Genesis 6

Wickedness in the World

1When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with#6:3 Or My spirit will not remain in humans forever, for they are mortal#6:3 Or corrupt; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

5The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time. 6The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah and the Flood

9This is the account of Noah and his family.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.

11Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and was full of violence. 12God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14So make yourself an ark of cypress#6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain. wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.#6:15 That is, about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 135 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high 16Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit#6:16 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters high all around.#6:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

22Noah did everything just as God commanded him.

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Genesis 6

CHAPTER 6

1And when men began to be multiplied on [the] earth, and had begat daughters,

2the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair, and took wives to them of all which they had chosen.

3And God said, My spirit shall not dwell in man without end, for he is flesh; and the days of him shall be an hundred and twenty years.

4Soothly giants were on the earth in those days, forsooth after that the sons of God entered [in] to the daughters of men, and those daughters begat; these were mighty of the world and famous men.

5Soothly God saw that much malice of men was in [the] earth, and that all the thought of their heart was attentive, either given, to evil in all time,

6and it repented him that he had made man in earth; and God was wary before against time to coming [or to come], and was touched with sorrow of heart within;

7and said, I shall do away man, whom I made of nought, from the face of the earth; from man till to living things, from creeping beast till to the birds of heaven; for it repenteth me that I made them.

8Forsooth Noah found grace before the Lord.

9These be the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations; Noah went with God,

10and begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11Forsooth the earth was corrupt before God, and was filled with wickedness.

12And when God saw, that the earth was corrupt, for each flesh, or man, had corrupted his way on [the] earth,

13he said to Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; the earth is filled with wickedness of the face of them, and I shall destroy them with the earth.

14Make thou to thee a ship#6:14 Throughout Genesis, whenever the “Later Version” refers to Noah’s ‘ship’, the “Early Version” refers to Noah’s ‘ark’. of wood hewn and planed; thou shalt make dwelling places in the ship, and thou shalt anoint it with pitch within and withoutforth.

15And so thou shalt make it. The length of the ship shall be of three hundred cubits, the breadth shall be of fifty cubits, and the highness thereof shall be of thirty cubits.

16Thou shalt make a window in the ship, and thou shalt end the highness thereof in a cubit; soothly thou shalt set the door of the ship in the side beneath; thou shalt make solars or upper rooms, and places of three chambers in the ship.

17Lo! I shall bring waters of deluge, or great flood, on the earth, and I shall slay each flesh in which is the spirit of life under heaven, and all things that be in [the] earth, shall be wasted.

18And I shall set my covenant of peace with thee; and thou shalt enter into the ship, [thou], and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons shall enter with thee.

19And of all living beasts of all flesh, thou shalt bring into the ship twain [or two] and twain, of male kind and female, that they live with thee;

20of birds by their kind, and of work beasts in their kind, and of each creeping beast of [the] earth, by their kind; twain [or two] and twain of all shall enter with thee, that they may live.

21Therefore thou shalt take with thee of all meats that may be eaten, and thou shalt bear together at thee, and those shall be as well to thee as to the beasts into meat.

22Therefore Noah did all things which God commanded to him.

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