1-2 There were now many people and they were spread out in different places. Then the sons of God came to where they were living. When they saw the people they could see that the girls were very beautiful, so they took them to be their wives. 3-4 Then there were very big, tall people living there. They were the children and the grandchildren of the sons of God and their wives. They were very strong, so everyone used to talk about them.

And Yahweh said, “I don't want people to live forever. They should grow old and die, because they are only people. So from now on they will live for 120 years and that is all.”

5 When Yahweh looked at the people, he saw that they were all very wicked. They kept on thinking about evil all the time. 6 Then he said, “I wish I hadn't made these people and put them in the world. 7 I will kill them. I made these people, but they will have to die, and also the animals and the birds. I wish I hadn't made them.” 8 But Yahweh was pleased with Noah.

9-10 This is the story of Noah. He had three sons called Shem, Ham and Japheth. He was a good man and he did nothing wrong. He was the only good person and he had fellowship with God. 11-12 All the other people were wicked. They were always fighting each other. God looked down and saw all those people, and they were very, very bad.

13 God said to Noah, “I am going to kill all these people, because they have done so much evil. 14 So I want you to build yourself a boat. Make it from good cypress pine wood. And when you build it, make many rooms in it. Put sticky tar on the wood along the inside and along the outside, so that the water won't come into the boat. 15 You must make it very long, 133 metres from the front to the back. And you must make it very big, 22 metres from the left side to the right. From the ground to the top it must be 13 metres. 16 Make a roof for it, and all around the roof underneath leave a small space of 44 centimetres. You must make three layers, one on top of the other, and you must put a door in it too.

17 “I am going to send a flood on the earth, so that every living thing here will drown. Everything else will die, but you will stay alive. 18 I will make a covenant with you.

“So you must go into the boat with your wife and your sons and their wives. 19-20 You must take into the boat every kind of animal and every kind of bird. You must take one male and one female of each kind, so that they will stay alive. 21 You must take food, all different kinds of food for yourselves and for the animals and birds.”

22 And Noah did everything that God told him, everything that he wanted.