Trust in the Lord with All Your Heart

Blessed Is the One Who Finds Wisdom

Increasing Corruption on Earth

6 When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, ² the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. ³ Then the Lord said, ^(A)“My Spirit shall not abide in^[a] man forever, ^(B)for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” ⁴ The Nephilim^[b] were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown.

^5 (C)The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every ^(D)intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. ⁶ And ^(E)the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it ^(F)grieved him to his heart. ⁷ So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah ^(G)found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Noah and the Flood

⁹ These are the generations of Noah. ^(H)Noah was a righteous man, ^(I)blameless in his generation. Noah ^(J)walked with God. ¹⁰ And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² And God ^(K)saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, ^(L)for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. ¹³ And God said to Noah, ^(M)“I have determined to make an end of all flesh,^[c] for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them with the earth. ¹⁴ Make yourself an ark of gopher wood.^[d] Make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch. ¹⁵ This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark 300 cubits,^[e] its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. ¹⁶ Make a roof^[f] for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and set the door of the ark in its side. Make it with lower, second, and third decks. ^17 (N)For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life under heaven. Everything that is on the earth shall die. ¹⁸ But ^(O)I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you. ¹⁹ And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female. ²⁰ Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground, according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you to keep them alive. ²¹ Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up. It shall serve as food for you and for them.” ^22 (P)Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.

7 Then the Lord said to Noah, ^(Q)“Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that ^(R)you are righteous before me in this generation. ² Take with you seven pairs of all ^(S)clean animals,^[g] the male and his mate, and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and his mate, ³ and seven pairs^[h] of the birds of the heavens also, male and female, to keep their offspring alive on the face of all the earth. ⁴ For in seven days ^(T)I will send rain on the earth forty days and forty nights, ^(U)and every living thing^[i] that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” ^5 (V)And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.

⁶ Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came upon the earth. ⁷ And Noah and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood. ⁸ Of clean animals, and of animals that are not clean, and of birds, and of everything that creeps on the ground, ⁹ two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰ And after seven days the waters of the flood came upon 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 ^(W)fountains of the great deep burst forth, and ^(X)the windows of the heavens were opened. ¹² And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. ¹³ On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark, ¹⁴ they and every beast, according to its kind, and all the livestock according to their kinds, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, according to its kind, and every bird, according to its kind, every winged creature. ¹⁵ They ^(Y)went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life. ¹⁶ And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in ^(Z)as God had commanded him. And the Lord shut him in.

¹⁷ The flood ^(AA)continued forty days on the earth. The waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. ¹⁸ The waters prevailed and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters. ¹⁹ And the waters prevailed so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered. ²⁰ The waters prevailed above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits^[j] deep. ²¹ And ^(AB)all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, livestock, beasts, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all mankind. ²² Everything on the dry land ^(AC)in whose nostrils was the breath of life died. ²³ He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens. They were blotted out from the earth. Only ^(AD)Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ark. ²⁴ And the waters prevailed on the earth 150 days.

²² “Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, ^(A)a man attested to you by God ^(B)with ^(C)mighty works and wonders and signs that ^(D)God did through him in your midst, as you yourselves know— ²³ this Jesus,^{[a] (E)}delivered up according to ^(F)the definite plan and ^(G)foreknowledge of God, ^(H)you crucified and killed by the hands of lawless men. ^24 (I)God raised him up, loosing the pangs of death, because ^(J)it was not possible for him to be held by it. ²⁵ For David says concerning him,

²⁹ “Brothers, I may say to you with confidence about ^(Q)the patriarch David ^(R)that he both died and ^(S)was buried, and ^(T)his tomb is with us to this day. ^30 (U)Being therefore a prophet, and knowing that ^(V)God had sworn with an oath to him that he would set one of his descendants on his throne, ³¹ he foresaw and spoke about the resurrection of the Christ, that ^(W)he was not abandoned to Hades, nor did his flesh see corruption. ³² This Jesus ^(X)God raised up, ^(Y)and of that we all are witnesses. ^33 (Z)Being therefore ^(AA)exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from ^(AB)the Father ^(AC)the promise of the Holy Spirit, ^(AD)he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. ³⁴ For ^(AE)David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

³⁶ Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that ^(AG)God has made him ^(AH)both Lord and Christ, this Jesus ^(AI)whom you crucified.”

³⁷ Now when ^(AJ)they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, ^(AK)what shall we do?” ³⁸ And Peter said to them, ^(AL)“Repent and ^(AM)be baptized every one of you ^(AN)in the name of Jesus Christ ^(AO)for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive ^(AP)the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹ For ^(AQ)the promise is for you and ^(AR)for your children and for all ^(AS)who are far off, everyone ^(AT)whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” ⁴⁰ And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, ^(AU)“Save yourselves from this ^(AV)crooked generation.” ⁴¹ So those who received his word were baptized, and ^(AW)there were added that day about three thousand souls.

The Fellowship of the Believers

⁴² And ^(AX)they devoted themselves to the apostles' ^(AY)teaching and the ^(AZ)fellowship, to ^(BA)the breaking of bread and the prayers. ⁴³ And awe^[b] came upon every soul, and ^(BB)many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. ⁴⁴ And all who believed were together and ^(BC)had all things in common. ⁴⁵ And ^(BD)they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. ⁴⁶ And day by day, ^(BE)attending the temple ^(BF)together and ^(BG)breaking bread in their homes, they received their food ^(BH)with glad and generous hearts, ⁴⁷ praising God and ^(BI)having favor with all the people. And the Lord ^(BJ)added to their number ^(BK)day by day those who ^(BL)were being saved.