Wickedness in the World

6 When human beings began to increase in number on the earth^(A) and daughters were born to them, ² the sons of God^(B) saw that the daughters^(C) of humans were beautiful,^(D) and they married^(E) any of them they chose. ³ Then the Lord said, “My Spirit^(F) will not contend with^[a] humans forever,^(G) for they are mortal^[b];^(H) their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

⁴ The Nephilim^(I) were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans^(J) and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.^(K)

⁵ The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth,^(L) and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.^{(M) 6} The Lord regretted^(N) 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^(O) 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.^(P)” ⁸ But Noah^(Q) found favor in the eyes of the Lord.^(R)

Noah and the Flood

⁹ This is the account^(S) of Noah and his family.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless^(T) among the people of his time,^(U) and he walked faithfully with God.^{(V) 10} Noah had three sons: Shem,^(W) Ham and Japheth.^(X)

¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt^(Y) in God’s sight and was full of violence.^{(Z) 12} God saw how corrupt^(AA) the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.^{(AB) 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^(AC) both them and the earth.^(AD)

⁸ Joshua son of Nun,^(A) the servant of the Lord, died at the age of a hundred and ten. ⁹ And they buried him in the land of his inheritance, at Timnath Heres^[a](B) in the hill country of Ephraim, north of Mount Gaash.

¹⁰ After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.^{(C) 11} Then the Israelites did evil^(D) in the eyes of the Lord^(E) and served the Baals.^{(F) 12} They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods^(G) of the peoples around them.^(H) They aroused^(I) the Lord’s anger^{(J) 13} because they forsook^(K) him and served Baal and the Ashtoreths.^{(L) 14} In his anger^(M) against Israel the Lord gave them into the hands^(N) of raiders who plundered^(O) them. He sold them^(P) into the hands of their enemies all around, whom they were no longer able to resist.^{(Q) 15} Whenever Israel went out to fight, the hand of the Lord was against them^(R) to defeat them, just as he had sworn to them. They were in great distress.^(S)

¹⁶ Then the Lord raised up judges,^[b](T) who saved^(U) them out of the hands of these raiders. ¹⁷ Yet they would not listen to their judges but prostituted^(V) themselves to other gods^(W) and worshiped them.^(X) They quickly turned^(Y) from the ways of their ancestors, who had been obedient to the Lord’s commands.^{(Z) 18} Whenever the Lord raised up a judge for them, he was with the judge and saved^(AA) them out of the hands of their enemies as long as the judge lived; for the Lord relented^(AB) because of their groaning^(AC) under those who oppressed and afflicted^(AD) them. ¹⁹ But when the judge died, the people returned to ways even more corrupt^(AE) than those of their ancestors,^(AF) following other gods and serving and worshiping them.^(AG) They refused to give up their evil practices and stubborn^(AH) ways.

²⁰ Therefore the Lord was very angry^(AI) with Israel and said, “Because this nation has violated the covenant^(AJ) I ordained for their ancestors and has not listened to me, ²¹ I will no longer drive out^(AK) before them any of the nations Joshua left when he died. ²² I will use them to test^(AL) Israel and see whether they will keep the way of the Lord and walk in it as their ancestors did.” ²³ The Lord had allowed those nations to remain; he did not drive them out at once by giving them into the hands of Joshua.^(AM)