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Ancient heroes

When the number of people started to increase throughout the fertile land, daughters were born to them. The divine beings saw how beautiful these human women were, so they married the ones they chose. The Lord said, “My breath[a] will not remain in humans forever, because they are flesh. They will live one hundred twenty years.” In those days, giants[b] lived on the earth and also afterward, when divine beings and human daughters had sexual relations and gave birth to children. These were the ancient heroes, famous men.

Great flood

The Lord saw that humanity had become thoroughly evil on the earth and that every idea their minds thought up was always completely evil. The Lord regretted making human beings on the earth, and he was heartbroken.

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 6:3 Or spirit
  2. Genesis 6:4 Or the Nephilim

The Wickedness of Humans

When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,(A) the sons of God saw that they were fair, and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.(B) Then the Lord said, “My spirit shall not abide[a] in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.”(C) The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.

The Lord saw that the wickedness of humans was great in the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.(D) And the Lord was sorry that he had made humans on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.(E)

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Footnotes

  1. 6.3 Meaning of Heb uncertain