Genesis 6 - 8
The Nephilim and the Daughters of Men
6Now it happened, when men began to multiply on the face of the land, and daughters were born to them, 2that the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were good in appearance; and they took wives for themselves, whomever they chose. 3Then Yahweh said, “aMy Spirit shall not 1strive with man forever 2,bbecause he indeed is flesh; 3nevertheless his days shall be 120 years.” 4The aNephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men, and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown.
5Then Yahweh saw that the evil of man was great on the earth, and that aevery intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6aAnd Yahweh regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was bgrieved 1in His heart. 7And Yahweh said, “aI will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the 1sky; for bI regret that I have made them.” 8But aNoah bfound favor in the eyes of Yahweh.
The Generations of Noah
9These are the generations of Noah. Noah was a arighteous man, 1,bblameless among those in his generations; Noah cwalked with God. 10And Noah 1became the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
11Now the earth was acorrupt before God, and the earth was bfilled with violence. 12And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for aall flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.
13Then God said to Noah, “aThe end of all flesh has come before Me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them; and behold, I am about to destroy them with the earth. 14“Make for yourself an ark of gopher wood; you shall make the ark with rooms, and you shall 1cover it inside and out with pitch. 15“Now this is how you shall make it: the length of the ark 1300 cubits, its breadth 50 cubits, and its height 30 cubits. 16“You shall make a 1window for the ark, and complete it to one 2cubit from 3the top; and set the door of the ark in the side of it; you shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17“As for Me, behold aI am bringing the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life, from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall breathe its last. 18“But I will establish aMy covenant with you; and byou shall enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19“aAnd 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“aOf the birds after their kind, and of the animals after their kind, of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you to keep them alive. 21“As for you, take for yourself some of all afood which is edible, and gather it to yourself; and it shall be for food for you and for them.” 22aThus Noah did; according to all that God had commanded him, so he did.
Noah and the Flood
7Then Yahweh said to Noah, “Enter the ark, you and all your household, for you alone I have seen to be arighteous before Me in this generation. 2“You shall take 1with you of every aclean animal 2by sevens, a male and his female; and of the animals that are not clean, two, a male and his female; 3also of the birds of the 1sky, 2by sevens, male and female, to keep their seed alive on the face of all the earth. 4“For after aseven more days, I will send rain on the earth bforty days and forty nights; and I will blot out from the face of the land cevery living thing that I have made.” 5aAnd Noah did according to all that Yahweh had commanded him.
6Now Noah was asix hundred years old when the flood of water 1came upon the earth. 7Then aNoah and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him entered the ark because of the water of the flood. 8aOf clean animals and animals that are not clean and birds and everything that creeps on the ground, 91by twos they came to Noah into the ark, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10Now it happened after athe seven days, that the water of the flood 1came upon the earth. 11In the asix hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on this day all bthe fountains of the great deep split open, and the 1floodgates of the sky were opened. 12aThen the rain 1came upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13On this very day aNoah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark, 14they and every beast after its kind, and all the cattle after 1their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind—every 2fowl, every winged creature. 15So they came to Noah into the ark, aby twos of all flesh in which was the breath of life. 16And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, entered as God had commanded him; and Yahweh closed it behind him.
17Then the flood 1came upon the earth for aforty days, and the water multiplied and lifted up the ark, so that it rose above the earth. 18And the water prevailed and multiplied greatly upon the earth, and the ark went on the 1surface of the water. 19And the water prevailed more and more upon the earth, so that all the high mountains under all the heavens were covered. 20The water prevailed 1fifteen cubits higher, aand the mountains were covered. 21aAnd all flesh that 1moved on the earth breathed its last, that is birds and cattle and beasts and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth, as well as all mankind. 22All ain whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life—of all that was on the dry land—died. 23Thus He blotted out 1every living thing that was upon the face of the land, from man to animals to creeping things and to birds of the 2sky, and they were blotted out from the earth; and only aNoah remained, and those that were with him in the ark. 24aAnd the water prevailed upon the earth 150 days.
The Water Dries Up
8Then aGod remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and bGod caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. 2Also athe fountains of the deep and the 1floodgates of the sky were closed, and bthe rain from the sky was restrained; 3and the water receded from the earth, going forth and returning, and at the end aof 150 days the water decreased. 4In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, athe ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. 5Now the water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.
6Then it happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the awindow of the ark which he had made; 7and he sent out a raven, and it went out flying back and forth until the water was dried up 1from the earth. 8Then he sent out a dove from him, to see if the water was abated from the face of the land; 9but the dove found no resting place for the sole of its foot, so it returned to him into the ark, for the water was on the 1surface of all the earth. Then he stretched out his hand and took it and brought it into the ark to himself. 10Then he waited yet another seven days; and again he sent out the dove from the ark. 11And the dove came to him toward 1evening, and behold, in its 2beak was a freshly picked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was abated from the earth. 12Then he waited yet another seven days and sent out athe dove; but it did not return to him again.
13Now it happened in the asix hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up 1from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the 2surface of the ground was dried up. 14In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16“Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17“Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may aswarm on the earth, and that they may be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives with him. 19Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out 1by their families from the ark.
Yahweh’s Covenant with Noah
20Then Noah built aan altar to Yahweh and took of every bclean animal and of every clean bird and offered cburnt offerings on the altar. 21And Yahweh asmelled the 1soothing aroma; and Yahweh said 2to Himself, “I will never again bcurse the ground because of man, for cthe 3intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; dand I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done.
22“While all the days of the earth remain,Seedtime and harvest,And cold and heat,And asummer and winter,And bday and nightShall not cease.”