Genesis 6

The Sins of Everyone on Earth

1There began to be many human beings on the earth. And daughters were born to them. 2The sons of God saw that the daughters of human beings were beautiful. So they married any of them they chose. 3Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not struggle with human beings forever. They will have only 120 years to live.”

4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days. That was when the sons of God went to the daughters of human beings. Children were born to them. The Nephilim were famous heroes who lived long ago. Nephilim were also on the earth later on.

5The Lord saw how bad the sins of everyone on earth had become. They only thought about evil things. 6The Lord was very sad that he had made human beings on the earth. His heart was filled with pain. 7So the Lord said, “I created human beings, but I will wipe them out. I will also destroy the animals, the birds in the sky, and the creatures that move along the ground. I am very sad that I have made human beings.” 8But the Lord was very pleased with Noah.

Noah and the Flood

9Here is the story of Noah’s family line.

Noah was a godly man. He was without blame among the people of his time. He walked faithfully with God. 10Noah had three sons. Their names were Shem, Ham and Japheth.

11The earth was very sinful in God’s eyes. It was full of people who did mean and harmful things. 12God saw how sinful the earth had become. All its people were living very sinful lives. 13So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to everyone. They have filled the earth with their harmful acts. I am certainly going to destroy them and the earth. 14So make yourself an ark out of cypress wood. Make rooms in it. Cover it with tar inside and out. 15Here is how I want you to build it. The ark has to be 450 feet long. It has to be 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 16Make a roof for it. Leave below the roof an opening all the way around that is a foot and a half high. Put a door in one side of the ark. Make lower, middle and upper decks. 17I am going to bring a flood on the earth. It will destroy all life under the sky. It will destroy every living creature that breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18But I will make my covenant with you. You will go into the ark. Your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives will enter it with you. 19Bring a male and a female of every living thing into the ark. They will be kept alive with you. 20Two of every kind of bird will come to you. Two of every kind of animal will also come to you. And so will two of every kind of creature that moves along the ground. All of them will be kept alive with you. 21Take every kind of food that you will need. Store it away as food for you and them.”

22Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

Holy Bible, New International Reader’s Version®, NIrV®

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Genesis 6

The Human Race Becomes Evil

1The number of people on earth began to grow. Daughters were born to these people. 2The sons of God saw that these girls were beautiful. And they married any of them they chose. 3The Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain in human beings forever. This is because they are flesh. They will live only 120 years.”

4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days and also later. That was when the sons of God had physical relations with the daughters of men. These women gave birth to children, who became famous. They were the mighty warriors of long ago.

5The Lord saw that the human beings on the earth were very wicked. He also saw that their thoughts were only about evil all the time. 6The Lord was sorry he had made human beings on the earth. His heart was filled with pain. 7So the Lord said, “I will destroy all human beings that I made on the earth. And I will destroy every animal and everything that crawls on the earth. I will also destroy the birds of the air. This is because I am sorry that I have made them.” 8But Noah pleased the Lord.

Noah and the Great Flood

9This is the family history of Noah. Noah was a good man. He was the most innocent man of his time. He walked with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.

11People on earth did what God said was evil. Violence was everywhere. 12And God saw this evil. All people on the earth did only evil. 13So God said to Noah, “People have made the earth full of violence. So I will destroy all people from the earth. 14Build a boat of cypress wood for yourself. Make rooms in it and cover it inside and outside with tar. 15This is how big I want you to build the boat: 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 16Make an opening around the top of the boat. Make it 18 inches high from the edge of the roof down. Put a door in the side of the boat. Make an upper, middle and lower deck in it. 17I will bring a flood of water on the earth. I will destroy all living things that live under the sky. This includes everything that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will die. 18But I will make an agreement with you. You, your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives will all go into the boat. 19Also, you must bring into the boat two of every living thing, male and female. Keep them alive with you. 20There will be two of every kind of bird, animal and crawling thing. They will come to you to be kept alive. 21Also gather some of every kind of food. Store it on the boat as food for you and the animals.”

22Noah did everything that God commanded him.

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