Genesis 6
6
Giants in the Land
1-2When the human race began to increase, with more and more daughters being born, the sons of God noticed that the daughters of men were beautiful. They looked them over and picked out wives for themselves.
3Then God said, “I’m not going to breathe life into men and women endlessly. Eventually they’re going to die; from now on they can expect a life span of 120 years.”
4This was back in the days (and also later) when there were giants in the land. The giants came from the union of the sons of God and the daughters of men. These were the mighty men of ancient lore, the famous ones.
Noah and His Sons
5-7 God saw that human evil was out of control. People thought evil, imagined evil—evil, evil, evil from morning to night. God was sorry that he had made the human race in the first place; it broke his heart. God said, “I’ll get rid of my ruined creation, make a clean sweep: people, animals, snakes and bugs, birds—the works. I’m sorry I made them.”
8But Noah was different. God liked what he saw in Noah.
9-10This is the story of Noah: Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11-12As far as God was concerned, the Earth had become a sewer; there was violence everywhere. God took one look and saw how bad it was, everyone corrupt and corrupting—life itself corrupt to the core.
13God said to Noah, “It’s all over. It’s the end of the human race. The violence is everywhere; I’m making a clean sweep.
14-16“Build yourself a ship from teakwood. Make rooms in it. Coat it with pitch inside and out. Make it 450 feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. Build a roof for it and put in a window eighteen inches from the top; put in a door on the side of the ship; and make three decks, lower, middle, and upper.
17“I’m going to bring a flood on the Earth that will destroy everything alive under Heaven. Total destruction.
18-21“But I’m going to establish a covenant with you: You’ll board the ship, and your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives will come on board with you. You are also to take two of each living creature, a male and a female, on board the ship, to preserve their lives with you: two of every species of bird, mammal, and reptile—two of everything so as to preserve their lives along with yours. Also get all the food you’ll need and store it up for you and them.”
22Noah did everything God commanded him to do.
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Genesis 6
6
Noah and the flood
The LORD will send a flood
1-2More and more people were born, until finally they spread all over the earth. Some of their daughters were so beautiful that supernatural beings#6.1,2 supernatural beings: Or “angels”. came down and married the ones they wanted.#Job 1.6; 2.1. 3Then the LORD said, “I won't let my life-giving breath remain in anyone for ever.#6.3 I won't…for ever: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. No one will live for more than one hundred and twenty years.”#6.3 No one…years: Or “In fact, they will all be destroyed in about one hundred years” (that is, at the time of the flood).
4The children of the supernatural beings who had married these women became famous heroes and warriors. They were called Nephilim and lived on the earth at that time and even later.#Nu 13.33.
5The LORD saw how bad the people on earth were and that everything they thought and planned was evil.#Mt 24.37; Lk 17.26; 1 P 3.20. 6He was very sorry that he had made them, 7and he said, “I'll destroy every living creature on earth! I'll wipe out people, animals, birds, and reptiles. I'm sorry I ever made them.”
8But the LORD was pleased with Noah, 9and this is the story about him. Noah was the only person who lived right and obeyed God.#2 P 2.5. 10He had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11-12God knew that everyone was terribly cruel and violent. 13So he told Noah:
Cruelty and violence have spread everywhere. Now I'm going to destroy the whole earth and all its people. 14Get some good timber and build a boat. Put rooms in it and cover it with tar inside and out. 15Make it one hundred and thirty-three metres long, twenty-two metres wide, and thirteen metres high. 16Build a roof#6.16 roof: Or “window”. on the boat and leave a space of about forty-four centimetres between the roof and the sides.#6.16 leave…sides: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text. Make the boat three storeys high and put a door on one side.
17I'm going to send a flood that will destroy everything that breathes! Nothing will be left alive. 18But I solemnly promise that you, your wife, your sons, and your daughters-in-law will be kept safe in the boat.#6.18 boat: One possible meaning for the difficult Hebrew text of verse 18.
19-20Bring into the boat with you a male and a female of every kind of animal and bird, as well as a male and a female of every reptile. I don't want them to be destroyed. 21Store up enough food both for yourself and for them.
22Noah did everything the LORD told him to do.#He 11.7.
© British and Foreign Bible Society 2012