12:1 It is necessary to go on boasting. ¹  Though it is not profitable, I will go on to visions and revelations from the Lord. 12:2 I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago (whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows) was caught up to the third heaven. 12:3 And I know that this man (whether in the body or apart from the body I do not know, God knows) 12:4 was caught up into paradise ²  and heard things too sacred to be put into words, ³  things that a person ⁴  is not permitted to speak. 12:5 On behalf of such an individual I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except about my weaknesses. 12:6 For even if I wish to boast, I will not be a fool, for I would be telling ⁵  the truth, but I refrain from this so that no one may regard ⁶  me beyond what he sees in me or what he hears from me, 12:7 even because of the extraordinary character of the revelations. Therefore, ⁷  so that I would not become arrogant, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to trouble ⁸  me – so that I would not become arrogant. ⁹  12:8 I asked the Lord three times about this, that it would depart from me. 12:9 But ¹⁰  he said to me, “My grace is enough ¹¹  for you, for my ¹²  power is made perfect ¹³  in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly ¹⁴  about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in ¹⁵  me. 12:10 Therefore I am content with ¹⁶  weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties ¹⁷  for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.

12:11 I have become a fool. You yourselves forced me to do it, for I should have been commended by you. For I lack nothing in comparison ¹⁸  to those “super-apostles,” even though I am nothing. 12:12 Indeed, the signs of an apostle were performed among you with great perseverance ¹⁹  by signs and wonders and powerful deeds. ²⁰  12:13 For how ²¹  were you treated worse than the other churches, except that I myself was not a burden to you? Forgive me this injustice! 12:14 Look, for the third time I am ready to come to you, and I will not be a burden to you, because I do not want your possessions, but you. For children should not have ²²  to save up for their parents, but parents for their children. 12:15 Now I will most gladly spend and be spent for your lives! ²³  If I love you more, am I to be loved less? 12:16 But be that as it may, I have not burdened you. Yet because I was a crafty person, I took you in by deceit! 12:17 I have not taken advantage of you through anyone I have sent to you, have I? ²⁴  12:18 I urged Titus to visit you ²⁵  and I sent our ²⁶  brother along with him. Titus did not take advantage of you, did he? ²⁷  Did we not conduct ourselves in the same spirit? Did we not behave in the same way? ²⁸  12:19 Have you been thinking all this time ²⁹  that we have been defending ourselves to you? We are speaking in Christ before God, and everything we do, dear friends, is to build you up. ³⁰  12:20 For I am afraid that somehow when I come I will not find you what I wish, and you will find me ³¹  not what you wish. I am afraid that ³²  somehow there may be quarreling, jealousy, intense anger, selfish ambition, ³³  slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorder. 12:21 I am afraid that ³⁴  when I come again, my God may humiliate me before you, and I will grieve for ³⁵  many of those who previously sinned and have not repented of the impurity, sexual immorality, and licentiousness that they have practiced.

1:1 In the beginning ¹  God ²  created ³  the heavens and the earth. ⁴ 

1:2 Now ⁵  the earth ⁶  was without shape and empty, ⁷  and darkness ⁸  was over the surface of the watery deep, ⁹  but the Spirit of God ¹⁰  was moving ¹¹  over the surface ¹²  of the water. ¹³  1:3 God said, ¹⁴  “Let there be ¹⁵  light.” ¹⁶  And there was light! 1:4 God saw ¹⁷  that the light was good, ¹⁸  so God separated ¹⁹  the light from the darkness. 1:5 God called ²⁰  the light “day” and the darkness ²¹  “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day. ²² 

1:6 God said, “Let there be an expanse ²³  in the midst of the waters and let it separate water ²⁴  from water. 1:7 So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. ²⁵  It was so. ²⁶  1:8 God called the expanse “sky.” ²⁷  There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.

1:9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place ²⁸  and let dry ground appear.” ²⁹  It was so. 1:10 God called the dry ground “land” ³⁰  and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.

1:11 God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: ³¹  plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, ³²  and ³³  trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” It was so. 1:12 The land produced vegetation – plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good. 1:13 There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.

1:14 God said, “Let there be lights ³⁴  in the expanse ³⁵  of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs ³⁶  to indicate seasons and days and years, 1:15 and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so. 1:16 God made two great lights ³⁷  – the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also. ³⁸  1:17 God placed the lights ³⁹  in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth, 1:18 to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. ⁴⁰  God saw that it was good. 1:19 There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.

