9-10 This is the story of Noah: Noah was a good man, a man of integrity in his community. Noah walked with God. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11-12 As far as God was concerned, the Earth had become a sewer; there was violence everywhere. God took one look and saw how bad it was, everyone corrupt and corrupting—life itself corrupt to the core.

13 God said to Noah, “It’s all over. It’s the end of the human race. The violence is everywhere; I’m making a clean sweep.

14-16 “Build yourself a ship from teakwood. Make rooms in it. Coat it with pitch inside and out. Make it 450 feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. Build a roof for it and put in a window eighteen inches from the top; put in a door on the side of the ship; and make three decks, lower, middle, and upper.

17 “I’m going to bring a flood on the Earth that will destroy everything alive under Heaven. Total destruction.

18-21 “But I’m going to establish a covenant with you: You’ll board the ship, and your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives will come on board with you. You are also to take two of each living creature, a male and a female, on board the ship, to preserve their lives with you: two of every species of bird, mammal, and reptile—two of everything so as to preserve their lives along with yours. Also get all the food you’ll need and store it up for you and them.”

22 Noah did everything God commanded him to do.

Read full chapter

Noah and the Flood

This is the account(A) of Noah and his family.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless(B) among the people of his time,(C) and he walked faithfully with God.(D) 10 Noah had three sons: Shem,(E) Ham and Japheth.(F)

11 Now the earth was corrupt(G) in God’s sight and was full of violence.(H) 12 God saw how corrupt(I) the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.(J) 13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy(K) both them and the earth.(L) 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress[a] wood;(M) make rooms in it and coat it with pitch(N) inside and out. 15 This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.[b] 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit[c] high all around.[d] Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters(O) on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.(P) 18 But I will establish my covenant with you,(Q) and you will enter the ark(R)—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.(S) 20 Two(T) of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind(U) of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.(V) 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.(W)

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
  2. Genesis 6:15 That is, about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 135 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high
  3. Genesis 6:16 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
  4. Genesis 6:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.