Genesis 6
The Voice
6 As human beings began to multiply and spread across the surface of the earth as God commanded, they had lovely daughters. 2 The sons of God saw how beautiful the humans’ daughters were, and they decided to take any daughters they wanted as their wives.
Eternal One: 3 My life-giving Spirit will not sustain human beings forever because they are, after all, made of flesh. Therefore, I will put a limit on their lifespan of about 120 years.
Throughout Scripture God is described as spirit and humans as flesh. God’s statement emphasizes the eternal, life-giving nature of spirit and the mortal, dependent nature of flesh. Without God’s Spirit-breath sustaining humanity, life itself is not possible. Humans are totally dependent on God. The upper limit of human life is set at roughly 120 years; but the change comes gradually, and Aaron is the last of the patriarchs to live beyond the limit.
4 Now at that time and for some time to come, a great warrior race[a] lived on the earth. Whenever the sons of God would have sex with the humans’ daughters, the women bore them children who became mighty warriors. In the days of old, they became famous heroes, the kind people tell stories about!
By Noah’s time nearly all people are drugged on the fumes of their egos. Wickedness has become the number one, all-consuming human addiction.
5 The Eternal One saw that wickedness was rampaging throughout the earth and that evil had become the first thought on every mind, the constant purpose of every person. 6-7 At that point God’s heart broke, and He regretted having ever made man in the first place.
Eternal One: I know what I’ll do. I will wipe humanity, My special creation, from the face of the earth—humans, animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I ever made them.
8 But there was one person whom the Lord could not let go of—Noah—because this man pleased Him.
9 Here is the account of Noah and his descendants. Noah was a good man, a right-living man, the best man of his generation; and he walked closely with God. 10 Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11-12 They lived at a time when the world had become vile and corrupt. Violence was everywhere. God saw that the earth was in ruins, and He knew why: all people on earth except Noah had lived corrupt lives and ruined God’s plans for them. He had to do something.
Eternal One (to Noah): 13 Noah, I have decided to wipe out all the living creatures I have made because they are spreading violence throughout the earth. Watch! I will destroy them with the earth. 14 I want you to build an ark. Build it out of cypress wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and outside with tar. 15 Here’s how you will do it: build the ark 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Put a roof[b] on the ark and leave a gap of 18 inches below the roofline for air to circulate. Put the door of the ark in its side, and build it with lower, middle, and upper decks. 17 Look! I am going to unleash a torrent and flood the earth to destroy all flesh under the heavens which breathes the breath of life. Everything that is on the earth will die.
18 But I will make a pact with you, Noah—a covenant agreement. To survive, you and your family—you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives—must go into the ark. 19 And, out of all the living creatures I have made, you must bring two of each kind into the ark with you, to keep them alive. Bring one male and one female of each kind. 20 Bring all kinds of birds, all sorts of animals, and all varieties of creatures that creep on the ground in pairs, so that each species will survive. 21 Also, you must bring food with you. Bring every kind of food that may be eaten, and store it all inside the ark. That way, you and all of the creatures will have enough food to eat.
22 So Noah listened to God, and he built the ark. He did everything God asked him to do.
Genesis 6
New American Standard Bible
The Corruption of Mankind
6 Now it came about, when mankind began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2 that the sons of God saw that the daughters of mankind were [a]beautiful; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3 Then the Lord said, “(A)My Spirit will not [b]remain with man forever, [c](B)because he is also flesh; [d]nevertheless his days shall be 120 years.” 4 The [e](C)Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of mankind, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5 Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of mankind was great on the earth, and that (D)every intent of the thoughts of [f]their hearts was only evil continually. 6 So (E)the Lord was sorry that He had made mankind on the earth, and He was (F)grieved [g]in His heart. 7 Then the Lord said, “(G)I will wipe out mankind whom I have created from the face of the land; mankind, and animals as well, and crawling things, and the birds of the sky. For (H)I am sorry that I have made them.” 8 But (I)Noah (J)found favor in the eyes of the Lord.
9 These are the records of the generations of Noah. Noah was a (K)righteous man, [h](L)blameless in his generation. Noah (M)walked with God. 10 And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was (N)corrupt in the sight of God, and the earth was (O)filled with violence. 12 And God looked on the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for [i](P)humanity had corrupted its way upon the earth.
13 Then God said to Noah, “(Q)The end of [j]humanity has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of [k]people; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. 14 Make for yourself an ark of [l]gopher wood; you shall make the ark with compartments, and [m]cover it inside and out with pitch. 15 This is how you shall make it: the length of the ark shall be [n]three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16 You shall make a [o]window for the ark, and finish it to a [p]cubit from [q]the top; and put the door of the ark on the side; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17 Now behold, (R)I Myself am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. 18 But I will establish (S)My covenant with you; and (T)you shall enter the ark—you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 19 (U)And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 (V)Of the birds according to their kind, and of the animals according to their kind, of every crawling thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21 As for you, take for yourself some of every (W)food that is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be food for you and them.” 22 (X)So Noah did these things; according to everything that God had commanded him, so he did.
Footnotes
- Genesis 6:2 Lit good
- Genesis 6:3 Or rule in; or strive with; meaning uncertain
- Genesis 6:3 Or in his going astray he is flesh
- Genesis 6:3 Or therefore
- Genesis 6:4 Lit fallen ones; LXX giants
- Genesis 6:5 Lit his heart
- Genesis 6:6 Lit to
- Genesis 6:9 Lit complete, perfect; or having integrity
- Genesis 6:12 Lit all flesh
- Genesis 6:13 Lit all flesh
- Genesis 6:13 Lit them
- Genesis 6:14 I.e., Unknown species of tree
- Genesis 6:14 Or pitch
- Genesis 6:15 About 450 ft. long, 75 ft. wide, and 45 ft. high or 135 m, 23 m, and 14 m
- Genesis 6:16 Or roof
- Genesis 6:16 One cubit is about 18 in. or 45 cm
- Genesis 6:16 Lit above
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. All rights reserved.