1:20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms ⁴¹  of living creatures and let birds fly ⁴²  above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 1:21 God created the great sea creatures ⁴³  and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good. 1:22 God blessed them ⁴⁴  and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” ⁴⁵  1:23 There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.

1:24 God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” ⁴⁶  It was so. 1:25 God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.

1:26 Then God said, “Let us make ⁴⁷ 

humankind ⁴⁸  in our image, after our likeness, ⁴⁹  so they may rule ⁵⁰  over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, ⁵¹  and over all the creatures that move ⁵²  on the earth.”

1:27 God created humankind ⁵³  in his own image,

in the image of God he created them, ⁵⁴ 

male and female he created them. ⁵⁵ 

1:28 God blessed ⁵⁶  them and said ⁵⁷  to them, “Be fruitful and multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! ⁵⁸  Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.” ⁵⁹  1:29 Then God said, “I now ⁶⁰  give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. ⁶¹  1:30 And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give ⁶²  every green plant for food.” It was so.

1:31 God saw all that he had made – and it was very good! ⁶³  There was evening, and there was morning, the sixth day.

2:1 The heavens and the earth ⁶⁴  were completed with everything that was in them. ⁶⁵  2:2 By ⁶⁶  the seventh day God finished the work that he had been doing, ⁶⁷  and he ceased ⁶⁸  on the seventh day all the work that he had been doing. 2:3 God blessed the seventh day and made it holy ⁶⁹  because on it he ceased all the work that he ⁷⁰  had been doing in creation. ⁷¹ 

2:4 This is the account ⁷²  of the heavens and the earth ⁷³  when they were created – when the Lord God ⁷⁴  made the earth and heavens. ⁷⁵ 

2:5 Now ⁷⁶  no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant of the field ⁷⁷  had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. ⁷⁸  2:6 Springs ⁷⁹  would well up ⁸⁰  from the earth and water ⁸¹  the whole surface of the ground. ⁸²  2:7 The Lord God formed ⁸³  the man from the soil of the ground ⁸⁴  and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, ⁸⁵  and the man became a living being. ⁸⁶ 

2:8 The Lord God planted an orchard ⁸⁷  in the east, ⁸⁸  in Eden; ⁸⁹  and there he placed the man he had formed. ⁹⁰  2:9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, ⁹¹  every tree that was pleasing to look at ⁹²  and good for food. (Now ⁹³  the tree of life ⁹⁴  and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil ⁹⁵  were in the middle of the orchard.)

2:10 Now ⁹⁶  a river flows ⁹⁷  from Eden ⁹⁸  to water the orchard, and from there it divides ⁹⁹  into four headstreams. ¹⁰⁰  2:11 The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through ¹⁰¹  the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 2:12 (The gold of that land is pure; ¹⁰²  pearls ¹⁰³  and lapis lazuli ¹⁰⁴  are also there). 2:13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through ¹⁰⁵  the entire land of Cush. ¹⁰⁶  2:14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. ¹⁰⁷  The fourth river is the Euphrates.

2:15 The Lord God took the man and placed ¹⁰⁸  him in the orchard in ¹⁰⁹  Eden to care for it and to maintain it. ¹¹⁰  2:16 Then the Lord God commanded ¹¹¹  the man, “You may freely eat ¹¹²  fruit ¹¹³  from every tree of the orchard, 2:17 but ¹¹⁴  you must not eat ¹¹⁵  from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when ¹¹⁶  you eat from it you will surely die.” ¹¹⁷ 

2:18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. ¹¹⁸  I will make a companion ¹¹⁹  for him who corresponds to him.” ¹²⁰  2:19 The Lord God formed ¹²¹  out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would ¹²²  name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 2:20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam ¹²³  no companion who corresponded to him was found. ¹²⁴  2:21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, ¹²⁵  and while he was asleep, ¹²⁶  he took part of the man’s side ¹²⁷  and closed up the place with flesh. ¹²⁸  2:22 Then the Lord God made ¹²⁹  a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 2:23 Then the man said,

“This one at last ¹³⁰  is bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

this one will be called ¹³¹  ‘woman,’

for she was taken out of ¹³²  man.” ¹³³ 

2:24 That is why ¹³⁴  a man leaves ¹³⁵  his father and mother and unites with ¹³⁶  his wife, and they become a new family. ¹³⁷  2:25 The man and his wife were both naked, ¹³⁸  but they were not ashamed. ¹³⁹ 

