1And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them,2That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose.3And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years.4There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown.5And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.6And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.7And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.8But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.9These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.10And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.11The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.12And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth.13And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.14Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch.15And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of : The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.16A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it.17And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die.18But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons'wives with thee.19And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female.20Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive.21And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them.22Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he.
Genesis 6
New International Reader’s Version
The sins of everyone on earth
1There began to be many human beings on the earth. And daughters were born to them.2The sons of God saw that the daughters of human beings were beautiful. So they married any of them they chose.3Then the LORD said, ‘My Spirit will not struggle with human beings for ever. They will have only 120 years to live.’4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days. That was when the sons of God went to the daughters of human beings. Children were born to them. The Nephilim were famous heroes who lived long ago. Nephilim were also on the earth later on.5The LORD saw how bad the sins of everyone on earth had become. They only thought about evil things.6The LORD was very sad that he had made human beings on the earth. His heart was filled with pain.7So the LORD said, ‘I created human beings, but I will wipe them out. I will also destroy the animals, the birds in the sky, and the creatures that move along the ground. I am very sad that I have made human beings.’8But the LORD was very pleased with Noah.
Noah and the flood
9Here is the story of Noah and his family. Noah was a godly man. He was without blame among the people of his time. He walked faithfully with God.10Noah had three sons. Their names were Shem, Ham and Japheth.11The earth was very sinful in God’s eyes. It was full of people who did mean and harmful things.12God saw how sinful the earth had become. All its people were living very sinful lives.13So God said to Noah, ‘I am going to put an end to everyone. They have filled the earth with their harmful acts. I am certainly going to destroy them and the earth.14So make yourself an ark out of cypress wood. Make rooms in it. Cover it with tar inside and out.15Here is how I want you to build it. The ark has to be 150 metres long. It has to be 25 metres wide and 15 metres high.16Make a roof for it. Leave below the roof an opening all the way round that is half a metre high. Put a door in one side of the ark. Make lower, middle and upper decks.17I am going to bring a flood on the earth. It will destroy all life under the sky. It will destroy every living creature that breathes. Everything on earth will die.18But I will make my covenant with you. You will go into the ark. Your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives will enter it with you.19Bring a male and a female of every living thing into the ark. They will be kept alive with you.20Two of every kind of bird will come to you. Two of every kind of animal will also come to you. And so will two of every kind of creature that moves along the ground. All of them will be kept alive with you.21Take every kind of food that you will need. Store it away as food for you and them.’22Noah did everything just as God commanded him.