Genesis 6
6
Chapter 6
1People began to grow in number all over the earth. They gave birth to daughters. 2The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful. They chose for themselves any of them that they wanted to become their wives. #6:2 We do not know who ‘the sons of God’ were. They may have been men on the earth who trusted God. They may have been men who belonged to God in heaven, like angels. The ‘daughters of men’ were women who lived on the earth.
3The Lord said, ‘My Spirit will not give life to humans for ever. One day they will die. I will not let them live for more than 120 years. Then they will die.’
4The Nephilites lived on the earth at that time, and for some time after that. During that time, the sons of God were having sex with the daughters of men, who gave birth to their children. The Nephilites were famous great men and fighters.
5The Lord saw that men and women on the earth had become very bad. They thought only of evil things all the time. 6The Lord was sorry that he had made humans and put them on the earth. He became very upset. 7So the Lord said, ‘I made humans, but now I will destroy them. I will completely take them off the earth. As well as human people, I will also destroy the animals, the living things that move on the ground, and the birds. I am sorry that I made them.’
8But as for Noah, the Lord was happy about him. #6:8 Men and women turned against God. God felt very sad. Noah was different from the other people on the earth at that time. God was happy with him. The next verses tell us why God was happy about Noah.
God saves Noah
9This is the report about Noah and his family.
Noah was a good man. He was the only person at that time who lived in a completely right way. He stayed near to God in his life. 10Noah became the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11God saw that everything on the earth had become spoiled. Everywhere, people were attacking each other. 12God saw how much the earth had become spoiled. Everyone was doing bad things. 13God said to Noah, ‘I will destroy everyone. That is what I have decided to do. Everywhere on the earth, people are attacking each other. Now I will destroy the people and also the earth. 14So make a ship for yourself. Use wood from cypress trees to make it.#6:14 Cypress trees are trees with hard wood. The ship must have rooms in it. Cover the inside and the outside of the ship with tar. #6:14 Tar stops water coming into the ship.
15This is how you will build the ship: It must be 150 metres long, 25 metres wide and 15 metres high.
16Make a roof for the ship. Leave a space 45 centimetres high all round under the roof. Put a door in the side of the ship. Inside the ship, make three floors above each other.
17I will cover the earth with deep water. I will destroy all living things, wherever they live. Everything that breathes will die. 18But I will make a covenant with you, Noah. You will go into the ship. You will take your wife with you, and also your three sons and their wives. 19You must also take two of every different kind of animal into the ship. One will be male and the other will be female. Then they will stay alive with you. 20Bring two of every different kind of bird, two of every different animal and two of every different living thing that moves along the ground. All these will come to you. You will take care of them so that they will stay alive. 21You must also take every different kind of food. That will be food for you and food for the animals.’
22Noah obeyed God. He did everything that God had told him to do.
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Genesis 6
6
Evil Increases on the Earth
1The number of people increased all over the earth, and daughters were born to them. 2The sons of God saw that the daughters of other humans were beautiful. So they married any woman they chose.
3Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not struggle with humans forever, because they are flesh and blood. They will live 120 years.”
4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, as well as later, when the sons of God slept with the daughters of other humans and had children by them. These children were famous long ago.
5The Lord saw how evil humans had become on the earth. All day long their deepest thoughts were nothing but evil. 6The Lord was sorry that he had made humans on the earth, and he was heartbroken. 7So he said, “I will wipe off the face of the earth these humans that I created. I will wipe out not only humans, but also domestic animals, crawling animals, and birds. I’m sorry that I made them.” 8But the Lord was pleased with Noah.
Noah’s Family and the Ship
9This is the account of Noah and his descendants.
Noah had God’s approval and was a man of integrity among the people of his time. He walked with God. 10He had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11The world was corrupt in God’s sight and full of violence. 12God saw the world and how corrupt it was because all people on earth lived evil lives.
13God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all people because the earth is full of their violence. Now I’m going to destroy them along with the earth. 14Make yourself a ship of cypress wood. #6:14 Or “teakwood.” Make rooms in the ship and coat it inside and out with tar. 15This is how you should build it: the ship is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16Make a roof for the ship, and leave an 18-inch-high opening at the top. Put a door in the side of the ship. Build the ship with lower, middle, and upper decks. 17I’m about to send a flood on the earth to destroy all people under the sky—every living, breathing human. Everything on earth will die.
18“But I will make my promise #6:18 Or “covenant.” to you. You, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives will go into the ship. 19Bring two of every living creature into the ship in order to keep them alive with you. They must be male and female. 20Two of every type of bird, every type of domestic animal, and every type of creature that crawls on the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21Take every kind of food that can be eaten and store it. It will be food for you and the animals.”
22Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.