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
1And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them.
2The sons of God seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took themselves wives of all which they chose.
3And God said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh; and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.
4Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown.
5And God seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times,
6It repented him that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart,
7He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8But Noe found grace before the Lord.
9These are the generations of Noe. Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations; he walked with God.
10And he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and Japheth.
11And the earth was corrupted before God, and was filled with iniquity.
12And when God had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth),
13He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me; the earth is filled with iniquity through them; and I will destroy them with the earth.
14Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without.
15And thus shalt thou make it: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits; the breadth of it fifty cubits; and the height of it thirty cubits.
16Thou shalt make a window in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish the top of it; and the door of the ark thou shalt set in the side; with lower, middle chambers, and third stories shalt thou make it.
17Behold, I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, under heaven. All things that are in the earth shall be consumed.
18And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt enter into the ark; thou and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons with thee.
19And of every living creature of all flesh, thou shalt bring two of each sort into the ark, that they may live with thee: of the male sex, and the female.
20Of fowls according to their kind, and of beasts in their kind, and of every thing that creepeth on earth according to its kind; two of every sort shall go in with thee, that they may live.
21Thou shalt take unto thee of all food that may be eaten, and thou shalt lay it up with thee: and it shall be food for thee and them.
22And Noe did all things which God commanded him.
An historical text maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.