Genesis 6

1When people began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them, 2the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose. 3Then the LORD said, “My spirit will not stay in human beings forever, for they are mortal. Their days will be 120 years.” 4The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of humans and they bore them children. These were the mighty men of old, the famous men.

5The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil all the time. 6So the LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7So the LORD said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human beings I have created, and with them the animals, the creatures that move along the ground and the birds of the sky, for I regret that I made them.” 8But Noah found favor with the LORD.

9This is the story of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. 11Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight and full of violence. 12God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.

13So God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am going to destroy them along with the earth. 14Make yourself an ark of gopher wood. Make rooms in it, and coat it inside and out with pitch. 15This is how you are to make it: the ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high. 16Make a roof for the ark and finish it to 18 inches from the top. Put a door in the side of the ark, and make it with lower, middle and upper decks. 17For my part, I am about to bring the flood, water over the earth, to destroy from under the sky every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will die. 18But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark: you, your sons, your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19Bring into the ark two of every living creature, a male and a female, to keep them alive with you. 20Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you, to be kept alive. 21Take with you every kind of food that is eaten and store it up, to be food for you and for them.” 22Noah did everything just as God commanded him.