Genesis 6
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Sons of God and Daughters of Men
6 When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2 the sons of God(A) saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives[a] for themselves.(B) 3 And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain[b] with[c] mankind forever,(C) because they are corrupt.[d](D) Their days will be 120 years.” 4 The Nephilim[e] were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.
Judgment Decreed
5 When the Lord saw that man’s wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every scheme his mind thought of was nothing but evil all the time,(E) 6 the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth,(F) and He was grieved in His heart. 7 Then the Lord said, “I will wipe off from the face of the earth mankind, whom I created, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.” 8 Noah, however, found favor in the sight of the Lord.(G)
God Warns Noah
9 These are the family records(H) of Noah. Noah was a righteous man,(I) blameless among his contemporaries;(J) Noah walked with God.(K) 10 And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with wickedness.[f] 12 God saw how corrupt the earth was, for every creature had corrupted its way on the earth.(L) 13 Then God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness[g] because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them along with the earth.
14 “Make yourself an ark of gopher[h] wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside. 15 This is how you are to make it: The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.[i] 16 You are to make a roof,[j] finishing the sides of the ark to within 18 inches[k] of the roof. You are to put a door in the side of the ark. Make it with lower, middle, and upper decks.
17 “Understand that I am bringing a flood—floodwaters on the earth(M) to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I will establish My covenant with you,(N) and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives. 19 You are also to bring into the ark two of all the living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of everything—from the birds according to their kinds, from the livestock according to their kinds, and from the animals that crawl on the ground according to their kinds—will come to you so that you can keep them alive. 21 Take with you every kind of food that is eaten; gather it as food for you and for them.” 22 And Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.(O)
Footnotes
- Genesis 6:2 Or women
- Genesis 6:3 Or strive
- Genesis 6:3 Or in
- Genesis 6:3 Lit flesh
- Genesis 6:4 Possibly means “fallen ones”; traditionally, “giants”; Nm 13:31-33
- Genesis 6:11 Or injustice
- Genesis 6:13 Or injustice
- Genesis 6:14 Unknown species of tree; perhaps pine or cypress
- Genesis 6:15 Or 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high
- Genesis 6:16 Or window, or hatch; Hb uncertain
- Genesis 6:16 Lit to a cubit
Genesis 6
Living Bible
6 1-2 Now a population explosion took place upon the earth. It was at this time that beings from the spirit world[a] looked upon the beautiful earth women and took any they desired to be their wives. 3 Then Jehovah said, “My Spirit must not forever be disgraced in man, wholly evil as he is. I will give him 120 years to mend his ways.”
4 In those days, and even afterwards, when the evil beings from the spirit world were sexually involved with human women, their children became giants, of whom so many legends are told. 5 When the Lord God saw the extent of human wickedness, and that the trend and direction of men’s lives were only towards evil, 6 he was sorry he had made them. It broke his heart.
7 And he said, “I will blot out from the face of the earth all mankind that I created. Yes, and the animals too, and the reptiles and the birds. For I am sorry I made them.”
8 But Noah was a pleasure to the Lord. Here is the story of Noah: 9-10 He was the only truly righteous man living on the earth at that time. He tried always to conduct his affairs according to God’s will. And he had three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Meanwhile, the crime rate was rising rapidly across the earth, and, as seen by God, the world was rotten to the core.
12-13 As God observed how bad it was, and saw that all mankind was vicious and depraved, he said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all mankind; for the earth is filled with crime because of man. Yes, I will destroy mankind from the earth. 14 Make a boat from resinous wood, sealing it with tar; and construct decks and stalls throughout the ship. 15 Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Construct a skylight all the way around the ship, eighteen inches below the roof; and make three decks inside the boat—a bottom, middle, and upper deck—and put a door in the side.
17 “Look! I am going to cover the earth with a flood and destroy every living being—everything in which there is the breath of life. All will die. 18 But I promise to keep you safe in the ship, with your wife and your sons and their wives. 19-20 Bring a pair of every animal—a male and a female—into the boat with you, to keep them alive through the flood. Bring in a pair of each kind of bird and animal and reptile. 21 Store away in the boat all the food that they and you will need.” 22 And Noah did everything as God commanded him.
Footnotes
- Genesis 6:1 beings from the spirit world, literally, “sons of God,” used here in the sense of his created, supernatural beings, but no longer godly in character (v. 3). Some commentators believe that the expression “sons of God” refers to the “godly line” of Seth, and “daughters of men” to women from the line of Cain.
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