1   When mankind began to increase and to spread all over the earth and daughters were born to them, 2   the sons of the gods saw that the daughters of men were beautiful; so they took for themselves such women as they chose. 3   But the Lord said, ‘My life-giving spirit shall not remain in man for ever; he for his part is mortal flesh: he shall live for a hundred and twenty years.’

4   In those days, ^note when the sons of the gods had intercourse with the daughters of men and got children by them, the Nephilim ^note were on earth. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.

The flood and the tower of Babel

5   When the Lord saw that man had done much evil on earth and that his thoughts and inclinations were always evil, 6   he was sorry that he had made man on earth, and he was grieved at heart. 7   He said, ‘This race of men whom I have created, I will wipe them off the face of the earth—man and beast, reptiles and birds. I am sorry that I ever made them.’ 8   But Noah had won the Lord's favour.

9   This is the story of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, the one blameless man of his time; he walked with God. 10   He had three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. 11   Now God saw that the whole world was corrupt ^note and full of violence. 12   In his sight the world had become corrupted, for all men had lived corrupt lives on earth. 13   God said to Noah, ‘The loathsomeness ^note of all mankind has become plain to me, for through them the earth is full of violence. 14   I intend to destroy them, and the earth with them. Make yourself an ark with ribs of cypress; cover it with reeds and coat it inside and out with pitch. 15   This is to be its plan: the length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, its breadth fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16   You shall make a roof for the ark, giving it a fall of one cubit when complete; and put a door in the side of the ark, and build three decks, upper, middle, and lower. 17   I intend to bring the waters of the flood over the earth to destroy every human being under heaven that has the spirit of life; everything on earth shall perish. 18   But with you I will make a covenant, and you shall go into the ark, you and your sons, your wife and your sons' wives with you. 19   And you shall bring living creatures of every kind into the ark to keep them alive with you, two of each kind, a male and a female; 20   two of every kind of bird, beast, and reptile, shall come to you to be kept alive. 21   See that you take and store every kind of food that can be eaten; this shall be food for you and for them.’ 22   Exactly as God had commanded him, so Noah did.

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