6
Prelude to the Flood
1And it happened that, when humankind began to multiply on the face of the ground, daughters were born to them. 2Then#Or “And” the sons of God saw the daughters of humankind, that they were beautiful. And they took for themselves wives from all that they chose. 3And Yahweh said, “My Spirit shall not abide with humankind forever in that he is also flesh. And his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4The Nephilim were upon the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God went into the daughters of humankind, and they bore children to them.
5And Yahweh saw that the evil of humankind was great upon the earth, and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was always#Literally “every day” only evil. 6And Yahweh regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart.#Literally “he was grieved to his heart” 7And Yahweh said, “I will destroy humankind whom I created from upon the face of the earth, from humankind, to animals, to creeping things, and to the birds of heaven,#Or “the sky” for I regret that I have made them.” 8But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.
9These are the generations#Or “family records” of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, without defect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11And the earth was corrupted before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. 13And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth was filled with violence because of them. Now, look, I am going to destroy them along with the earth. 14Make for yourself an ark of cypress wood; you must make the ark with rooms, then#Or “and” you must cover it with pitch, inside and outside. 15And this is how you must make it: the length of the ark, three hundred cubits; its width fifty cubits; its height, thirty cubits. 16You must make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above.#Literally “to one cubit you must finish it from above” And as for the door of the ark, you must put it in its side. You must make it with a lower, second, and a third deck.
17And I, behold, I am about to bring the flood waters over the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under the heaven;#Or “the sky” everything that is on the earth shall perish. 18And I will establish my covenant with you, and you must go into the ark—you, and your sons, and your wife, and the wives of your sons with you. 19And of every living thing, from all flesh, you must bring two from every kind into the ark to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20From the birds according to their#Or “its” kind, and from the animals according to their#Or “its” kind, from every creeping thing on the ground according to its#Or “their” kind—two from every kind shall come to you to keep them alive. 21And as for you, take for yourself from every kind of food that is eaten. And you must gather it to yourself. And it shall be for you and for them for food.” 22And Noah did according to all that God commanded him; thus he did.