Prelude to the Flood

6 And it happened that, when humankind began to multiply on the face of the ground, daughters were born to them. 2 Then[fn] the sons of God saw the daughters of humankind, that they were beautiful. And they took for themselves wives from all that they chose. 3 And Yahweh said, “My Spirit shall not abide with humankind forever in that he is also flesh. And his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” 4 The Nephilim were upon the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God went into the daughters of humankind, and they bore children to them.

5 And Yahweh saw that the evil of humankind was great upon the earth, and every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was always[fn] only evil. 6 And Yahweh regretted that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was grieved in his heart.[fn] 7 And Yahweh said, “I will destroy humankind whom I created from upon the face of the earth, from humankind, to animals, to creeping things, and to the birds of heaven,[fn] for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of Yahweh.

9 These are the generations[fn] of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, without defect in his generations. Noah walked with God. 10 And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11 And the earth was corrupted before God, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth. 13 And God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh has come before me, for the earth was filled with violence because of them. Now, look, I am going to destroy them along with the earth. 14 Make for yourself an ark of cypress wood; you must make the ark with rooms, then[fn] you must cover it with pitch, inside and outside. 15 And this is how you must make it: the length of the ark, three hundred cubits; its width fifty cubits; its height, thirty cubits. 16 You must make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above.[fn] And as for the door of the ark, you must put it in its side. You must make it with a lower, second, and a third deck.

17 And I, behold, I am about to bring the flood waters over the earth to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under the heaven;[fn] everything that is on the earth shall perish. 18 And I will establish my covenant with you, and you must go into the ark—you, and your sons, and your wife, and the wives of your sons with you. 19 And of every living thing, from all flesh, you must bring two from every kind into the ark to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female. 20 From the birds according to their[fn] kind, and from the animals according to their[fn] kind, from every creeping thing on the ground according to its[fn] kind—two from every kind shall come to you to keep them alive. 21 And as for you, take for yourself from every kind of food that is eaten. And you must gather it to yourself. And it shall be for you and for them for food.” 22 And Noah did according to all that God commanded him; thus he did.

7 Then[fn] Yahweh said to Noah, “Go—you and all your household—into the ark, for I have seen you are righteous before me in this generation. 2 From all the clean animals you must take for yourself seven pairs,[fn] a male and its mate. And from the animals that are not clean you must take two, a male and its mate, 3 as well as from the birds of heaven[fn] seven pairs,[fn] male and female, to keep their kind alive[fn] on the face of the earth. 4 For within seven days[fn] I will send rain upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. And I will blot out all the living creatures that I have made from upon the face of the ground.” 5 And Noah did according to all that Yahweh commanded him.