3:1 Now ¹⁴⁰  the serpent ¹⁴¹  was more shrewd ¹⁴² 

than any of the wild animals ¹⁴³  that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that ¹⁴⁴  God ¹⁴⁵  said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?” ¹⁴⁶  3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat ¹⁴⁷  of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; 3:3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, ¹⁴⁸  or else you will die.’” ¹⁴⁹  3:4 The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, ¹⁵⁰  3:5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open ¹⁵¹  and you will be like divine beings who know ¹⁵²  good and evil.” ¹⁵³ 

3:6 When ¹⁵⁴  the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, ¹⁵⁵  was attractive ¹⁵⁶  to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, ¹⁵⁷  she took some of its fruit and ate it. ¹⁵⁸  She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. ¹⁵⁹  3:7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God moving about ¹⁶⁰  in the orchard at the breezy time ¹⁶¹  of the day, and they hid ¹⁶²  from the Lord God among the trees of the orchard. 3:9 But the Lord God called to ¹⁶³  the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁶⁴  3:10 The man replied, ¹⁶⁵  “I heard you moving about ¹⁶⁶  in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 3:11 And the Lord God ¹⁶⁷  said, “Who told you that you were naked? ¹⁶⁸  Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” ¹⁶⁹  3:12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave ¹⁷⁰  me some fruit ¹⁷¹  from the tree and I ate it.” 3:13 So the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this ¹⁷²  you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent ¹⁷³  tricked ¹⁷⁴  me, and I ate.”

3:14 The Lord God said to the serpent, ¹⁷⁵ 

“Because you have done this,

cursed ¹⁷⁶  are you above all the wild beasts

and all the living creatures of the field!

On your belly you will crawl ¹⁷⁷ 

and dust you will eat ¹⁷⁸  all the days of your life.

3:15 And I will put hostility ¹⁷⁹  between you and the woman

and between your offspring and her offspring; ¹⁸⁰ 

her offspring will attack ¹⁸¹  your head,

and ¹⁸²  you ¹⁸³  will attack her offspring’s heel.” ¹⁸⁴ 

3:16 To the woman he said,

“I will greatly increase ¹⁸⁵  your labor pains; ¹⁸⁶ 

with pain you will give birth to children.

You will want to control your husband, ¹⁸⁷ 

but he will dominate ¹⁸⁸  you.”

3:17 But to Adam ¹⁸⁹  he said,

“Because you obeyed ¹⁹⁰  your wife

and ate from the tree about which I commanded you,

‘You must not eat from it,’

cursed is the ground ¹⁹¹  thanks to you; ¹⁹² 

in painful toil you will eat ¹⁹³  of it all the days of your life.

3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,

but you will eat the grain ¹⁹⁴  of the field.

3:19 By the sweat of your brow ¹⁹⁵  you will eat food

until you return to the ground, ¹⁹⁶ 

for out of it you were taken;

for you are dust, and to dust you will return.” ¹⁹⁷ 

3:20 The man ¹⁹⁸  named his wife Eve, ¹⁹⁹  because ²⁰⁰  she was the mother of all the living. ²⁰¹  3:21 The Lord God made garments from skin ²⁰²  for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. 3:22 And the Lord God said, “Now ²⁰³  that the man has become like one of us, ²⁰⁴  knowing ²⁰⁵  good and evil, he must not be allowed ²⁰⁶  to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 3:23 So the Lord God expelled him ²⁰⁷  from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. 3:24 When he drove ²⁰⁸  the man out, he placed on the eastern side ²⁰⁹  of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries ²¹⁰  who used the flame of a whirling sword ²¹¹  to guard the way to the tree of life.

4:1 Now ²¹²  the man had marital relations with ²¹³  his wife Eve, and she became pregnant ²¹⁴  and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created ²¹⁵  a man just as the Lord did!” ²¹⁶  4:2 Then she gave birth ²¹⁷  to his brother Abel. ²¹⁸  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. ²¹⁹ 

4:3 At the designated time ²²⁰  Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering ²²¹  to the Lord. 4:4 But Abel brought ²²²  some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest ²²³  of them. And the Lord was pleased with ²²⁴  Abel and his offering, 4:5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. ²²⁵  So Cain became very angry, ²²⁶  and his expression was downcast. ²²⁷ 

4:6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? 4:7 Is it not true ²²⁸  that if you do what is right, you will be fine? ²²⁹  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching ²³⁰  at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” ²³¹ 

4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” ²³²  While they were in the field, Cain attacked ²³³  his brother ²³⁴  Abel and killed him.

4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” ²³⁵  And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” ²³⁶  4:10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? ²³⁷  The voice ²³⁸  of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 4:11 So now, you are banished ²³⁹  from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 4:12 When you try to cultivate ²⁴⁰  the

ground it will no longer yield ²⁴¹  its best ²⁴²  for you. You will be a homeless wanderer ²⁴³  on the earth.” 4:13 Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment ²⁴⁴  is too great to endure! ²⁴⁵  4:14 Look! You are driving me off the land ²⁴⁶  today, and I must hide from your presence. ²⁴⁷  I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me will kill me.” 4:15 But the Lord said to him, “All right then, ²⁴⁸  if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.” ²⁴⁹  Then the Lord put a special mark ²⁵⁰  on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down. ²⁵¹  4:16 So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod, ²⁵²  east of Eden.

4:17 Cain had marital relations ²⁵³  with his wife, and she became pregnant ²⁵⁴  and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the city after ²⁵⁵  his son Enoch. 4:18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father ²⁵⁶  of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

4:19 Lamech took two wives for himself; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first ²⁵⁷  of those who live in tents and keep ²⁵⁸  livestock. 4:21 The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp and the flute. 4:22 Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped ²⁵⁹  all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

4:23 Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah! Listen to me!

You wives of Lamech, hear my words!

I have killed a man for wounding me,

a young man ²⁶⁰  for hurting me.

4:24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much,

then Lamech seventy-seven times!” ²⁶¹ 

4:25 And Adam had marital relations ²⁶²  with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, “God has given ²⁶³  me another child ²⁶⁴  in place of Abel because Cain killed him.” 4:26 And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people ²⁶⁵  began to worship ²⁶⁶  the Lord.

5:1 This is the record ²⁶⁷  of the family line ²⁶⁸  of Adam.

When God created humankind, ²⁶⁹  he made them ²⁷⁰  in the likeness of God. 5:2 He created them male and female; when they were created, he blessed them and named them “humankind.” ²⁷¹ 

5:3 When ²⁷²  Adam had lived 130 years he fathered a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and he named him Seth. 5:4 The length of time Adam lived ²⁷³  after he became the father of Seth was 800 years; during this time he had ²⁷⁴  other ²⁷⁵  sons and daughters. 5:5 The entire lifetime ²⁷⁶  of Adam was 930 years, and then he died. ²⁷⁷ 

5:6 When Seth had lived 105 years, he became the father ²⁷⁸  of Enosh. 5:7 Seth lived 807 years after he became the father of Enosh, and he had ²⁷⁹  other ²⁸⁰  sons and daughters. 5:8 The entire lifetime of Seth was 912 years, and then he died.

5:9 When Enosh had lived 90 years, he became the father of Kenan. 5:10 Enosh lived 815 years after he became the father of Kenan, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:11 The entire lifetime of Enosh was 905 years, and then he died.

5:12 When Kenan had lived 70 years, he became the father of Mahalalel. 5:13 Kenan lived 840 years after he became the father of Mahalalel, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:14 The entire lifetime of Kenan was 910 years, and then he died.

5:15 When Mahalalel had lived 65 years, he became the father of Jared. 5:16 Mahalalel lived 830 years after he became the father of Jared, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:17 The entire lifetime of Mahalalel was 895 years, and then he died.

5:18 When Jared had lived 162 years, he became the father of Enoch. 5:19 Jared lived 800 years after he became the father of Enoch, and he had other sons and daughters. 5:20 The entire lifetime of Jared was 962 years, and then he died.

5:21 When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. 5:22 After he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God ²⁸¹  for 300 years, ²⁸²  and he had other ²⁸³  sons and daughters. 5:23 The entire lifetime of Enoch was 365 years. 5:24 Enoch walked with God, and then he disappeared ²⁸⁴  because God took ²⁸⁵  him away.

5:25 When Methuselah had lived 187 years, he became the father of Lamech. 5:26 Methuselah lived 782 years after he became the father of Lamech, and he had other ²⁸⁶  sons and daughters. 5:27 The entire lifetime of Methuselah was 969 years, and then he died.

5:28 When Lamech had lived 182 years, he had a son. 5:29 He named him Noah, ²⁸⁷  saying, “This one will bring us comfort ²⁸⁸  from our labor and from the painful toil of our hands because of the ground that the Lord has cursed.” 5:30 Lamech lived 595 years after he became the father of Noah, and he had other ²⁸⁹  sons and daughters. 5:31 The entire lifetime of Lamech was 777 years, and then he died.

5:32 After Noah was 500 years old, he ²⁹⁰  became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

6:1 When humankind ²⁹¹  began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born ²⁹²  to them, ²⁹³  6:2 the sons of God ²⁹⁴  saw that the daughters of humankind were beautiful. Thus they took wives for themselves from any they chose. 6:3 So the Lord said, “My spirit will not remain in ²⁹⁵  humankind indefinitely, ²⁹⁶  since ²⁹⁷  they ²⁹⁸  are mortal. ²⁹⁹  They ³⁰⁰  will remain for 120 more years.” ³⁰¹ 

6:4 The Nephilim ³⁰²  were on the earth in those days (and also after this) ³⁰³  when the sons of God were having sexual relations with ³⁰⁴  the daughters of humankind, who gave birth to their children. ³⁰⁵  They were the mighty heroes ³⁰⁶  of old, the famous men. ³⁰⁷ 

6:5 But the Lord saw ³⁰⁸  that the wickedness of humankind had become great on the earth. Every inclination ³⁰⁹  of the thoughts ³¹⁰  of their minds ³¹¹  was only evil ³¹²  all the time. ³¹³  6:6 The Lord regretted ³¹⁴  that he had made humankind on the earth, and he was highly offended. ³¹⁵  6:7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe humankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth – everything from humankind to animals, ³¹⁶  including creatures that move on the ground and birds of the air, for I regret that I have made them.”

6:8 But ³¹⁷  Noah found favor ³¹⁸  in the sight of ³¹⁹  the Lord.

6:9 This is the account of Noah. ³²⁰ 

Noah was a godly man; he was blameless ³²¹ 

among his contemporaries. ³²²  He ³²³  walked with ³²⁴  God. 6:10 Noah had ³²⁵  three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

6:11 The earth was ruined ³²⁶  in the sight of ³²⁷  God; the earth was filled with violence. ³²⁸  6:12 God saw the earth, and indeed ³²⁹  it was ruined, ³³⁰  for all living creatures ³³¹  on the earth were sinful. ³³²  6:13 So God said ³³³  to Noah, “I have decided that all living creatures must die, ³³⁴  for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am about to destroy ³³⁵  them and the earth. 6:14 Make ³³⁶  for yourself an ark of cypress ³³⁷  wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover ³³⁸  it with pitch inside and out. 6:15 This is how you should make it: The ark is to be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. ³³⁹  6:16 Make a roof for the ark and finish it, leaving 18 inches ³⁴⁰  from the top. ³⁴¹  Put a door in the side of the ark, and make lower, middle, and upper decks. 6:17 I am about to bring ³⁴²  floodwaters ³⁴³  on the earth to destroy ³⁴⁴  from under the sky all the living creatures that have the breath of life in them. ³⁴⁵  Everything that is on the earth will die, 6:18 but I will confirm ³⁴⁶  my covenant with you. You will enter ³⁴⁷  the ark – you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you. 6:19 You must bring into the ark two of every kind of living creature from all flesh, ³⁴⁸  male and female, to keep them alive ³⁴⁹  with you. 6:20 Of the birds after their kinds, and of the cattle after their kinds, and of every creeping thing of the ground after its kind, two of every kind will come to you so you can keep them alive. ³⁵⁰  6:21 And you must take ³⁵¹  for yourself every kind of food ³⁵²  that is eaten, ³⁵³  and gather it together. ³⁵⁴  It will be food for you and for them.

6:22 And Noah did all ³⁵⁵  that God commanded him – he did indeed. ³⁵⁶ 

7:1 The Lord said to Noah, “Come into the ark, you and all your household, for I consider you godly among this generation. ³⁵⁷  7:2 You must take with you seven ³⁵⁸  of every kind of clean animal, ³⁵⁹  the male and its mate, ³⁶⁰  two of every kind of unclean animal, the male and its mate, 7:3 and also seven ³⁶¹  of every kind of bird in the sky, male and female, ³⁶²  to preserve their offspring ³⁶³  on the face of the earth. 7:4 For in seven days ³⁶⁴  I will cause it to rain ³⁶⁵  on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the ground every living thing that I have made.”

7:5 And Noah did all ³⁶⁶  that the Lord commanded him.

7:6 Noah ³⁶⁷  was 600 years old when the floodwaters engulfed ³⁶⁸  the earth. 7:7 Noah entered the ark along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives because ³⁶⁹  of the floodwaters. 7:8 Pairs ³⁷⁰  of clean animals, of unclean animals, of birds, and of everything that creeps along the ground, 7:9 male and female, came into the ark to Noah, ³⁷¹  just as God had commanded him. ³⁷²  7:10 And after seven days the floodwaters engulfed the earth. ³⁷³ 

7:11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month – on that day all the fountains of the great deep ³⁷⁴  burst open and the floodgates of the heavens ³⁷⁵  were opened. 7:12 And the rain fell ³⁷⁶  on the earth forty days and forty nights.

7:13 On that very day Noah entered the ark, accompanied by his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth, along with his wife and his sons’ three wives. ³⁷⁷  7:14 They entered, ³⁷⁸  along with every living creature after its kind, every animal after its kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, everything with wings. ³⁷⁹  7:15 Pairs ³⁸⁰  of all creatures ³⁸¹  that have the breath of life came into the ark to Noah. 7:16 Those that entered were male and female, ³⁸²  just as God commanded him. Then the Lord shut him in.

7:17 The flood engulfed the earth for forty days. As the waters increased, they lifted the ark and raised it above the earth. 7:18 The waters completely overwhelmed ³⁸³  the earth, and the ark floated ³⁸⁴  on the surface of the waters. 7:19 The waters completely inundated ³⁸⁵  the earth so that even ³⁸⁶  all the high mountains under the entire sky were covered. 7:20 The waters rose more than twenty feet ³⁸⁷  above the mountains. ³⁸⁸  7:21 And all living things ³⁸⁹  that moved on the earth died, including the birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all the creatures that swarm over the earth, and all humankind. 7:22 Everything on dry land that had the breath of life ³⁹⁰  in its nostrils died. 7:23 So the Lord ³⁹¹  destroyed ³⁹²  every living thing that was on the surface of the ground, including people, animals, creatures that creep along the ground, and birds of the sky. ³⁹³  They were wiped off the earth. Only Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived. ³⁹⁴  7:24 The waters prevailed over ³⁹⁵  the earth for 150 days.

8:1 But God remembered ³⁹⁶  Noah and all the wild animals and domestic animals that were with him in the ark. God caused a wind to blow over ³⁹⁷  the earth and the waters receded. 8:2 The fountains of the deep and the floodgates of heaven were closed, ³⁹⁸  and the rain stopped falling from the sky. 8:3 The waters kept receding steadily ³⁹⁹  from the earth, so that they ⁴⁰⁰  had gone down ⁴⁰¹  by the end of the 150 days. 8:4 On the seventeenth day of the seventh month, the ark came to rest on one of the mountains of Ararat. ⁴⁰²  8:5 The waters kept on receding ⁴⁰³  until the tenth month. On the first day of the tenth month, the tops of the mountains became visible. ⁴⁰⁴ 

8:6 At the end of forty days, ⁴⁰⁵  Noah opened the window he had made in the ark ⁴⁰⁶  8:7 and sent out a raven; it kept flying ⁴⁰⁷  back and forth until the waters had dried up on the earth.

8:8 Then Noah ⁴⁰⁸  sent out a dove ⁴⁰⁹  to see if the waters had receded ⁴¹⁰  from the surface of the ground. 8:9 The dove could not find a resting place for its feet because water still covered ⁴¹¹  the surface of the entire earth, and so it returned to Noah ⁴¹²  in the ark. He stretched out his hand, took the dove, ⁴¹³  and brought it back into the ark. ⁴¹⁴  8:10 He waited seven more days and then sent out the dove again from the ark. 8:11 When ⁴¹⁵  the dove returned to him in the evening, there was ⁴¹⁶  a freshly plucked olive leaf in its beak! Noah knew that the waters had receded from the earth. 8:12 He waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, ⁴¹⁷  but it did not return to him this time. ⁴¹⁸ 

8:13 In Noah’s six hundred and first year, ⁴¹⁹  in the first day of the first month, the waters had dried up from the earth, and Noah removed the covering from the ark and saw that ⁴²⁰  the surface of the ground was dry. 8:14 And by the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth ⁴²¹  was dry.

8:15 Then God spoke to Noah and said, 8:16 “Come out of the ark, you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives with you. 8:17 Bring out with you all the living creatures that are with you. Bring out ⁴²²  every living thing, including the birds, animals, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. Let them increase ⁴²³  and be fruitful and multiply on the earth!” ⁴²⁴ 

8:18 Noah went out along with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. 8:19 Every living creature, every creeping thing, every bird, and everything that moves on the earth went out of the ark in their groups.

8:20 Noah built an altar to the Lord. He then took some of every kind of clean animal and clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ⁴²⁵  8:21 And the Lord smelled the soothing aroma ⁴²⁶  and said ⁴²⁷  to himself, ⁴²⁸  “I will never again curse ⁴²⁹  the ground because of humankind, even though ⁴³⁰  the inclination of their minds ⁴³¹  is evil from childhood on. ⁴³²  I will never again destroy everything that lives, as I have just done.

