6
Now it happened that people began to multiply {in number} all over the earth, and they were having daughters. 2 {When those girls grew up,} the sons of God saw that they were beautiful, so they chose any of them that they wanted and married them. 3 Then Yahweh said {to himself}, "My Spirit will not put up with mankind forever, because they are {very} corrupt. I will give them 120 years {to repent}.”4 The Nephilim lived on the earth during that time and also later on. {That happened} when the sons of God slept with the daughters of mankind, and those women gave birth to children for them. Their children were {the Nephilim who were} the famous, mighty men who lived long ago.
5 Yahweh saw that the people on the earth had become very evil, and that everything they thought about and desired was completely evil all the time. 6 As a result, he regretted that he had made them {to live} on the earth, and his heart was filled with grief. 7 So he said {to himself}, "I will completely destroy from the earth {all} the people whom I created. "{In fact}, {I will destroy} {not only} {all} the people, but also {all} the animals, including the creatures that crawl {on the ground} and the birds {that fly} in the sky, because I am sorry that I {ever} made them.” 8 But Yahweh was pleased with Noah.
9 Here is {more of} the history about Noah and his descendants: Noah was a man who did what was right. Out of all the people living at that time God considered him to be the only one who was blameless, and he lived in a close relationship with God. 10 Eventually Noah had {his} three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11 Now {the people on} the earth had become wicked according to God's standards, and all over the earth they were doing violent things. 12 God saw how wicked {everyone on} the earth had become, because all the people on the earth * were {continually} behaving in evil ways. 13 So he said to Noah, "I am going to destroy all people, because all over the earth they are doing violent things. In fact, I am going to destroy them and {everything else on} the earth {too}. 14 {Therefore} {you must} build a {very} large boat for yourself {and your family} out of gopher wood. Build rooms inside the boat, and seal it inside and outside with tar {to keep water out}. 15 You must make the boat 140 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high. 16 Make a half-meter high opening below the roof {all the way around} at the top of the walls {to let light and air in}. Put a door in the side of the boat, and build three levels {on the inside}. 17 Listen, I am going to bring a flood over the {whole} earth to destroy all the creatures under the sky that breathe {air}. {As a result,} every {living} thing that is {anywhere} on land will die! 18 But I will make my covenant with you, so you must go into the boat and {take} your wife and your sons and their wives with you. 19 You must also take into the boat pairs of every {kind of} living creature, including every {kind of} animal, to keep {them} alive with you. Make sure that there are male and female {pairs} {of each kind}. 20 Pairs of every kind of bird and every kind of animal, including every kind of creature that moves on the ground, will come to you so that you keep them alive {in the boat}. 21 You must {also} gather all the different kinds of food that people and animals eat and store it {on the boat} with you, so that there will be {enough} food for you {and your family} and for {all} the animals.” 22 So, that is what Noah did; he did everything exactly as God had commanded him {to do}.