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Yahweh said to Noah, “Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation. You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female. Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth. In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy every living thing that I have made from the surface of the ground.”

Noah did everything that Yahweh commanded him.

Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, because of the floodwaters. Clean animals, unclean animals, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah. 10 After the seven days, the floodwaters came on the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the sky’s windows opened. 12 It rained on the earth forty days and forty nights.

13 In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth—the sons of Noah—and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship— 14 they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort. 15 Pairs from all flesh with the breath of life in them went into the ship to Noah. 16 Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; then Yahweh shut him in. 17 The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the earth. 18 The waters rose, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters. 19 The waters rose very high on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered. 20 The waters rose fifteen cubits[a] higher, and the mountains were covered. 21 All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All on the dry land, in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, died. 23 Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship. 24 The waters flooded the earth one hundred fifty days.

Footnotes

  1. 7:20 A cubit is the length from the tip of the middle finger to the elbow on a man’s arm, or about 18 inches or 46 centimeters.

Entering the Ark

Then the Lord told Noah, “Come—you and all your household—into the ark, because I’ve seen that you alone are righteous[a] in this generation. You are to take with you seven pairs[b] of every clean animal, a male and its mate, and two of the unclean animals, a male and its mate; along with seven pairs[c] of the flying birds, male and female, in order to keep their offspring alive on the surface of all the earth. Seven days from now I’ll send rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights, and I’ll destroy every living creature that I’ve made.”

Noah did everything that the Lord commanded.

The Flood Begins

Noah was 600 years old when water began to flood the earth. Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives entered the ark with him before the flood waters arrived.[d] From both clean and unclean animals, from birds, and from everything that crawls on the ground, two by two, male and female, they entered the ark to join Noah, just as God had commanded.

10 Seven days later, the flooding started. 11 On the seventeenth day of the second month, when Noah was 600 years old, all the springs of the great deep burst open, the floodgates of the heavens were opened, 12 and it rained throughout the earth for 40 days and 40 nights. 13 On that very day, Noah entered the ark with his[e] sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, Noah’s wife, his sons’ three wives with them, 14 along with every species of wild animal,[f] livestock, crawling creature, bird, and every creature that has wings. 15 Two of each living creature[g] entered the ark with Noah. 16 The males and females of each living creature[h] entered the ark,[i] just as God had commanded. Then the Lord sealed them inside.

17 The flood continued throughout the earth for 40 days, while the flood waters increased, lifting the ark so that it rose above the surface of the[j] earth. 18 The flood waters continued to surge, increasing throughout the earth, while the ark floated on the surface of the flood water. 19 The flood water surged even higher throughout the earth, until all the highest mountains under the sky were covered. 20 The flood waters rose 15 cubits[k] above the mountains. 21 Every living thing[l] on earth died—flying creatures, livestock, wildlife, all creatures that swarm over the earth, and all human beings. 22 Everything that breathed[m] and everything that had lived on dry land died. 23 All existing creatures that had lived on the surface of the ground were annihilated, from humans to livestock, from crawling creatures to birds of the sky. They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah remained, along with those who were with him in the ark. 24 The flood waters surged over the earth for 150 days.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 7:1 Lit. righteous before me
  2. Genesis 7:2 Lit. seven seven
  3. Genesis 7:3 Lit. seven seven
  4. Genesis 7:7 The Heb. lacks arrived
  5. Genesis 7:13 Lit. Noah’s
  6. Genesis 7:14 I.e., non-domesticated animals, as opposed to domesticated livestock
  7. Genesis 7:15 Lit. each of all flesh in which there was life
  8. Genesis 7:16 Lit. of all flesh
  9. Genesis 7:16 The Heb. lacks the ark
  10. Genesis 7:17 The Heb. lacks surface of the
  11. Genesis 7:20 I.e. about 22 and a half feet
  12. Genesis 7:21 Lit. flesh that moves
  13. Genesis 7:22 Lit. that had breath in its nostrils