose a mighty man named Nimrod, a great warrior and a fearless hunter. "Like Nimrod, the mighty hunter before the Lord," people would say. His kingdom began with the great cities of Babylon, Erech, Akkad, and Calneh in the land of Shinar. From there, Nimrod built Nineveh and other cities that formed the heart of ancient Assyria.
Mizraim's children grew into powerful tribes — Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, Pathrusites, Casluhites (from whom the Philistines came), and Caphtorites. From Canaan came Sidon, his firstborn, and many others — the Hittites, Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, Arvadites, Zemarites, and Hamathites. Their descendants spread across the land, their borders stretching from Sidon to Gaza, and east toward the shadowed cities of Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim.
And then came Shem, ancestor of all the sons of Eber — from whom the Hebrews would one day come. Shem fathered Elam, Asshur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram. Aram's children were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshech. Arphaxad became the father of Shelah, and Shelah of Eber. Eber had two sons — Peleg, whose name meant "division" for in his days the earth was divided, and Joktan, who became father to a great line of sons: Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, Obal, Abimael, Sheba, Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. They dwelt in lands stretching east from Mesha to Sephar, where the sun kissed the mountains.
Thus, from these three sons of Noah — Shem, Ham, and Japheth — the nations of the world spread out.