< Genesis 6 >
1 And Noe was five hundred years old, and he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and Japheth. And it came to pass when men began to be numerous upon the earth, and daughters were born to them,
當人在地上開始繁殖,生養女兒時,
2 that the sons of God having seen the daughters of men that they were beautiful, took to themselves wives of all whom they chose.
天主的兒子見人的女兒美麗,就隨意選取,作為妻子。
3 And the Lord God said, My Spirit shall certainly not remain among these men for ever, because they are flesh, but their days shall be an hundred and twenty years.
上主於是說:「因為人既屬於血肉,我的神不能常在他內;他的壽數只可到一百二十歲。」
4 Now the giants were upon the earth in those days; and after that when the sons of God were wont to go in to the daughters of men, they bore [children] to them, those were the giants of old, the men of renown.
當天主的兒子與人的兒女結合生子時,在地上已有一些巨人,(以後也有,)他們就是古代的英雄,著名的人物。
5 And the Lord God, having seen that the wicked actions of men were multiplied upon the earth, and that every one in his heart was intently brooding over evil continually,
上主見人在地上的罪惡重大,人心天天所思念的無非是邪惡;
6 then God laid it to heart that he had made man upon the earth, and he pondered [it] deeply.
上主遂後悔在地上造了人,心中很是悲痛。
7 And God said, I will blot out man whom I have made from the face of the earth, even man with cattle, and reptiles with flying creatures of the sky, for I am grieved that I have made them.
上主於是說:「我要將我所造的人,連人帶野獸、爬蟲和天空的飛鳥,都由地面上消滅,因為我後悔造了他們。」
8 But Noe found grace before the Lord God.
惟有諾厄在上主眼中蒙受恩愛。
9 And these [are] the generations of Noe. Noe was a just man; being perfect in his generation, Noe was well-pleasing to God.
以下是諾厄的小史:諾厄是他同時代惟一正義齊全的人,常同天主往來。
10 And Noe begot three sons, Sem, Cham, Japheth.
他生了三個兒子:就是閃、含、和耶斐特。
11 But the earth was corrupted before God, and the earth was filled with iniquity.
大地已在天主面前敗壞,到處充滿了強暴。
12 And the Lord God saw the earth, and it was corrupted; because all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth.
天主見大地已敗壞,因為凡有血肉的人,品行在地上全敗壞了,
13 And the Lord God said to Noe, A period of all men is come before me; because the earth has been filled with iniquity by them, and, behold, I destroy them and the earth.
天主遂對諾厄說:「我已決定要結果一切有血肉的人,因為他們使大地充滿了強暴,我要將他們由大地上消滅。
14 Make therefore for yourself an ark of square timber; you shall make the ark in compartments, and you shall pitch it within and without with pitch.
你要用柏木造一隻方舟,舟內建造一些艙房,內外都塗上瀝青。
15 And thus shall you make the ark; three hundred cubits the length of the ark, and fifty cubits the breadth, and thirty cubits the height of it.
你要這樣建造:方舟要有三百肘長,五十肘寬,三十肘高。
16 You shall narrow the ark in making it, and in a cubit above you shall finish it, and the door of the ark you shall make on the side; with lower, second, and third stories you shall make it.
方舟上層四面做上窗戶,高一肘,門要安在側面;方舟要分為上中下三層。
17 And behold I bring a flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven, and whatever things are upon the earth shall die.
看我要使洪水在地上氾濫,消滅天下一切有生氣的血肉;凡地上所有的都要滅亡。
18 And I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall enter into the ark, and your sons and your wife, and your sons' wives with you.
但我要與你立約,你以及你的兒子、妻子和兒媳,要與你一同進入方舟。
19 And of all cattle and of all reptiles and of all wild beasts, even of all flesh, you shall bring by pairs of all, into the ark, that you may feed them with yourself: male and female they shall be.
你要由一切有血肉的生物中,各帶一對,即一公一母,進入方舟,與你一同生活;
20 Of all winged birds after their kind, and of all cattle after their kind, and of all reptiles creeping upon the earth after their kind, pairs of all shall come in to you, male and female to be fed with you.
各種飛鳥、各種牲畜、地上所有的各種爬蟲,皆取一對同你進去,得以保存生命。
21 And you shall take to yourself of all kinds of food which you eat, and you shall gather them to yourself, and it shall be for you and them to eat.
此外,你還帶上各種吃用的食物,貯存起來,作你和他們的食物。」
22 And Noe did all things whatever the Lord God commanded him, so did he.
諾厄全照辦了;天主怎樣吩咐了他,他就怎樣做了。
The World is Destroyed by Water