Genesis 6

1 When men began to multiply on the surface of the ground, and daughters were born to them,

When people began to become very numerous all over the earth, and many daughters were born to them,

2 God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives.

some of the men who (belonged to/believed in) God saw that some of the women who did not (belong to/believe in) God were very beautiful. So they took whichever ones they chose to become their wives.

3 Yahweh said, “My Spirit will not strive with man forever, because he also is flesh; so his days will be one hundred twenty years.”

Then Yahweh said, “[I will] not [allow] my Spirit to keep people alive forever (OR, the breath of life will not remain in people forever). They will die eventually. They will live not more than 120 years before they die (OR, there will be only 120 more years before they die).”

4 The Nephilim were in the earth in those days, and also after that, when God’s sons came in to men’s daughters and had children with them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.

There were [giants called] Nephils who lived on the earth at that time and later. During that time [some of the Nephil] men who (belonged to/believed in) God had sex [EUP] with women who did not (belong to/believe in) God, and they gave birth to children. The Nephils were considered to be heroic fighters, and they became famous.

5 Yahweh saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of man’s heart was continually only evil.

Yahweh saw that people on the earth had become very wicked, and that everything they thought about evil things continually.

6 Yahweh was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him in his heart.

Yahweh was sorry that he had made people.

7 Yahweh said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the surface of the ground—man, along with animals, creeping things, and birds of the sky—for I am sorry that I have made them.”

So he said, “I will completely destroy the people I made. I will also destroy all the animals and the creatures that scurry across the ground and the birds. None of them will remain on the earth, because I regret that I made them.”

8 But Noah found favor in Yahweh’s eyes.

But Yahweh was pleased with Noah.

9 This is the history of the generations of Noah: Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. Noah walked with God.

This is why: Noah was a man who always acted in a righteous way. No one who lived at that time could criticize him about anything. Noah lived in close fellowship with God.

10 Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Noah became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

11 The earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence.

At that time God considered that everyone else on earth was very wicked, and everywhere on the earth, people [MTY] were acting cruelly and violently toward each other.

12 God saw the earth, and saw that it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

God was dismayed when he saw how evil people [MTY] were, because everyone (OR, all living creatures) had begun to behave in an evil way.

13 God said to Noah, “I will bring an end to all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence through them. Behold, I will destroy them and the earth.

So God said to Noah, “I have decided to destroy everyone, because all over the earth people are acting violently toward each other. So I am about to get rid of them as well as everything else on the earth.

14 Make a ship of gopher wood. You shall make rooms in the ship, and shall seal it inside and outside with pitch.

[I want you to] make for yourself a large boat from cypress wood. Make rooms inside it. Cover the outside and the inside with tar [to make it (waterproof/so that water cannot get in and sink the boat]).

15 This is how you shall make it. The length of the ship shall be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

This is the size you must make it: It shall be (150 yards/135 meters) long, (25 yards/22.5 meters) wide, and (15 yards/13.5 meters) high.

16 You shall make a roof in the ship, and you shall finish it to a cubit upward. You shall set the door of the ship in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third levels.

Make a roof for the boat. Leave a space of about (18 in./.5 meter) between the sides and the roof to let air and light enter (OR, the middle of the roof should be 18 inches higher than the sides). Build the boat with three decks inside, and put a door in one side.

17 I, even I, will bring the flood of waters on this earth, to destroy all flesh having the breath of life from under the sky. Everything that is in the earth will die.

Listen carefully! I am about to cause a flood to occur that will destroy every creature that lives beneath the sky. Everything on the earth will die.

18 But I will establish my covenant with you. You shall come into the ship, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.

But I will make an agreement with you(sg): You and your wife, your sons and their wives will enter the boat.

19 Of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ship, to keep them alive with you. They shall be male and female.

And I want to save some of all kinds of creatures. So you must also bring two of all living creatures, a male and a female, into the boat with you, so that their species also may remain alive.

20 Of the birds after their kind, of the livestock after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every sort will come to you, to keep them alive.

Two of every kind of creature will come to [in order that by your putting them in the boat] you will keep them alive. They will include two of each kind of bird and each kind of animal and each kind of creature that scurries across the ground.

21 Take with you some of all food that is eaten, and gather it to yourself; and it will be for food for you, and for them.”

You must also take some of every kind of food that you and all these animals will need, and store it in the boat.”

22 Thus Noah did. He did all that God commanded him.

So Noah did everything that God told him to do.

The World is Destroyed by Water