Berĕshith (Genesis) 6
6
1And it came to be, when men began to increase on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2that the sons of Elohim saw the daughters of men, that they were good. And they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.
3And יהוה said, “My Spirit shall not strive with man forever in his going astray. He is flesh, and his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”
4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of Elohim came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, the men of name.
5And יהוה saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.
6And יהוה was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.
7And יהוה said, “I am going to wipe off man whom I have created from the face of the ground, both man and beast, creeping creature and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”
8But Noaḥ found favour in the eyes of יהוה.
9This is the genealogy of Noaḥ. Noaḥ was a righteous man, perfect in his generations. Noaḥ walked with Elohim.
10And Noaḥ brought forth three sons: Shĕm, Ḥam, and Yapheth.
11And the earth was corrupt before Elohim, and the earth was filled with violence.
12And Elohim looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt – for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth –
13and Elohim said to Noaḥ, “The end of all flesh has come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence through them. And see, I am going to destroy them from the earth.
14“Make yourself an ark of gopherwood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with a covering.#Pitch, tar or other.
15“And this is how you are to make it: The length of the ark is three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
16“Make a window for the ark, and complete it to a cubit from above. And set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks.
17“And see, I Myself am bringing floodwaters on the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under the heavens – all that is on the earth is to die.
18“And I shall establish My covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you.
19“And of all the living of all flesh, two of each, you are to bring into the ark, to keep them alive with you – a male and a female.
20“Of the birds after their kind, and of the cattle after their kind, and of all creeping creatures of the ground after their kind, two of each are to come to you, to keep them alive.
21“As for you, take of all food that is eaten and gather it to yourself. And it shall be food for you and for them.”
22And Noaḥ did according to all that Elohim commanded him, so he did.
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Genesis 6
6
1People started to increase in number and spread out across the earth. Daughters were born to them, 2and the sons of God#6:2. “Sons of God”: some have seen this as a reference to angels, but Jesus clearly stated that angels do not marry (Matthew 22:30), and in the very next verse punishment falls on all as human beings. The sons of God can be identified as those in the lineage of Seth, distinguished from these women who are descended from Cain. The genealogies of both groups have just been presented (chapters 4 and 5). saw that these women were beautiful, and they took whichever ones they wanted.
3Then the Lord said, “My life-giving Spirit will not remain in these people forever, because they are only mortal. The time they have left will be 120 years.”#6:3. That this refers to a new maximum lifespan seems unlikely since many after this time lived much longer than 120 years. The Hebrew says literally, “His days shall be 120 years.” Here “days” can be taken simply as time, or even time remaining, until the Flood would come.
4There were giants#6:4. “Giants”: literally, “Nephelim.” This word is translated “giants” in the Septuagint. However, some take the word to be based on the Hebrew word “fallen.” These “giants” are also referenced later (see Numbers 13:33). In Symmachus' Greek translation he renders “Nephelim” as “the violent ones.” on earth in those days, and also later on. They were born after the sons of God slept with the daughters of these people. Their sons became the great warriors and famous men of ancient times.
5The Lord saw how terribly evil people on earth had become—every single thought in their minds was evil all the time! 6The Lord was sorry he'd made human beings to live on the earth; it made him very sad to think about it. 7So the Lord said, “I'm going to wipe out these people I created from the earth, and not only them but also the animals, the creatures that run along the ground, and the birds, because I'm sorry I made them.”
8But the Lord was pleased with Noah.
9This is the story of Noah and his family. Noah was a man of integrity, living a moral life among the people of his time. He had a close relationship with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11God saw how corrupt the whole world had become, full of violent and lawless people. 12God recognized that the corruption in the world was due to everyone on earth living corrupt lives. 13So God told Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all people on earth because they are all violent and lawless. I myself am going to destroy all of them, along with the earth.
14Build an ark#6:14. The word used here for “ark” is different from that used later to describe the Ark of the Lord's Agreement. out of cypress wood. Make rooms inside the ark, and coat it with tar, both inside and out. 15This is how to build it: the ark is to measure 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high. 16Make a roof for the ark, leaving a cubit-wide opening between the roof and the top of the sides.#6:16. The Hebrew of this last phrase is unclear. Put a door in the side of the ark, and construct three decks inside.
17I myself am going to flood the earth with water that will destroy everything that breathes. Every living thing everywhere on earth will die. 18But I will keep my agreement with you. You are to go into the ark, taking with you your wife and your sons and their wives. 19Take a pair, male and female, of every kind of animal into the ark and make sure you keep them alive. 20The same applies to every kind of bird, livestock, and the creatures that run along the ground—a pair of every kind will come to you so they can be kept alive. 21Take all kinds of food with you too. Store it so you and the animals will have enough to eat.”
22Noah did exactly what God ordered him to do.
Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com