1304、“我们建造一座城和一座塔”表示他们编造了一种教义和一种敬拜，这从接下来论述的“一座城”和“一座塔”的含义清楚可知。教会具有这种性质：当对邻之仁离开，自我之爱取而代之时，信之教义根本没有任何意义，只能沦为自我崇拜；人们也不认为敬拜含有任何神圣事物，除非它为自我而存在，因而是自我崇拜。这适用于一切自我之爱。事实上，一个爱自己胜过他人的人不仅憎恨所有不顺从他的人，并且只有当他们变得顺从时，才会对他们表现出好感，而且只要约束放松，他就会狂奔，直到他把自己举到神之上。当缰绳交给自我之爱时，它就具有这种性质，这一事实已经活生生地展示给我。这就是“一座城和一座塔”所表示的。自我之爱和源于它的一切欲望是所有事物中最肮脏、最亵渎的，正是地狱本身。谁都能由此推断出含有这种品质在里面的崇拜是何性质。
New Century Edition
Cooper(2008,2013)
[NCE]1304. The fact that let us build ourselves a city and a tower means that they made up their own doctrine and worship can be seen from the symbolism of a city and from that of a tower, given directly below.
The nature of religion is such that when charitable love for our neighbor disappears and love for ourselves replaces it, we disregard what faith teaches, except so far as we can turn it to the purposes of self-worship. We also despise everything holy in worship unless it benefits ourselves and so unless it forms a part of self-worship.
All self-love entails this consequence, because when we love ourselves more than others, we hate everyone who does not serve us and refuse to favor such people unless they become our slaves. Not only that, so far as any restraints on us are loosened, we run wild, even to the point of lifting ourselves up above God. Personal experience has shown me that self-love acts like this when it runs loose. These are the things symbolized by the city and the tower.
Self-love — and every desire that rises out of it — is the vilest, most profane thing that exists, and it is the epitome of hell. From this everyone can draw her or his own conclusion about what worship is like when it harbors such a quality inside it.
Potts(1905-1910) 1304
1304. Let us build us a city and a tower. That this signifies that they framed a doctrine and a worship, may be seen from the signification of "a city," and from that of "a tower," concerning which presently. The church is of such a nature that when charity toward the neighbor departs, and the love of self succeeds in its place, the doctrine of faith is of no account except insofar as it can be turned into the worship of self; and nothing whatever is accounted holy in worship unless it is for the sake of self, and thus unless it is self-worship. All love of self is attended with this; for he who loves himself more than others, not only hates all who are not subservient to him, and shows them no favor except when they have become subservient, but also, insofar as he is not under restraint, he rushes on even until he exalts himself above God. That this is the nature of the love of self when the reins are given to it, has been shown me to the life. This is what is signified by "a city and a tower." The love of self and every derivative cupidity is of all things the most filthy and the most profane, and is the veriest infernalism; and from this anyone may conclude what the quality of that worship must be which contains within it an infernalism so absolute.
Elliott(1983-1999) 1304
1304. That 'let us build ourselves a city and a tower' means that they fabricated a form of doctrine and of worship becomes clear from the meaning of 'a city' and from the meaning of 'a tower', dealt with in the paragraphs that follow this. The Church is such that when charity towards the neighbour departs and self-love takes its place, the doctrine of faith is of no account at all except insofar as it can be converted into worship of self. Nor do people consider that worship contains anything holy unless it exists for the sake of self, thus unless it is worship of self. This applies to all self-love. In fact a person who loves himself more than others not only hates everybody who is not subservient to him and shows no favour to them except when they have become subservient, but also, to the extent that he is not prevented, he plunges even into exalting himself above God. The fact that self-love is such when given free rein I have been shown in actual occurrences. These are the things meant by 'a city and a tower'. Self-love, and every desire springing from it, is of all things the filthiest and most unholy, and is very hell itself. From this anyone may deduce the nature of the worship that has such as this within it.
Latin(1748-1756) 1304
1304. Quod 'aedificemus nobis urbem et turrim' significet quod fingerent doctrinam et cultum, constare potest a significatione 'urbis' et a significatione 'turris,' de quibus in mox sequentibus. Ecclesia talis est ut, dum recedit charitas erga proximum, et loco ejus succedit amor sui, doctrina fidei nihil sit nisi quantum verti queat sui cultum; nec quicquam sanctum in cultu aestimetur nisi sit propter se, ita nisi sit sui cultus: omnis amor sui hoc secum habet; qui enim se amat prae aliis, non solum odit omnes qui ei non serviunt, nec iis favet nisi cum servi facti sunt, sed etiam quantum ei relaxatur, ruit, immo usque ut se supra Deum extollat; quod amor sui talis sit cum ei relaxatur, ad vivum mihi ostensum est; haec sunt quae significantur per 'urbem et turrim': amor sui, et omnis cupiditas inde, est omnium spurcissimum et profanissimum, estque ipsissimum infernale; inde quisque concludere potest qualis est cultus in quo intus tale.