The Great Flood: Genesis 6

The Great Flood: mythological story about a great destruction that once befell the earth. There are several variants; the Biblical version is the most famous. The possibility that there is a historical event behind the story (a local flood in southern Babylonia in the twenty-eighth century BCE) cannot be excluded.

Genesis 6

[6.1] When men began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,

[6.2] the sons of God^note saw that the daughters of men were fair; and they took to wife such of them as they chose

[6.3] Then YHWH said, "My spirit shall not abide in man for ever, for he is flesh, but his days shall be a hundred and twenty years."

[6.4] The Nephilim^note[Giants.] 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. These were the mighty men that were of old, the men of renown.

[6.5] YHWH saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.

[6.6] And YHWH was sorry that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.

[6.7] So YHWH said, "I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the ground, man and beast and creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them."

[6.8] But Noah found favor in the eyes of YHWH.

[6.9] These are the Records of Noah.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.

[6.10] And Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

[6.11] Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight, and the earth was filled with violence.

[6.12] And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted their way upon the earth.

[6.13] And God said to Noah,"I have determined to make an end of all flesh; for the earth is filled with violence through them; behold, I will destroy them with the earth.

[6.14] Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.

[6.15] This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits.

[6.16] Make a roof for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and set the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks.

[6.17] For behold, I will bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall die.

[6.18] But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.

[6.19] And of every living thing of all flesh, you shall bring two of every sort into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.

[6.20] Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every sort shall come in to you, to keep them alive.

[6.21] Also take with you every sort of food that is eaten, and store it up; and it shall serve as food for you and for them."

Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.