Chapter 6

The Corruption of Mankind

1 Now it came about, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them,

2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were 1beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose.

3 Then the Lord said, “aMy Spirit shall not 1strive with man forever, 2bbecause he also is flesh; 3nevertheless his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.”

4 The aNephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that aevery intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

6 aThe Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was bgrieved 1in His heart.

7 The Lord said, “aI will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the 1sky; for bI am sorry that I have made them.”

8 But aNoah bfound favor in the eyes of the Lord.

9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a arighteous man, 1bblameless in his 2time; Noah cwalked with God.

10 Noah 1became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 Now the earth was acorrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was bfilled with violence.

12 God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for aall flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

13 Then God said to Noah, “aThe end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth.

14 “Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and shall 1cover it inside and out with pitch.

15 “This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark three hundred 1cubits, its breadth fifty 1cubits, and its height thirty 1cubits.

16 “You shall make a 1window for the ark, and finish it to a cubit from 2the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks.

17 “Behold, aI, even I am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish.

18 “But I will establish aMy covenant with you; and byou shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

19 “aAnd of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

20 “aOf the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive.

21 “As for you, take for yourself some of all afood which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.”

22 aThus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.