Genesis 6
6
Ancient heroes
1When the number of people started to increase throughout the fertile land, daughters were born to them. 2The divine beings saw how beautiful these human women were, so they married the ones they chose. 3The LORD said, “My breath#6.3 Or spirit will not remain in humans forever, because they are flesh. They will live one hundred twenty years.” 4In those days, giants#6.4 Or the Nephilim lived on the earth and also afterward, when divine beings and human daughters had sexual relations and gave birth to children. These were the ancient heroes, famous men.
Great flood
5The LORD saw that humanity had become thoroughly evil on the earth and that every idea their minds thought up was always completely evil. 6The LORD regretted making human beings on the earth, and he was heartbroken. 7So the LORD said, “I will wipe off of the land the human race that I’ve created: from human beings to livestock to the crawling things to the birds in the skies, because I regret I ever made them.” 8But as for Noah, the LORD approved of him.
9These are Noah’s descendants. In his generation, Noah was a moral and exemplary man; he#6.9 Heb Noah walked with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11In God’s sight, the earth had become corrupt and was filled with violence. 12God saw that the earth was corrupt, because all creatures behaved corruptly on the earth.
13God said to Noah, “The end has come for all creatures, since they have filled the earth with violence. I am now about to destroy them along with the earth, 14so make a wooden ark.#6.14 Or ark of gopher wood, an unknown species of tree Make the ark with nesting places and cover it inside and out with tar. 15This is how you should make it: four hundred fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. 16Make a roof#6.16 Or window for the ark and complete it one foot from the top.#6.16 Heb uncertain Put a door in its side. In the hold below, make the second and third decks.
17“I am now bringing the floodwaters over the earth to destroy everything under the sky that breathes. Everything on earth is about to take its last breath. 18But I will set up my covenant with you. You will go into the ark together with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives. 19From all living things—from all creatures—you are to bring a pair, male and female, into the ark with you to keep them alive. 20From each kind of bird, from each kind of livestock, and from each kind of everything that crawls on the ground—a pair from each will go in with you to stay alive. 21Take some from every kind of food and stow it as food for you and for the animals.”
22Noah did everything exactly as God commanded him.
2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Genesis 6
6
1 And when men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them,
2 the sons of God, seeing that the daughters of men were beautiful, took to themselves wives from all whom they chose.
3 And God said: "My spirit shall not remain in man forever, because he is flesh. And so his days shall be one hundred and twenty years."
4 Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they conceived, these became the powerful ones of ancient times, men of renown.
5 Then God, seeing that the wickedness of men was great upon the earth and that every thought of their heart was intent upon evil at all times,
6 repented that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with a sorrow of heart,
7 he said, "I will eliminate man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man to other living things, from animals even to the flying things of the air. For it grieves me that I have made them."
8 Yet truly, Noah found grace before the Lord.
9 These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a just man, and yet he was predominate among his generations, for he walked with God.
10 And he conceived three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Yet the earth was corrupted before the eyes of God, and it was filled with iniquity.
12 And when God had seen that the earth had been corrupted, (indeed, all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth)
13 he said to Noah: "The end of all flesh has arrived in my sight. The earth has been filled with iniquity by their presence, and I will destroy them, along with the earth.
14 Make yourself an ark from smoothed wood. You shall make little dwelling places in the ark, and you shall smear pitch on the interior and exterior.
15 And thus shall you make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.
16 You shall make a window in the ark, and you shall complete it within a cubit of the top. Then you shall set the door of the ark at its side. You shall make in it: a lower part, upper rooms, and a third level.
17 Behold, I shall bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, so as to put to death all flesh in which there is the breath of life under heaven. All things that are on the earth shall be consumed.
18 And I shall establish my covenant with you, and you shall enter the ark, you and your sons, your wife and the wives of your sons with you.
19 And from every living thing of all that is flesh, you shall lead pairs into the ark, so that they may survive with you: from the male sex and the female,
20 from birds, according to their kind, and from beasts, in their kind, and from among all animals on earth, according to their kind; pairs from each shall enter with you, so that they may be able to live.
21 Therefore, you shall take with you from all the foods that are able to be eaten, and you shall carry these with you. And these shall be used as food, some for you, and the rest for them."
22 And so Noah did all things just as God had instructed him.