Genesis 6

People Become Evil

1-4The number of people on earth continued to increase. When these people had daughters, the sons of God saw how beautiful they were. So they chose the women they wanted. They married them, and the women had their children.

Then the Lord said, “People are only human. I will not let my Spirit be troubled by them forever. I will let them live only 120 years.”#6:1-4 People … 120 years Or “The spirit from me will not live in people forever, because they are flesh. They will live only 120 years.” Or “My Spirit will not judge people forever, because they will all die in 120 years.”

During this time and also later, the Nephilim people lived in the land. They have been famous as powerful soldiers since ancient times.

5The Lord saw that the people on the earth were very evil. He saw that they thought only about evil things all the time. 6The Lord was sorry that he had made people on the earth. It made him very sad in his heart. 7So the Lord said, “I will destroy all the people I created on the earth. I will destroy every person and every animal and everything that crawls on the earth. And I will destroy all the birds in the air, because I am sorry that I have made them.”

8But Noah pleased the Lord.

Noah and the Great Flood

9This is the history of Noah’s family. He was a good man all his life, and he always followed God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11-12When God looked at the earth, he saw that people had ruined it. Violence was everywhere, and it had ruined their life on earth.

13So God said to Noah, “Everyone has filled the earth with anger and violence. So I will destroy all living things. I will remove them from the earth. 14Use cypress wood#6:14 cypress wood In Hebrew, “gopher timbers.” It is uncertain what kind of wood this is. It might be a kind of tree or squared timbers. and build a boat for yourself. Make rooms in the boat and cover it with tar inside and out.

15“This is the size I want you to make the boat: 300 cubits#6:15 300 cubits 437' 1/8" (133 m) if this was the short cubit or 510' 1 13/16" (155.5 m) if it was the long cubit. long, 50 cubits#6:15 50 cubits 72' 10" (22.2 m) if this was the short cubit or 85' 5/16" (25.92 m) if it was the long cubit. wide, and 30 cubits#6:15 30 cubits 43' 8 7/16" (13.3 m) if this was the short cubit or 51' 3/16" (15.55 m) if it was the long cubit. high. 16Make a window for the boat about 1 cubit#6:16 1 cubit 17 1/2" (44.4 cm) if this was the short cubit or 20 5/8" (51.83 cm) if it was the long cubit. below the roof.#6:16 Make a window … below the roof Or “Make an opening for the boat about 18 inches tall.” Put a door in the side of the boat. Make three floors in the boat: a top deck, a middle deck, and a lower deck.

17“Understand what I am telling you. I will bring a great flood of water on the earth. I will destroy all living things that live under heaven. Everything on the earth will die. 18I will make a special agreement with you. You, your wife, your sons, and their wives will all go into the boat. 19Also, you will take two of every living thing on the earth with you into the boat. Take a male and female of every kind of animal so that they might survive with you. 20Two of every kind of bird, animal, and creeping thing will come to you so that you might keep them alive. 21Also bring every kind of food into the boat, for you and for the animals.”

22Noah did everything God commanded him.

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Genesis 6

Increasing Corruption on Earth

1When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. 3Then the Lord said, #1 Pet. 3:19, 20; [Neh. 9:30; Gal. 5:16, 17] “My Spirit shall not abide in#6:3 Or My Spirit shall not contend with man forever, #Ps. 78:39for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” 4The Nephilim#6:4 Or giants were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

5 # Ps. 14:2, 3 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every #ch. 8:21; Job 14:4; 15:14; Ps. 51:5; Jer. 17:9; Matt. 15:19; Rom. 3:23intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6And #1 Sam. 15:11; 2 Sam. 24:16; Joel 2:13; [Num. 23:19; 1 Sam. 15:29] the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it #Isa. 63:10; Eph. 4:30grieved him to his heart. 7So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8But Noah #ch. 19:19; Ex. 33:12, 13, 16, 17found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah and the Flood

9These are the generations of Noah. #ch. 7:1; Ezek. 14:14, 20; 2 Pet. 2:5 Noah was a righteous man, #Job 1:1, 8; Luke 1:6 blameless in his generation. Noah #ch. 5:22, 24; [Heb. 11:7]walked with God. 10And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12And God #Ps. 14:2, 3; 53:2, 3 saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, #Job 22:15-17for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13And God said to Noah, #Ezek. 7:2, 3, 6“I have determined to make an end of all flesh,#6:13 Hebrew The end of all flesh has come before me for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. 14Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.#6:14 An unknown kind of tree; transliterated from Hebrew Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits,#6:15 A cubit was about 18 inches or 45 centimeters its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16Make a roof#6:16 Or skylight for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17#ch. 7:4; 2 Pet. 2:5For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. 18But #ch. 9:9, 11I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. 21Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” 22#Heb. 11:7; [Ex. 40:16]Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

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