Gen 6 | EE | STEP | People began to grow in number all over the earth. And daughters were born to them.

Genesis 6

1 People began to grow in number all over the earth. And daughters were born to them. 2 The sons of God saw the daughters. They thought that the daughters of men were beautiful to look at. They took the daughters of men as their wives. They took anyone that they wanted. ^{▼▼6:2 The sons of God were men who were like gods.}

3 The LORD said, ‘I will not let men and women live for ever. One day they will die. I will not let them live for more than 120 years. Then they will die.’

4 The Nephilim lived on the earth at that time. (They also lived on the earth after this time.) This is when the sons of God had children with the daughters of men. People thought that the Nephilim were great men and leaders.

5 The LORD saw how bad men and women had become. God saw that they thought only of evil things. 6 He was sad that he had made men and women. And he was sad that he had put them on the earth. 7 So the LORD said, ‘I made men and women, but I will take them off the earth. I will take men and animals off the earth. I will take animals that move across the ground and the birds in the air off the earth. Because I am very sad that I made them.’ 8 But the LORD was happy with Noah. ^{▼▼6:8 Men and women have gone against God. God feels very sad. God is always sad when we sin (go against what God wants). God was happy with Noah. Noah and his family worshipped God.}

God saves Noah

9 This is a report of Noah. Noah was a good man. He was the only man at that time who obeyed God. The people who lived near him could not find anything wrong with what he did. 10 Noah was the father of Shem, Ham and Japheth.

11 God saw that everything on the earth was bad. People began to hurt and kill each other. And they did everything that was wrong. 12 God saw how bad the earth had become. All the people were doing bad things. 13 He said to Noah, ‘I am going to destroy all the people. The earth is bad because of them. I am going to destroy the people and the earth. 14 Make yourself a boat. Use wood from cypress trees. Make rooms in the boat. Cover the inside and outside of the boat with pitch.’ ^{▼▼6:14 Cypress trees are trees with hard wood. Pitch stops water coming into the boat.}

15 ‘This is how you will build the boat. The boat must be 150 metres long, 25 metres wide and 15 metres high.

16 Make a roof for the boat and put windows 45 centimetres high along the top of it. Put a door in the side of the boat. Make 3 floors on top of each other (lower, middle and top floor). 17 I am going to cover the earth with water. I will destroy all life under the heavens. Everything that has my life in it will die. 18 But I will make a covenant with you (Noah). You will go into the boat. You and your sons will go into the boat. And their wives and your wife will go with you. 19 You must bring 2 of all the different animals into the boat. They must be male and female. They will stay alive with you. 20 Bring 2 of every different bird. And bring 2 of every different animal and 2 of every different animal that moves along the ground. All these will come to you, and they will stay alive with you. 21 You must take every different food on the earth. Store this for food for you and the animals.’

22 Noah did everything that God had told him.