8:22 “While the earth continues to exist, ⁴³³ 

planting time ⁴³⁴  and harvest,

cold and heat,

summer and winter,

and day and night will not cease.”

9:1 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 9:2 Every living creature of the earth and every bird of the sky will be terrified of you. ⁴³⁵  Everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea are under your authority. ⁴³⁶  9:3 You may eat any moving thing that lives. ⁴³⁷  As I gave you ⁴³⁸  the green plants, I now give ⁴³⁹  you everything.

9:4 But ⁴⁴⁰  you must not eat meat ⁴⁴¹  with its life (that is, ⁴⁴²  its blood) in it. ⁴⁴³  9:5 For your lifeblood ⁴⁴⁴  I will surely exact punishment, ⁴⁴⁵  from ⁴⁴⁶  every living creature I will exact punishment. From each person ⁴⁴⁷  I will exact punishment for the life of the individual ⁴⁴⁸  since the man was his relative. ⁴⁴⁹ 

9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, ⁴⁵⁰ 

by other humans ⁴⁵¹ 

must his blood be shed;

for in God’s image ⁴⁵² 

God ⁴⁵³  has made humankind.”

9:7 But as for you, ⁴⁵⁴  be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”

9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, ⁴⁵⁵  9:9 “Look! I now confirm ⁴⁵⁶  my covenant with you and your descendants after you ⁴⁵⁷  9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. ⁴⁵⁸  9:11 I confirm ⁴⁵⁹  my covenant with you: Never again will all living things ⁴⁶⁰  be wiped out ⁴⁶¹  by the waters of a flood; ⁴⁶²  never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee ⁴⁶³  of the covenant I am making ⁴⁶⁴  with you ⁴⁶⁵  and every living creature with you, a covenant ⁴⁶⁶  for all subsequent ⁴⁶⁷  generations: 9:13 I will place ⁴⁶⁸  my rainbow ⁴⁶⁹  in the clouds, and it will become ⁴⁷⁰  a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth. 9:14 Whenever ⁴⁷¹  I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, 9:15 then I will remember my covenant with you ⁴⁷²  and with all living creatures of all kinds. ⁴⁷³  Never again will the waters become a flood and destroy ⁴⁷⁴  all living things. ⁴⁷⁵  9:16 When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will notice it and remember ⁴⁷⁶  the perpetual covenant between God and all living creatures of all kinds that are on the earth.”

9:17 So God said to Noah, “This is the guarantee of the covenant that I am confirming between me and all living things ⁴⁷⁷  that are on the earth.”

9:18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Now Ham was the father of Canaan.) ⁴⁷⁸  9:19 These were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated. ⁴⁷⁹ 

9:20 Noah, a man of the soil, ⁴⁸⁰  began to plant a vineyard. ⁴⁸¹  9:21 When he drank some of the wine, he got drunk and uncovered himself ⁴⁸²  inside his tent. 9:22 Ham, the father of Canaan, ⁴⁸³  saw his father’s nakedness ⁴⁸⁴  and told his two brothers who were outside. 9:23 Shem and Japheth took the garment ⁴⁸⁵  and placed it on their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered up their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned ⁴⁸⁶  the other way so they did not see their father’s nakedness.

9:24 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor ⁴⁸⁷  he learned ⁴⁸⁸  what his youngest son had done ⁴⁸⁹  to him. 9:25 So he said,

“Cursed ⁴⁹⁰  be Canaan! ⁴⁹¹ 

The lowest of slaves ⁴⁹² 

he will be to his brothers.”

9:26 He also said,

“Worthy of praise is ⁴⁹³  the Lord, the God of Shem!

May Canaan be the slave of Shem! ⁴⁹⁴ 

9:27 May God enlarge Japheth’s territory and numbers! ⁴⁹⁵ 

May he live ⁴⁹⁶  in the tents of Shem

and may Canaan be his slave!”

9:28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 9:29 The entire lifetime of Noah was 950 years, and then he died.

10:1 This is the account ⁴⁹⁷  of Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons ⁴⁹⁸  were born ⁴⁹⁹  to them after the flood.

