Genesis Chapter 6
Showing all 22 verses for Genesis Chapter 6.
The People's Bible is written by people, for the people. Each verse below shows:
"And it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto them, "
"As people began to increase in number across the earth, daughters were born to them."
Growth and abundance aren't automatically safe; they can also create room for corruption to spread. As your own circle of influence or responsibility grows, stay watchful over what's growing alongside it, not fearful, just attentive.
"That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. "
"The "sons of God" saw that human women were beautiful, and they took whichever ones they wanted as wives."
Taking whatever pleases you, simply because you can, is exactly the pattern that fills this verse with warning. Desire isn't wrong, but unchecked desire that ignores God's design usually leads somewhere you didn't intend to go. Let wisdom, not just attraction, guide your choices.
"And the LORD said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years. "
"The LORD said, "My spirit will not put up with humanity forever, since they are only flesh. Their lifespan will be 120 years.""
Even in judgement, God sets a limit rather than acting without restraint. When you feel the weight of consequences, look for the mercy folded into them; God rarely deals with us, or with anyone, entirely without limit or without care.
"There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown. "
"There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterwards - when the "sons of God" had children with human women, those children became the mighty heroes of ancient times, men of great reputation."
Fame and strength, 'men of renown,' are given no special protection here from the coming judgement. Don't be dazzled by power or reputation, your own or anyone else's; what actually matters to God is not renown but righteousness.
"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. "
"The LORD saw that human wickedness on earth had become widespread, and that people's thoughts and intentions were consistently, relentlessly evil."
God sees not just actions but the constant direction of the heart behind them. Take your own inner life seriously, not only what you do but what you keep rehearsing in your thoughts, since that is what quietly shapes who you become.
"And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. "
"The LORD was sorry he had made humankind on the earth, and it deeply grieved him."
God's grief here is real: He is genuinely moved by human sin, not indifferent to it. Let that reshape how you think of your own choices; they are not neutral to God. He feels the weight of what hurts His creation, and that includes what hurts you.
"And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them. "
"The LORD said, "I will wipe out the human race I created from the face of the earth - people, animals, creatures that crawl, and birds - because I regret making them.""
Even in pronouncing judgement, God's language is sorrowful, not cold or vindictive. When you must confront wrongdoing, whether your own or someone else's, let it be with that same grieved seriousness rather than either harsh coldness or careless dismissal.
"But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD. "
"But Noah found favour in the eyes of the LORD."
Amid total corruption, one person still 'found grace.' However dark the world around you looks, don't assume goodness is impossible or pointless. One faithful life, like Noah's, can matter more than an entire corrupt generation.
"These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God. "
"This is the account of Noah's family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked closely with God."
Noah is called both righteous and someone who simply 'walked with God,' a relationship more than a performance. Aim less at flawless behaviour and more at genuine closeness with God; that ongoing walk is what actually produced Noah's righteousness.
"And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. "
"Noah had three sons - Shem, Ham, and Japheth."
Even amid catastrophe, family is named and remembered specifically: Shem, Ham, Japheth. Whatever crisis you're facing, don't let your own family or closest relationships become an afterthought; they are often exactly who you're meant to be caring for through it.
"The earth also was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with violence. "
"The earth had become corrupt in God's sight, and it was full of violence."
Violence, not just private wrongdoing, is what fills the earth here. Take seriously any harm you cause to others, physical, emotional, or otherwise; violence in any form grieves God as much as it wounds the people it touches.
"And God looked upon the earth, and, behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. "
"God looked at the earth and saw that it was corrupt - all living creatures had corrupted their way of living."
God looks at 'all flesh' corrupted, a comprehensive judgement, not a selective one. Resist the temptation to think your own faults are minor simply because others' are worse; take an honest, complete look at your own ways, not just a comparison to people around you.
"And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth. "
"God said to Noah, "I have decided to end all living things, because the earth is full of violence because of them. I am going to destroy them, along with the earth.""
God tells Noah plainly and directly what's coming, rather than leaving him to guess. Honesty, even about hard realities, is a form of respect and care. Be willing to speak plainly to people you love about hard truths, rather than letting them find out unprepared.
"Make thee an ark of gopher wood; rooms shalt thou make in the ark, and shalt pitch it within and without with pitch. "
""Build yourself a boat out of cypress wood. Make rooms inside it, and coat it with tar, inside and out.""
God gives Noah a huge task with specific, practical instructions, gopher wood, pitch, exact measurements. Big callings usually come with concrete, doable steps. Don't wait for the whole picture to be clear before you start on the specific instruction right in front of you.
"And this is the fashion which thou shalt make it of: The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits, the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits. "
""This is how you are to build it: the ark should be 300 cubits long, 50 cubits wide, and 30 cubits high" - roughly 137 metres long, 23 metres wide, and 13 metres high."
The ark's precise dimensions show God's careful planning for an enormous undertaking. Whatever large task God has placed in front of you, trust that He has thought it through as carefully as this, down to the details, even the ones you can't yet see the purpose of.
"A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. "
""Make a roof opening for light, finished a cubit from the top. Put a door in the side of the ark, and build it with lower, middle, and upper decks.""
Even small details, a window, a door's placement, three levels, get specific attention here. Don't dismiss the small, practical details of your own obedience as unimportant; faithfulness is often built from getting the small things right, not just the big vision.
"And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. "
""I am about to bring a flood of water on the earth to destroy every living thing that breathes under heaven. Everything on earth will die.""
God is honest with Noah about the scale of what's coming, holding nothing back. Trust that God is not hiding the hard realities of your own life from you either; He tells the truth because He trusts you to handle it and act on it.
"But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons’ wives with thee. "
""But I will establish my covenant with you. You are to go into the ark - you, your sons, your wife, and your sons' wives with you.""
In the middle of announcing judgement, God also announces covenant, a binding promise of relationship and protection. Even in hard seasons, look for the promise God is making alongside the difficulty; judgement and covenant love are never separate from each other in His character.
"And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female. "
""Bring two of every kind of living creature into the ark with you, to keep them alive - a male and a female of each.""
God's plan preserves not just Noah's family but every kind of creature, a vision bigger than one household. Let your own care and concern stretch further than just your own immediate circle; God's heart has always included far more than we first assume.
"Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive. "
""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.""
Every kind, without exception, is included in God's rescue plan. No creature, and by extension no person, is too insignificant to be part of what God is preserving and caring for. Let that shape how you value people the world might overlook.
"And take thou unto thee of all food that is eaten, and thou shalt gather it to thee; and it shall be for food for thee, and for them. "
""Also take with you every kind of food that can be eaten, and store it up - it will be food for you and for the animals.""
Practical provision, gathering food, is given as much attention as the ark's construction. