Font Size
Genesis 1-11
Modern English Version
Genesis 1-11
Modern English Version
The Creation
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and void,[a] darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving[b] over the surface of the water.
3 God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.
6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 God called the expanse Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. Then God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation:[c] plants yielding seed and fruit trees on the earth yielding fruit after their kind with seed in them.” And it was so. 12 The earth produced vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind and trees yielding fruit with seed in them after their kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 So the evening and the morning were the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons, and days, and years. 15 Let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16 God made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He made the stars also. 17 Then God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. Then God saw that it was good. 19 So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures and let the birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters swarmed, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, and creeping things, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 So God made the beasts of the earth according to their kind, and the livestock according to their kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness, and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 So God created man in His own image;
in the image of God He created him;
male and female He created them.
28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and replenish the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 Then God said, “See, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is on the face of all the earth and every tree which has fruit yielding seed. It shall be food for you. 30 To every beast of the earth and to every bird of the air and to everything that creeps on the earth which has the breath of life in it, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31 God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.
2 So the heavens and the earth, and all their hosts, were finished.
2 On the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it He had rested from all His work which He had created and made.
Adam and Eve
4 This is the account[d] of the heavens and the earth when they were created.
In the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, 5 no shrub of the field was yet on the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6 But a mist[e] arose from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living being.
8 The Lord God planted a garden in the east, in Eden, and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9 Out of the ground the Lord God made to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, along with the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it encompasses the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it encompasses the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it goes toward the east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and to keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”
18 Then the Lord God said, “It is not good that the man should be alone. I will make him a helper suitable for him.”
19 Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam[f] there was not found a helper suitable for him.
21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept. Then He took one of his ribs and closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, He made into a woman, and He brought her to the man.
23 Then Adam said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she will be called Woman,
for she was taken out of Man.”
24 Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother and be joined to his wife, and they will become one flesh.
25 They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
The Fall
3 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the garden; 3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You will not eat of it, nor will you touch it, or else you will die.’ ”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! 5 For God knows that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasing to the eyes and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate; and she gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 The Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 He said, “I heard Your voice in the garden and was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.”
11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”
12 The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What have you done?”
And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this,
You are cursed above all livestock,
and above every beast of the field;
you will go on your belly,
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring and her offspring;
he will bruise your head,
and you will bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman He said,
“I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth,
and in pain you will bring forth children;
your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”
17 And to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’
Cursed is the ground on account of you;
in hard labor you will eat of it
all the days of your life.
18 Thorns and thistles it will bring forth for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you will eat bread
until you return to the ground,
because out of it you were taken;
for you are dust,
and to dust you will return.”
20 The man called his wife’s name Eve because she was the mother of all the living.
21 The Lord God made garments of skins for both Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 The Lord God said, “The man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. And now, he might reach out his hand, and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove the man out, and at the east of the garden of Eden He placed the cherubim and a flaming sword which turned in every direction, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Cain and Abel
4 Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived, gave birth to Cain and said, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 Then she gave birth again to his brother Abel.
And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. 4 Abel also brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had respect for Abel and for his offering, 5 but for Cain and for his offering, He did not have respect. And Cain was very angry and his countenance fell.
6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your countenance fallen? 7 If you do well, shall you not be accepted?[g] But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.
9 The Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 And then He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground. 11 Now you are cursed from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 From now on when you till the ground, it will not yield for you its best. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”
13 Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 You have driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from your face will I be hidden; and I will be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15 So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” Then the Lord put a mark upon Cain, so that no one finding him would kill him. 16 Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
17 Cain had relations with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech took two wives. The name of one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. 22 Zillah gave birth to Tubal-Cain, a forger of every tool of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice,
you wives of Lamech, and listen to my speech.
For I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man who hurt me.
24 If Cain will be avenged sevenfold,
then truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
25 Adam had relations with his wife again, and she had another son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has granted me another offspring instead of Abel because Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth also was born a son, and he called his name Enosh.
At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.
Adam’s Descendants
5 This is the book of the generations of Adam.
In the day when God created man, He made him in the likeness of God. 2 He created them male and female. He blessed them and called them Mankind in the day when they were created.
3 Adam lived a hundred and thirty years and became the father of a son in his own likeness, after his own image, and called his name Seth. 4 The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. 5 So all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years, and he died.
6 Seth lived one hundred and five years and became the father of Enosh. 7 Seth lived after the birth of Enosh eight hundred and seven years and had other sons and daughters. 8 So all the days of Seth were nine hundred and twelve years, and he died.
9 Enosh lived ninety years and became the father of Kenan. 10 Enosh lived after the birth of Kenan eight hundred and fifteen years and had other sons and daughters. 11 So all the days of Enosh were nine hundred and five years, and he died.
12 Kenan lived seventy years and became the father of Mahalalel. 13 Kenan lived after the birth of Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years and had other sons and daughters. 14 So all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.
15 Mahalalel lived sixty-five years and became the father of Jared. 16 Mahalalel lived after the birth of Jared eight hundred and thirty years and had other sons and daughters. 17 So all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.
18 Jared lived one hundred and sixty-two years and became the father of Enoch. 19 Jared lived after the birth of Enoch eight hundred years and had other sons and daughters. 20 So all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.
21 Enoch lived sixty-five years and became the father of Methuselah. 22 Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah for three hundred years and had other sons and daughters. 23 So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. 24 Enoch walked with God, and then he was no more because God took him.
25 Methuselah lived one hundred and eighty-seven years and became the father of Lamech. 26 Methuselah lived after the birth of Lamech seven hundred and eighty-two years and had other sons and daughters. 27 So all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.
28 Lamech lived one hundred and eighty-two years and had a son. 29 He named his son Noah, saying, “This one will comfort us concerning our work and the toil of our hands because of the ground which the Lord has cursed.” 30 Lamech lived after the birth of Noah five hundred and ninety-five years and had other sons and daughters. 31 So all the days of Lamech were seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died.
32 Noah was five hundred years old and became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
Man’s Wickedness
6 When men began to multiply on the face of the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were fair and took as wives any they chose. 3 The Lord said, “My Spirit will not always strive with man, for he is flesh; yet his days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also after that, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was continually only evil. 6 The Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and it grieved Him in His heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth—both man and beast, and the creeping things, and the birds of the sky, for I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Noah and the Flood
9 These are the generations of Noah.
Noah was a just man and blameless among his contemporaries. Noah walked with God. 10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 The earth was corrupt before God and filled with violence. 12 God looked on the earth and saw it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. 13 So God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh is come before Me, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I will destroy them with the earth. 14 Make an ark of cypress wood for yourself. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 And this is how you must make it: The length of the ark will be three hundred cubits, the width of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.[h] 16 Make an opening[i] one cubit[j] below the top of the ark all around; and you must set the door of the ark on the side. Make it with a lower, a second, and a third story. 17 I will bring a flood of waters on the earth to destroy all flesh, wherever there is the breath of life under heaven, and everything that is on the earth will die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you; you must go into the ark—you, and your sons, and your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 Bring every living thing of all flesh, two of every kind, into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal, and of every kind of creeping thing of the earth will come to you to be kept alive. 21 Also, take with you of every kind of food that is eaten and gather it to yourself, and it will be for food for you and for them.”
22 Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
7 The Lord said to Noah, “You and your entire household go into the ark, for you alone I have seen to be righteous before Me among this generation. 2 Take with you seven each of every clean animal, the male and its female, and two each of every unclean animal, the male and its female, 3 and seven each of birds of the air, the male and female, to keep offspring alive on the face of all the earth. 4 In seven days I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will destroy from the face of the earth.”
5 And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him.
6 Noah was six hundred years old when the floodwaters came upon the earth. 7 And Noah went with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives into the ark because of the floodwaters. 8 Everything that creeps on the land from clean and unclean animals and birds 9 came in two by two, male and female, to Noah into the ark, as God had commanded Noah. 10 After seven days, the waters of the flood were on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the same day, all the fountains of the great deep burst open and the floodgates of the heavens were opened. 12 The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13 On the very same day Noah and the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark. 14 They and every wild animal according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to its kind, and every bird according to its kind, every bird of every sort, 15 went with Noah into the ark, two by two of all flesh in which was the breath of life. 16 So they went in, male and female of all flesh, just as God had commanded him; then the Lord shut him in.
17 The flood was on the earth forty days, and the water increased and lifted up the ark, so that it rose up above the earth. 18 The water prevailed and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 The water prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high mountains that were under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed upward and the mountains were covered fifteen cubits deep.[k] 21 All flesh that moved on the earth died: birds and livestock and beasts, and every creeping thing that crept on the earth, and every man. 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He blotted out every living thing which was on the face of the ground, both man and animals and the creeping things and the birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth, and only Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive.
24 The waters prevailed on the earth for one hundred and fifty days.
The Flood Recedes
8 God remembered Noah and every living thing and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. So God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the water receded. 2 Also the fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, and the rain from the heavens was restrained. 3 The water receded steadily from the earth, and after the end of one hundred and fifty days the waters decreased. 4 The ark rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The water continually decreased until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.
6 Then at the end of forty days, Noah opened the window of the ark which he had made, 7 and he sent forth a raven, which went to and fro until the waters were dried up on the earth. 8 Then he sent out a dove to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no rest for the sole of her foot, so she returned to him into the ark, for the waters were on the surface of all the earth. Then he put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her into the ark to himself. 10 He waited yet another seven days, and again he sent out the dove from the ark. 11 The dove came to him in the evening, and in her mouth there was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 12 He waited another seven days and sent out the dove again, but it did not return to him again.
13 So in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth; and Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and saw the surface of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.
15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, so that they may breed abundantly on the earth and be fruitful and multiply on the earth.”
18 So Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives went out. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that moves on the earth, according to their families, went out of the ark.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 The Lord smelled a soothing aroma; and the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.
22 While the earth remains,
seedtime and harvest,
cold and heat,
summer and winter,
and day and night
will not cease.”
The Noahic Covenant
9 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2 Every beast of the earth and every bird of the sky and all that moves on the earth and all the fish of the sea will fear you and be terrified of you. They are given into your hand. 3 Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. I give you everything, just as I gave you the green plant.
4 “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5 But for your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; from every animal will I require it; of man, too, will I require a reckoning for human life, of every man for that of his fellow man.
6 Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for God made man
in His own image.
7 And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly in the earth and multiply in it.”
8 Again God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9 “As for Me, I establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11 I establish My covenant with you. Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood. Never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12 Then God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations. 13 I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 When I bring a cloud over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the cloud; 15 then I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow will appear in the cloud, and I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
The Sons of Noah
18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These were the three sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.
20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21 Then he drank some of the wine and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 So Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.
24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his younger son had done to him, 25 he said,
“Canaan be cursed!
He will be a servant of servants
to his brothers.”
26 He also said,
“Blessed be the Lord God of Shem,
and let Canaan be his servant.
27 May God enlarge Japheth,
and may he dwell in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be his servant.”
28 Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and then he died.
The Table of Nations
10 Now these are the generations of Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah. And sons were born to them after the flood.
The Japhethites(A)
2 The sons of Japheth were
Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshek, and Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer were
Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.
4 The sons of Javan were
Elishah, Tarshish, the Kittites, and the Rodanites. 5 From these the coastlands of the nations were divided[l] into their lands, everyone according to his tongue, according to their families, by their nations.
The Hamites(B)
6 The sons of Ham were
Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan.
7 The sons of Cush were
Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteka;
and the sons of Raamah were
Sheba and Dedan.
8 Cush was the father of Nimrod. He became a mighty one on the earth. 9 He was a mighty hunter before the Lord. Therefore it is said, “Even like Nimrod the mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The beginning of his kingdom was Babel,[m] Uruk, Akkad, and Kalneh in the land of Shinar. 11 From that land he went to Assyria and built Nineveh, the city Rehoboth Ir, and Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah (that is the principal city).
13 Egypt was the father of
the Ludites, Anamites, Lehabites, Naphtuhites, 14 Pathrusites, Kasluhites (from whom came the Philistines), and Caphtorites.
15 Canaan was the father of
Sidon his firstborn and Heth, 16 and the Jebusites, Amorites, Girgashites, 17 Hivites, Arkites, Sinites, 18 Arvadites, Zemarites, and the Hamathites.
Later the families of the Canaanites spread abroad. 19 The border of the Canaanites was from Sidon toward Gerar to Gaza, and then to Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, Zeboyim, as far as Lasha.
20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, in their lands and in their nations.
The Semites(C)
21 To Shem, who was the father of all the children of Eber, whose older brother was Japheth,[n] were sons born also.
22 The sons of Shem were
Elam, Ashur, Arphaxad, Lud, and Aram.
23 The sons of Aram were
Uz, Hul, Gether, and Meshek.
24 Arphaxad was the father of Shelah,
and Shelah was the father of Eber.
25 To Eber were born two sons.
The name of one was Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; his brother’s name was Joktan.
26 Joktan was the father of
Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were the sons of Joktan.
30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to Sephar, the hill country of the east.
31 These are the sons of Shem, by their families and their language, in their lands and their nations.
32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their generations, in their nations. From these were the nations divided in the earth after the flood.
The Tower of Babel
11 Now the whole earth had one language and the same words. 2 As the people journeyed from the east, they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there.
3 They said to each other, “Let us make bricks and bake them thoroughly.” And they had brick for stone and tar for mortar. 4 Then they said, “Come, let us build us a city and a tower, whose top will reach to heaven, and let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.”
5 But the Lord came down to see the city and the tower that the sons of men built. 6 The Lord said, “The people are one and they have one language, and this is only the beginning of what they will do; now nothing that they propose to do will be impossible for them. 7 Come, let us go down and there confuse their language, so that they may not understand one another’s speech.”
8 So the Lord scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth, and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore the name of it was called Babel, because there the Lord confused the language of all the earth. From there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.
Shem’s Descendants(D)
10 These are the generations of Shem.
Shem was a hundred years old, and two years after the flood he became the father of Arphaxad. 11 Shem lived after the birth of Arphaxad five hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.
12 Arphaxad lived thirty-five years, and became the father of Shelah. 13 Arphaxad lived after the birth of Shelah four hundred and three years, and had other sons and daughters.
14 Shelah lived thirty years, and became the father of Eber. 15 Shelah lived after the birth of Eber four hundred and three years, and had other sons and daughters.
16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and became the father of Peleg. 17 Eber lived after the birth of Peleg four hundred and thirty years, and had other sons and daughters.
18 Peleg lived thirty years, and became the father of Reu. 19 Peleg lived after the birth of Reu two hundred and nine years, and had other sons and daughters.
20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and became the father of Serug. 21 Reu lived after the birth of Serug two hundred and seven years, and had other sons and daughters.
22 Serug lived thirty years, and became the father of Nahor. 23 Serug lived after the birth of Nahor two hundred years, and had other sons and daughters.
24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and became the father of Terah. 25 Nahor lived after the birth of Terah one hundred and nineteen years, and had other sons and daughters.
26 Now Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran.
Terah’s Descendants
27 These are the generations of Terah.
Terah became the father of Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran became the father of Lot. 28 Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his birth, in Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and Nahor took wives. The name of Abram’s wife was Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife, Milkah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milkah and the father of Iskah. 30 But Sarai was barren; she had no child.
31 Terah took his son Abram and his grandson Lot, son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they went out together from Ur of the Chaldeans to go into the land of Canaan; but when they came to Harran, they settled there.
32 The days of Terah were two hundred and five years, and Terah died in Harran.
Footnotes
- Genesis 1:2 Or a waste and emptiness.
- Genesis 1:2 Or hovering.
- Genesis 1:11 Or grass.
- Genesis 2:4 Lit. These are the generations.
- Genesis 2:6 Or flow.
- Genesis 2:20 MT the man, or the Adam.
- Genesis 4:7 Or uplifted.
- Genesis 6:15 About 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high; or 135 meters long, 23 meters wide, and 14 meters high.
- Genesis 6:16 Or roof.
- Genesis 6:16 About 18 inches, or 45 centimeters.
- Genesis 7:20 About 23 feet, or 6.8 meters.
- Genesis 10:5 Or separated themselves.
- Genesis 10:10 Or Babylon.
- Genesis 10:21 Or the older brother of Japheth.
Genesis 1-10
New International Version
Genesis 1-10
New International Version
The Beginning
1 In the beginning(A) God created(B) the heavens(C) and the earth.(D) 2 Now the earth was formless(E) and empty,(F) darkness was over the surface of the deep,(G) and the Spirit of God(H) was hovering(I) over the waters.
3 And God said,(J) “Let there be light,” and there was light.(K) 4 God saw that the light was good,(L) and he separated the light from the darkness.(M) 5 God called(N) the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”(O) And there was evening, and there was morning(P)—the first day.
6 And God said,(Q) “Let there be a vault(R) between the waters(S) to separate water from water.” 7 So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it.(T) And it was so.(U) 8 God called(V) the vault “sky.”(W) And there was evening, and there was morning(X)—the second day.
9 And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place,(Y) and let dry ground(Z) appear.” And it was so.(AA) 10 God called(AB) the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters(AC) he called “seas.”(AD) And God saw that it was good.(AE)
11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation:(AF) seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.(AG)” And it was so.(AH) 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds(AI) and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.(AJ) 13 And there was evening, and there was morning(AK)—the third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights(AL) in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night,(AM) and let them serve as signs(AN) to mark sacred times,(AO) and days and years,(AP) 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.(AQ) 16 God made two great lights—the greater light(AR) to govern(AS) the day and the lesser light to govern(AT) the night.(AU) He also made the stars.(AV) 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night,(AW) and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.(AX) 19 And there was evening, and there was morning(AY)—the fourth day.
20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures,(AZ) and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”(BA) 21 So God created(BB) the great creatures of the sea(BC) and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it,(BD) according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.(BE) And God saw that it was good.(BF) 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”(BG) 23 And there was evening, and there was morning(BH)—the fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures(BI) according to their kinds:(BJ) the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.(BK) 25 God made the wild animals(BL) according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds.(BM) And God saw that it was good.(BN)
26 Then God said, “Let us(BO) make mankind(BP) in our image,(BQ) in our likeness,(BR) so that they may rule(BS) over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky,(BT) over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27 So God created(BU) mankind(BV) in his own image,(BW)
in the image of God(BX) he created them;
male and female(BY) he created them.(BZ)
28 God blessed them and said to them,(CA) “Be fruitful and increase in number;(CB) fill the earth(CC) and subdue it. Rule over(CD) the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.(CE)”
29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.(CF) 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life(CG) in it—I give every green plant for food.(CH)” And it was so.
31 God saw all that he had made,(CI) and it was very good.(CJ) And there was evening, and there was morning(CK)—the sixth day.
2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.(CL)
2 By the seventh day(CM) God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.(CN) 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,(CO) because on it he rested(CP) from all the work of creating(CQ) that he had done.
Adam and Eve
4 This is the account(CR) of the heavens and the earth when they were created,(CS) when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth[b] and no plant had yet sprung up,(CT) for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth(CU) and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams[c] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed(CV) a man[d](CW) from the dust(CX) of the ground(CY) and breathed into his nostrils the breath(CZ) of life,(DA) and the man became a living being.(DB)
8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden;(DC) and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees(DD) that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life(DE) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.(DF)
10 A river(DG) watering the garden flowed from Eden;(DH) from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah,(DI) where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin[e](DJ) and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.[f] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris;(DK) it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.(DL)
15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden(DM) to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;(DN) 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,(DO) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”(DP)
18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”(DQ)
19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals(DR) and all the birds in the sky.(DS) He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called(DT) each living creature,(DU) that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam[g] no suitable helper(DV) was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep;(DW) and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[h] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[i](DX) he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said,
“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;(DY)
she shall be called(DZ) ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.(EA)”
24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united(EB) to his wife, and they become one flesh.(EC)
25 Adam and his wife were both naked,(ED) and they felt no shame.
The Fall
3 Now the serpent(EE) was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?(EF)”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,(EG) 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”(EH)
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.(EI) 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,(EJ) knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable(EK) for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband,(EL) who was with her, and he ate it.(EM) 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked;(EN) so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.(EO)
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking(EP) in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid(EQ) from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”(ER)
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid(ES) because I was naked;(ET) so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?(EU) Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?(EV)”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me(EW)—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me,(EX) and I ate.”
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,
“Cursed(EY) are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust(EZ)
all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring[j](FA) and hers;(FB)
he will crush[k] your head,(FC)
and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman he said,
“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth to children.(FD)
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.(FE)”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’(FF)
“Cursed(FG) is the ground(FH) because of you;
through painful toil(FI) you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.(FJ)
18 It will produce thorns and thistles(FK) for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.(FL)
19 By the sweat of your brow(FM)
you will eat your food(FN)
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”(FO)
20 Adam[l] named his wife Eve,[m](FP) because she would become the mother of all the living.
21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.(FQ) 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us,(FR) knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life(FS) and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden(FT) to work the ground(FU) from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[n] of the Garden of Eden(FV) cherubim(FW) and a flaming sword(FX) flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.(FY)
Cain and Abel
4 Adam[o] made love to his wife(FZ) Eve,(GA) and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.[p](GB) She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth[q] a man.” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.(GC)
Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.(GD) 3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering(GE) to the Lord.(GF) 4 And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions(GG) from some of the firstborn of his flock.(GH) The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,(GI) 5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry?(GJ) Why is your face downcast? 7 If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door;(GK) it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.(GL)”
8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[r] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.(GM)
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”(GN)
“I don’t know,(GO)” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
10 The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.(GP) 11 Now you are under a curse(GQ) and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.(GR) You will be a restless wanderer(GS) on the earth.(GT)”
13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. 14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence;(GU) I will be a restless wanderer on the earth,(GV) and whoever finds me will kill me.”(GW)
15 But the Lord said to him, “Not so[s]; anyone who kills Cain(GX) will suffer vengeance(GY) seven times over.(GZ)” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. 16 So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence(HA) and lived in the land of Nod,[t] east of Eden.(HB)
17 Cain made love to his wife,(HC) and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city,(HD) and he named it after his son(HE) Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
19 Lamech married(HF) two women,(HG) one named Adah and the other Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments(HH) and pipes.(HI) 22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged(HJ) all kinds of tools out of[u] bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed(HK) a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.
24 If Cain is avenged(HL) seven times,(HM)
then Lamech seventy-seven times.(HN)”
25 Adam made love to his wife(HO) again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,[v](HP) saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”(HQ) 26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.(HR)
At that time people began to call on[w] the name of the Lord.(HS)
From Adam to Noah
5 This is the written account(HT) of Adam’s family line.(HU)
When God created mankind, he made them in the likeness of God.(HV) 2 He created them(HW) male and female(HX) and blessed them. And he named them “Mankind”[x] when they were created.
3 When Adam had lived 130 years, he had a son in his own likeness, in his own image;(HY) and he named him Seth.(HZ) 4 After Seth was born, Adam lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 Altogether, Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.(IA)
6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father[y] of Enosh.(IB) 7 After he became the father of Enosh, Seth lived 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 Altogether, Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.
9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan.(IC) 10 After he became the father of Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 Altogether, Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.
12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel.(ID) 13 After he became the father of Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 Altogether, Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.
15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared.(IE) 16 After he became the father of Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 Altogether, Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.
18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch.(IF) 19 After he became the father of Enoch, Jared lived 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 Altogether, Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.
21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah.(IG) 22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked faithfully with God(IH) 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 Altogether, Enoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Enoch walked faithfully with God;(II) then he was no more, because God took him away.(IJ)
25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech.(IK) 26 After he became the father of Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 Altogether, Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.
28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 29 He named him Noah[z](IL) and said, “He will comfort us in the labor and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.(IM)” 30 After Noah was born, Lamech lived 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 Altogether, Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old,(IN) he became the father of Shem,(IO) Ham and Japheth.(IP)
Wickedness in the World
6 When human beings began to increase in number on the earth(IQ) and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God(IR) saw that the daughters(IS) of humans were beautiful,(IT) and they married(IU) any of them they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit(IV) will not contend with[aa] humans forever,(IW) for they are mortal[ab];(IX) their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”
4 The Nephilim(IY) were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans(IZ) and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.(JA)
5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth,(JB) and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.(JC) 6 The Lord regretted(JD) that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth(JE) the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.(JF)” 8 But Noah(JG) found favor in the eyes of the Lord.(JH)
Noah and the Flood
9 This is the account(JI) of Noah and his family.
Noah was a righteous man, blameless(JJ) among the people of his time,(JK) and he walked faithfully with God.(JL) 10 Noah had three sons: Shem,(JM) Ham and Japheth.(JN)
11 Now the earth was corrupt(JO) in God’s sight and was full of violence.(JP) 12 God saw how corrupt(JQ) the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.(JR) 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(JS) both them and the earth.(JT) 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress[ac] wood;(JU) make rooms in it and coat it with pitch(JV) 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.[ad] 16 Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit[ae] high all around.[af] Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. 17 I am going to bring floodwaters(JW) 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.(JX) 18 But I will establish my covenant with you,(JY) and you will enter the ark(JZ)—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.(KA) 20 Two(KB) of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind(KC) of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.(KD) 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.(KE)
7 The Lord then said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and your whole family,(KF) because I have found you righteous(KG) in this generation. 2 Take with you seven pairs of every kind of clean(KH) animal, a male and its mate, and one pair of every kind of unclean animal, a male and its mate, 3 and also seven pairs of every kind of bird, male and female, to keep their various kinds alive(KI) throughout the earth. 4 Seven days from now I will send rain(KJ) on the earth(KK) for forty days(KL) and forty nights,(KM) and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.(KN)”
5 And Noah did all that the Lord commanded him.(KO)
6 Noah was six hundred years old(KP) when the floodwaters came on the earth. 7 And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives entered the ark(KQ) to escape the waters of the flood. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean(KR) animals, of birds and of all creatures that move along the ground, 9 male and female, came to Noah and entered the ark, as God had commanded Noah.(KS) 10 And after the seven days(KT) the floodwaters came on the earth.
11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life,(KU) on the seventeenth day of the second month(KV)—on that day all the springs of the great deep(KW) burst forth, and the floodgates of the heavens(KX) were opened. 12 And rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.(KY)
13 On that very day Noah and his sons,(KZ) Shem, Ham and Japheth, together with his wife and the wives of his three sons, entered the ark.(LA) 14 They had with them every wild animal according to its kind, all livestock according to their kinds, every creature that moves along the ground according to its kind and every bird according to its kind,(LB) everything with wings. 15 Pairs of all creatures that have the breath of life in them came to Noah and entered the ark.(LC) 16 The animals going in were male and female of every living thing, as God had commanded Noah.(LD) Then the Lord shut him in.
17 For forty days(LE) the flood kept coming on the earth, and as the waters increased they lifted the ark high above the earth. 18 The waters rose and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the surface of the water. 19 They rose greatly on the earth, and all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered.(LF) 20 The waters rose and covered the mountains to a depth of more than fifteen cubits.[ag][ah] (LG) 21 Every living thing that moved on land perished—birds, livestock, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all mankind.(LH) 22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life(LI) in its nostrils died. 23 Every living thing on the face of the earth was wiped out; people and animals and the creatures that move along the ground and the birds were wiped from the earth.(LJ) Only Noah was left, and those with him in the ark.(LK)
24 The waters flooded the earth for a hundred and fifty days.(LL)
8 But God remembered(LM) Noah and all the wild animals and the livestock that were with him in the ark, and he sent a wind over the earth,(LN) and the waters receded. 2 Now the springs of the deep and the floodgates of the heavens(LO) had been closed, and the rain(LP) had stopped falling from the sky. 3 The water receded steadily from the earth. At the end of the hundred and fifty days(LQ) the water had gone down, 4 and on the seventeenth day of the seventh month(LR) the ark came to rest on the mountains(LS) of Ararat.(LT) 5 The waters continued to recede until the tenth month, and on the first day of the tenth month the tops of the mountains became visible.
6 After forty days(LU) Noah opened a window he had made in the ark 7 and sent out a raven,(LV) and it kept flying back and forth until the water had dried up from the earth.(LW) 8 Then he sent out a dove(LX) to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground. 9 But the dove could find nowhere to perch because there was water over all the surface of the earth; so it returned to Noah in the ark. He reached out his hand and took the dove and brought it back to himself in the ark. 10 He waited seven more days and again sent out the dove from the ark. 11 When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.(LY) 12 He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but this time it did not return to him.
13 By the first day of the first month of Noah’s six hundred and first year,(LZ) the water had dried up from the earth. Noah then removed the covering from the ark and saw that the surface of the ground was dry. 14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month(MA) the earth was completely dry.
15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Come out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and their wives.(MB) 17 Bring out every kind of living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and all the creatures that move along the ground—so they can multiply on the earth and be fruitful and increase in number on it.”(MC)
18 So Noah came out, together with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives.(MD) 19 All the animals and all the creatures that move along the ground and all the birds—everything that moves on land—came out of the ark, one kind after another.
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord(ME) and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean(MF) birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings(MG) on it. 21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma(MH) and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground(MI) because of humans, even though[ai] every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood.(MJ) And never again will I destroy(MK) all living creatures,(ML) as I have done.
22 “As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,(MM)
cold and heat,
summer and winter,(MN)
day and night
will never cease.”(MO)
God’s Covenant With Noah
9 Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.(MP) 2 The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.(MQ) 3 Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.(MR) Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.(MS)
4 “But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.(MT) 5 And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting.(MU) I will demand an accounting from every animal.(MV) And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.(MW)
6 “Whoever sheds human blood,
by humans shall their blood be shed;(MX)
for in the image of God(MY)
has God made mankind.
7 As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”(MZ)
8 Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: 9 “I now establish my covenant with you(NA) and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant(NB) with you:(NC) Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.(ND)”
12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant(NE) I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:(NF) 13 I have set my rainbow(NG) in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow(NH) appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant(NI) between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.(NJ) 16 Whenever the rainbow(NK) appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant(NL) between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”
17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant(NM) I have established between me and all life on the earth.”
The Sons of Noah
18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth.(NN) (Ham was the father of Canaan.)(NO) 19 These were the three sons of Noah,(NP) and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.(NQ)
20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded[aj] to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine,(NR) he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked(NS) and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.
24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,
26 He also said,
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!(NW)
May Canaan be the slave(NX) of Shem.
27 May God extend Japheth’s[ak] territory;(NY)
may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,(NZ)
and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”
28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.(OA)
The Table of Nations
10 This is the account(OB) of Shem, Ham and Japheth,(OC) Noah’s sons,(OD) who themselves had sons after the flood.
The Japhethites(OE)
2 The sons[al] of Japheth:
Gomer,(OF) Magog,(OG) Madai, Javan,(OH) Tubal,(OI) Meshek(OJ) and Tiras.
3 The sons of Gomer:
Ashkenaz,(OK) Riphath and Togarmah.(OL)
4 The sons of Javan:
Elishah,(OM) Tarshish,(ON) the Kittites(OO) and the Rodanites.[am] 5 (From these the maritime peoples spread out into their territories by their clans within their nations, each with its own language.)(OP)
The Hamites(OQ)
6 The sons of Ham:
Cush,(OR) Egypt, Put(OS) and Canaan.(OT)
7 The sons of Cush:
Seba,(OU) Havilah,(OV) Sabtah, Raamah(OW) and Sabteka.
The sons of Raamah:
8 Cush was the father[an] of Nimrod,(OZ) who became a mighty warrior on the earth. 9 He was a mighty(PA) hunter(PB) before the Lord; that is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 The first centers of his kingdom were Babylon,(PC) Uruk,(PD) Akkad and Kalneh,(PE) in[ao] Shinar.[ap](PF) 11 From that land he went to Assyria,(PG) where he built Nineveh,(PH) Rehoboth Ir,[aq] Calah 12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and Calah—which is the great city.
Footnotes
- Genesis 1:26 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Syriac); Masoretic Text the earth
- Genesis 2:5 Or land; also in verse 6
- Genesis 2:6 Or mist
- Genesis 2:7 The Hebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah); it is also the name Adam (see verse 20).
- Genesis 2:12 Or good; pearls
- Genesis 2:13 Possibly southeast Mesopotamia
- Genesis 2:20 Or the man
- Genesis 2:21 Or took part of the man’s side
- Genesis 2:22 Or part
- Genesis 3:15 Or seed
- Genesis 3:15 Or strike
- Genesis 3:20 Or The man
- Genesis 3:20 Eve probably means living.
- Genesis 3:24 Or placed in front
- Genesis 4:1 Or The man
- Genesis 4:1 Cain sounds like the Hebrew for brought forth or acquired.
- Genesis 4:1 Or have acquired
- Genesis 4:8 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text does not have “Let’s go out to the field.”
- Genesis 4:15 Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew Very well
- Genesis 4:16 Nod means wandering (see verses 12 and 14).
- Genesis 4:22 Or who instructed all who work in
- Genesis 4:25 Seth probably means granted.
- Genesis 4:26 Or to proclaim
- Genesis 5:2 Hebrew adam
- Genesis 5:6 Father may mean ancestor; also in verses 7-26.
- Genesis 5:29 Noah sounds like the Hebrew for comfort.
- Genesis 6:3 Or My spirit will not remain in
- Genesis 6:3 Or corrupt
- Genesis 6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
- 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
- Genesis 6:16 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
- Genesis 6:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.
- Genesis 7:20 That is, about 23 feet or about 6.8 meters
- Genesis 7:20 Or rose more than fifteen cubits, and the mountains were covered
- Genesis 8:21 Or humans, for
- Genesis 9:20 Or soil, was the first
- Genesis 9:27 Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for extend.
- Genesis 10:2 Sons may mean descendants or successors or nations; also in verses 3, 4, 6, 7, 20-23, 29 and 31.
- Genesis 10:4 Some manuscripts of the Masoretic Text and Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Septuagint and 1 Chron. 1:7); most manuscripts of the Masoretic Text Dodanites
- Genesis 10:8 Father may mean ancestor or predecessor or founder; also in verses 13, 15, 24 and 26.
- Genesis 10:10 Or Uruk and Akkad—all of them in
- Genesis 10:10 That is, Babylonia
- Genesis 10:11 Or Nineveh with its city squares
- Genesis 10:15 Or of the Sidonians, the foremost
Modern English Version (MEV)
The Holy Bible, Modern English Version. Copyright © 2014 by Military Bible Association. Published and distributed by Charisma House.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.