10:2 The sons of Japheth ⁵⁰⁰  were Gomer, ⁵⁰¹  Magog, ⁵⁰²  Madai, ⁵⁰³  Javan, ⁵⁰⁴  Tubal, ⁵⁰⁵  Meshech, ⁵⁰⁶  and Tiras. ⁵⁰⁷  10:3 The sons of Gomer were ⁵⁰⁸  Askenaz, ⁵⁰⁹  Riphath, ⁵¹⁰  and Togarmah. ⁵¹¹  10:4 The sons of Javan were Elishah, ⁵¹²  Tarshish, ⁵¹³  the Kittim, ⁵¹⁴  and the Dodanim. ⁵¹⁵  10:5 From these the coastlands of the nations were separated into their lands, every one according to its language, according to their families, by their nations.

10:6 The sons of Ham were Cush, ⁵¹⁶  Mizraim, ⁵¹⁷  Put, ⁵¹⁸  and Canaan. ⁵¹⁹  10:7 The sons of Cush were Seba, ⁵²⁰  Havilah, ⁵²¹  Sabtah, ⁵²²  Raamah, ⁵²³  and Sabteca. ⁵²⁴  The sons of Raamah were Sheba ⁵²⁵  and Dedan. ⁵²⁶ 

10:8 Cush was the father of ⁵²⁷  Nimrod; he began to be a valiant warrior on the earth. 10:9 He was a mighty hunter ⁵²⁸  before the Lord. ⁵²⁹  (That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord.”) 10:10 The primary regions ⁵³⁰  of his kingdom were Babel, ⁵³¹  Erech, ⁵³²  Akkad, ⁵³³  and Calneh ⁵³⁴  in the land of Shinar. ⁵³⁵  10:11 From that land he went ⁵³⁶  to Assyria, ⁵³⁷  where he built Nineveh, ⁵³⁸  Rehoboth-Ir, ⁵³⁹  Calah, ⁵⁴⁰  10:12 and Resen, which is between Nineveh and the great city Calah. ⁵⁴¹ 

10:13 Mizraim ⁵⁴²  was the father of ⁵⁴³  the Ludites, ⁵⁴⁴  Anamites, ⁵⁴⁵  Lehabites, ⁵⁴⁶  Naphtuhites, ⁵⁴⁷  10:14 Pathrusites, ⁵⁴⁸  Casluhites ⁵⁴⁹  (from whom the Philistines came), ⁵⁵⁰  and Caphtorites. ⁵⁵¹ 

10:15 Canaan was the father of ⁵⁵²  Sidon his firstborn, ⁵⁵³  Heth, ⁵⁵⁴  10:16 the Jebusites, ⁵⁵⁵  Amorites, ⁵⁵⁶  Girgashites, ⁵⁵⁷  10:17 Hivites, ⁵⁵⁸  Arkites, ⁵⁵⁹  Sinites, ⁵⁶⁰  10:18 Arvadites, ⁵⁶¹  Zemarites, ⁵⁶²  and Hamathites. ⁵⁶³  Eventually the families of the Canaanites were scattered 10:19 and the borders of Canaan extended ⁵⁶⁴  from Sidon ⁵⁶⁵  all the way to ⁵⁶⁶  Gerar as far as Gaza, and all the way to ⁵⁶⁷  Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 10:20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.

10:21 And sons were also born ⁵⁶⁸  to Shem (the older brother of Japheth), ⁵⁶⁹  the father of all the sons of Eber.

10:22 The sons of Shem were Elam, ⁵⁷⁰  Asshur, ⁵⁷¹  Arphaxad, ⁵⁷²  Lud, ⁵⁷³  and Aram. ⁵⁷⁴  10:23 The sons of Aram were Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. ⁵⁷⁵  10:24 Arphaxad was the father of ⁵⁷⁶  Shelah, ⁵⁷⁷  and Shelah was the father of Eber. ⁵⁷⁸  10:25 Two sons were born to Eber: One was named Peleg because in his days the earth was divided, ⁵⁷⁹  and his brother’s name was Joktan. 10:26 Joktan was the father of ⁵⁸⁰  Almodad, ⁵⁸¹  Sheleph, ⁵⁸²  Hazarmaveth, ⁵⁸³  Jerah, ⁵⁸⁴  10:27 Hadoram, Uzal, ⁵⁸⁵  Diklah, ⁵⁸⁶  10:28 Obal, ⁵⁸⁷  Abimael, ⁵⁸⁸  Sheba, ⁵⁸⁹  10:29 Ophir, ⁵⁹⁰  Havilah, ⁵⁹¹  and Jobab. All these were sons of Joktan. 10:30 Their dwelling place was from Mesha all the way to ⁵⁹²  Sephar in the eastern hills. 10:31 These are the sons of Shem according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.

10:32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their genealogies, by their nations, and from these the nations spread ⁵⁹³  over the earth after the flood.