Genesis 6

1 When men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,

People started to increase in number and spread out across the earth. Daughters were born to them,

2 God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives.

and the sons of God saw that these women were beautiful, and they took whichever ones they wanted.

3 Yahweh said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; so his days will be one hundred twenty years.”

Then the Lord said, “My life-giving Spirit will not remain in these people forever, because they are only mortal. The time they have left will be 120 years.”

4 The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

There were giants on earth in those days, and also later on. They were born after the sons of God slept with the daughters of these people. Their sons became the great warriors and famous men of ancient times.

5 Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.

The Lord saw how terribly evil people on earth had become—every single thought in their minds was evil all the time!

6 Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.

The Lord was sorry he'd made human beings to live on the earth; it made him very sad to think about it.

7 Yahweh said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground—man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky—for I am sorry that I have made them.”

So the Lord said, “I'm going to wipe out these people I created from the earth, and not only them but also the animals, the creatures that run along the ground, and the birds, because I'm sorry I made them.”

8 But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes.

But the Lord was pleased with Noah.

9 This is the history of the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God.

This is the story of Noah and his family. Noah was a man of integrity, living a moral life among the people of his time. He had a close relationship with God.

10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

God saw how corrupt the whole world had become, full of violent and lawless people.

12 God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

God recognized that the corruption in the world was due to everyone on earth living corrupt lives.

13 God said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth.

So God told Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all people on earth because they are all violent and lawless. I myself am going to destroy all of them, along with the earth.

14 Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch.

Build an ark out of cypress wood. Make rooms inside the ark, and coat it with tar, both inside and out.

15 This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

This is how to build it: the ark is to measure 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high.

16 You shall make a roof in the ship, and you shall finish it to a cubit upward. You shall set the door of the ship in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third levels.

Make a roof for the ark, leaving a cubit-wide opening between the roof and the top of the sides. Put a door in the side of the ark, and construct three decks inside.

17 I, even I, will bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die.

I myself am going to flood the earth with water that will destroy everything that breathes, Every living thing everywhere on earth will die.

18 But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

But I will keep my agreement with you. You are to go into the ark, taking with you your wife and your sons and their wives.

19 Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

Take a pair, male and female, of every kind of animal into the ark and make sure you keep them alive.

20 Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort will come to you, to keep them alive.

The same applies to every kind of bird, livestock, and the creatures that run along the ground—a pair of every kind will come to you so they can be kept alive.

21 Take with you some of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it will be for food for you, and for them.”

Take all kinds of food with you too. Store it so you and the animals will have enough to eat.”

22 Thus Noah did. He did all that God commanded him.

Noah did exactly what God ordered him to do.

The World is Destroyed by Water