1Men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them. 2The sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful. They married any of them they chose. 3Jehovah said: »My Spirit will not contend judgeplead with man forever, for he is mortal and corrupt. Therefore his days will be a hundred and twenty years.« 4The NEPHILIM were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God had sexual intercourse with the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown. 5Jehovah saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become. Every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time. 6Jehovah was grieved that he had made man on the earth. His heart was grieved with pain. 7So Jehovah said: »I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth. All of them: men and animals, and creatures that move along the ground, and birds of the air. I am sorry that I created them.« 8But Noah found favor in the eyes of Jehovah. 9This is the ACCOUNT OF NOAH. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time. He walked with God. 10Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. 11The earth was corrupt in God’s sight. It was full of violence. 12God saw how corrupt the earth had become. All the people on earth had corrupted their ways. 13God 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 going to destroy them with the earth. 14»BUILD AN ARK of cypress wood a resinous tree. Make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out. 15»This is how you are to build it: The ark is to be four hundred and fifty feet long, seventy-five feet wide, and forty-five feet high. 16»Build a roof on it and finish the ark to within eighteen inches of the top. Put a door in the side of the ark and make lower, middle, and upper decks. 17»I am going to bring floodwaters 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. 18»But I will establish my covenant with you. You will enter the ark, you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19»Bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20»Two 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. 21»Take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.« 22Noah did everything exactly as God commanded him.