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G ENESIS 6
page 9
the father of Methuselah. 22 After the birth of
Methuselah, Enoch lived in close fellowship
with God for another 300 years, and he had
other sons and daughters. 23 Enoch lived
365 years, 24 walking in close fellowship with
God. Then one day he disappeared, because
God took him.
25 When Methuselah was 187 years old, he
became the father of Lamech. 26 After the
birth of Lamech, Methuselah lived another
782 years, and he had other sons and
daughters. 27 Methuselah lived 969 years,
and then he died.
28 When Lamech was 182 years old, he became
the father of a son. 29 Lamech named his
son Noah, for he said, “May he bring us
relief* from our work and the painful labor
of farming this ground that the Lord has
cursed.” 30 After the birth of Noah, Lamech
lived another 595 years, and he had other
sons and daughters. 31 Lamech lived
777 years, and then he died.
32 After Noah was 500 years old, he became the
father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.
A World Gone Wrong
Then the people began to multiply on the
earth, and daughters were born to them.
2 The sons of God saw the beautiful women*
and took any they wanted as their wives. 3 Then
the Lord said, “My Spirit will not put up with*
humans for such a long time, for they are only
mortal flesh. In the future, their normal lifespan
will be no more than 120 years.”
4 In those days, and for some time after, giant
Nephilites lived on the earth, for whenever the
sons of God had intercourse with women, they
gave birth to children who became the heroes
and famous warriors of ancient times.
5 The Lord observed the extent of human
wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently
and totally evil. 6 So the Lord was sorry he had
ever made them and put them on the earth. It
broke his heart. 7 And the Lord said, “I will wipe
this human race I have created from the face of
the earth. Yes, and I will destroy every living
thing—all the people, the large animals, the
small animals that scurry along the ground, and
even the birds of the sky. I am sorry I ever made
them.” 8 But Noah found favor with the Lord.
6
The Story of Noah
9 This is the account of Noah and his family.
Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he
5:29 Noah sounds like a Hebrew term that can mean “relief”
or “comfort.” 6:2 Hebrew daughters of men; also in 6:4.
6:3 Greek version reads will not remain in. 6:14a Traditionally
rendered an ark. 6:14b Or gopher wood. 6:15 Hebrew
300 cubits [138 meters] long, 50 cubits [23 meters] wide, and
30 cubits [13.8 meters] high. 6:16 Hebrew an opening of 1 cubit
[46 centimeters].
walked in close fellowship with God. 10 Noah
was the father of three sons: Shem, Ham, and
Japheth.
11 Now God saw that the earth had become
corrupt and was filled with violence. 12 God
observed all this corruption in the world, for
everyone on earth was corrupt. 13 So God said
to Noah, “I have decided to destroy all living
creatures, for they have filled the earth with
violence. Yes, I will wipe them all out along
with the earth!
14 “Build a large boat* from cypress wood*
and waterproof it with tar, inside and out.
Then construct decks and stalls throughout its
interior. 15 Make the boat 450 feet long, 75 feet
wide, and 45 feet high.* 16 Leave an 18-inch
opening* below the roof all the way around
the boat. Put the door on the side, and build
three decks inside the boat—lower, middle,
and upper.
17 “Look! I am about to cover the earth with
a flood that will destroy every living thing that
breathes. Everything on earth will die. 18 But I
will confirm my covenant with you. So enter
the boat—you and your wife and your sons and
their wives. 19 Bring a pair of every kind of animal—a male and a female—into the boat with
you to keep them alive during the flood. 20 Pairs
of every kind of bird, and every kind of animal,
and every kind of small animal that scurries
along the ground, will come to you to be kept
alive. 21 And be sure to take on board enough
food for your family and for all the animals.”
22 So Noah did everything exactly as God had
commanded him.
• Salvation
G E N E S I S 6:5-22
The account of Noah should take us
beyond the image of cuddly animals
in a big boat; it is a graphic tale of
evil, judgment, and destruction. The
story begins with God’s judgment of
humankind’s depravity. The Flood
pictures both the relentlessness of
God’s wrath against all sin as well as
humankind’s floundering in its own
wickedness. The ark, provided by
God through Noah’s obedient faith,
becomes a striking illustration of God’s
gracious salvation. The entire story
prefigures God’s ultimate saving vessel,
Jesus Christ, who receives not just one
family but all who will come to him in
faith. Have you made the decision to
climb on board, or are you still outside
treading water in the rising tide?