Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 6 - New International Version (2024)

Wickedness in the World

6When human beings began to increase in number on the earth^(A) and daughters were born to them, ²the sons of God^(B) saw that the daughters^(C) of humans were beautiful,^(D) and they married^(E) any of them they chose. ³Then the Lord said, “My Spirit^(F) will not contend with^[a] humans forever,^(G) for they are mortal^[b];^(H) their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

⁴The Nephilim^(I) were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans^(J) and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.^(K)

⁵The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth,^(L) and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.^{(M) 6}The Lord regretted^(N) 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^(O) the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.^(P)” ⁸But Noah^(Q) found favor in the eyes of the Lord.^(R)

Noah and the Flood

⁹This is the account^(S) of Noah and his family.

Noah was a righteous man, blameless^(T) among the people of his time,^(U) and he walked faithfully with God.^{(V) 10}Noah had three sons: Shem,^(W) Ham and Japheth.^(X)

¹¹Now the earth was corrupt^(Y) in God’s sight and was full of violence.^{(Z) 12}God saw how corrupt^(AA) the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.^{(AB) 13}So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy^(AC) both them and the earth.^{(AD) 14}So make yourself an ark of cypress^[c] wood;^(AE) make rooms in it and coat it with pitch^(AF) inside and out. ¹⁵This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.^{[d] 16}Make a roof for it, leaving below the roof an opening one cubit^[e] high all around.^[f] Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle and upper decks. ¹⁷I am going to bring floodwaters^(AG) on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish.^{(AH) 18}But I will establish my covenant with you,^(AI) and you will enter the ark^(AJ)—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. ¹⁹You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you.^{(AK) 20}Two^(AL) of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind^(AM) of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive.^{(AN) 21}You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

²²Noah did everything just as God commanded him.^(AO)

Footnotes

1. Genesis 6:3 Or My spirit will not remain in
2. Genesis 6:3 Or corrupt
3. Genesis 6:14 The meaning of the Hebrew for this word is uncertain.
4. Genesis 6:15 That is, about 450 feet long, 75 feet wide and 45 feet high or about 135 meters long, 23 meters wide and 14 meters high
5. Genesis 6:16 That is, about 18 inches or about 45 centimeters
6. Genesis 6:16 The meaning of the Hebrew for this clause is uncertain.

Cross references

1. Genesis 6:1 : S Ge 1:28
2. Genesis 6:2 : Job 1:6 fn; 2:1 fn
3. Genesis 6:2 : ver 4
4. Genesis 6:2 : Dt 21:11
5. Genesis 6:2 : S Ge 4:19
6. Genesis 6:3 : Job 34:14; Gal 5:16-17
7. Genesis 6:3 : Isa 57:16; 1Pe 3:20
8. Genesis 6:3 : Job 10:9; Ps 78:39; 103:14; Isa 40:6
9. Genesis 6:4 : Nu 13:33
10. Genesis 6:4 : ver 2
11. Genesis 6:4 : Ge 11:4
12. Genesis 6:5 : Ge 38:7; Job 34:26; Jer 1:16; 44:5; Eze 3:19
13. Genesis 6:5 : Ge 8:21; Ps 14:1-3
14. Genesis 6:6 : Ex 32:14; 1Sa 15:11, 35; 2Sa 24:16; 1Ch 21:15; Isa 63:10; Jer 18:7-10; Eph 4:30
15. Genesis 6:7 : Eze 33:28; Zep 1:2, 18
16. Genesis 6:7 : ver 17; Ge 7:4, 21; Dt 28:63; 29:20
17. Genesis 6:8 : Eze 14:14
18. Genesis 6:8 : Ge 19:19; 39:4; Ex 33:12, 13, 17; 34:9; Nu 11:15; Ru 2:2; Lk 1:30; Ac 7:46
19. Genesis 6:9 : S Ge 2:4
20. Genesis 6:9 : Ge 17:1; Dt 18:13; 2Sa 22:24; Job 1:1; 4:6; 9:21; 12:4; 31:6; Ps 15:2; 18:23; 19:13; 37:37; Pr 2:7
21. Genesis 6:9 : Ge 7:1; Ps 37:39; Jer 15:1; Eze 14:14, 20; Da 10:11; S Lk 1:6; Heb 11:7; 2Pe 2:5
22. Genesis 6:9 : S Ge 5:22
23. Genesis 6:10 : Lk 3:36
24. Genesis 6:10 : S Ge 5:32
25. Genesis 6:11 : Dt 31:29; Jdg 2:19
26. Genesis 6:11 : Ps 7:9; 73:6; Eze 7:23; 8:17; 28:16; Mal 2:16
27. Genesis 6:12 : Ex 32:7; Dt 4:16; 9:12, 24
28. Genesis 6:12 : Ps 14:1-3
29. Genesis 6:13 : Dt 28:63; 2Ki 8:19; Ezr 9:14; Jer 44:11
30. Genesis 6:13 : ver 17; Ge 7:4, 21-23; Job 34:15; Isa 5:6; 24:1-3; Jer 44:27; Eze 7:2-3
31. Genesis 6:14 : Heb 11:7; 1Pe 3:20
32. Genesis 6:14 : Ex 2:3
33. Genesis 6:17 : Ps 29:10
34. Genesis 6:17 : S ver 7,S 13; 2Pe 2:5
35. Genesis 6:18 : Ge 9:9-16; 17:7; 19:12; Ex 6:4; 34:10, 27; Dt 29:13, 14-15; Ps 25:10; 74:20; 106:45; Isa 55:3; Jer 32:40; Eze 16:60; Hag 2:5; 1Pe 3:20
36. Genesis 6:18 : Ge 7:1, 7, 13
37. Genesis 6:19 : Ge 7:15
38. Genesis 6:20 : Ge 7:15
39. Genesis 6:20 : S Ge 1:11
40. Genesis 6:20 : Ge 7:3
41. Genesis 6:22 : Ge 7:5, 9, 16; Ex 7:6; 39:43; 40:16, 19, 21, 23, 25, 27, 29, 32