Genesis 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.

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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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