1The Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ship with your whole family because I have seen that you alone are righteous among the people of today. 2Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean animal (a male and a female of each) and one pair of every kind of unclean #7:2 “Clean” refers to anything that is presentable to God. “Unclean” refers to anything that is not presentable to God. animal (a male and a female). 3Also, take seven pairs of every kind of bird (a male and a female of each) to preserve animal life all over the earth after the flood. 4In seven days I will send rain to the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. I will wipe off the face of the earth every living creature that I have made.”

5So Noah did everything that the Lord commanded him.

6Noah was 600 years old when the flood came to the earth. 7Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives went into the ship to escape the floodwaters. 8Clean and unclean animals, birds, and creatures that crawl on the ground 9came to Noah to go into the ship in pairs (a male and female of each) as God had commanded Noah.

10Seven days later the flood came on the earth. 11On the seventeenth day of the second month of the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, all the deep springs burst open. The sky opened, 12and rain came pouring down on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.

13On that same day Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, as well as Noah’s wife and his three daughters-in-law went into the ship. 14They had with them every type of wild animal, every type of domestic animal, every type of creature that crawls on the earth, and every type of bird (every creature with wings). 15A pair of every living, breathing animal came to Noah to go into the ship. 16A male and a female of every animal went in as God had commanded Noah. Then the Lord closed the door behind them.

17The flood continued for 40 days on the earth. The water increased and lifted the ship so that it rose high above the ground. 18As the water rose and became very deep, the ship floated on top of the water. 19The water rose very high above the earth. It covered all the high mountains everywhere under the sky. 20It rose 23 feet above the mountaintops.

21Every creature that crawls on the earth died, including birds, domestic and wild animals, and everything that swarms over the earth, along with every human. 22Everything on dry land (every living, breathing creature) died. 23Every living creature on the face of the earth was wiped out. Humans, domestic animals, crawling creatures, and birds were wiped off the earth. Only Noah and those with him in the ship were left.

24The floodwaters were on the earth for 150 days.

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Genesis 7

The Flood

1The Lord told Noah:

Take your whole family with you into the boat, because you are the only one on this earth who pleases me. 2Take seven pairs of every kind of animal that can be used for sacrifice#7.2 animal … for sacrifice: Hebrew “clean animals.” Animals that could be used for sacrifice were called “clean,” and animals that could not be used were called “unclean.” and one pair of all others. 3Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird with you. Do this so there will always be animals and birds on the earth. 4Seven days from now I will send rain that will last for 40 days and nights, and I will destroy all other living creatures I have made.

5-7 # Mt 24.38,39; Lk 17.27. Noah was 600 years old when he went into the boat to escape the flood, and he did everything the Lord had told him to do. His wife, his sons, and his daughters-in-law all went inside with him. 8-9He obeyed God and took a male and a female of each kind of animal and bird into the boat with him. 10Seven days later a flood began to cover the earth.

11-12 # 2 P 3.6. The water under the earth started gushing out everywhere, the sky opened like windows, and rain poured down for 40 days and nights. All this began on the seventeenth day of the second month of the year. 13On that day Noah and his wife went into the boat with their three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. 14They took along every kind of animal, tame and wild, including the birds. 15Noah took a male and a female of every living creature with him, 16just as God had told him to do. And when they were all in the boat, the Lord closed the door.

17-18For 40 days the rain poured down without stopping. And the water became deeper and deeper, until the boat started floating high above the ground. 19-20Finally, the mighty flood was so deep that even the highest mountain peaks were about seven meters below the surface of the water. 21Not a bird, animal, reptile, or human was left alive anywhere on earth. 22-23#3 Macc 2.4. The Lord destroyed everything that breathed. Nothing was left alive except Noah and the others in the boat. 24A hundred fifty days later, the water started going down.

Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)

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Genesis 7

Genesis 7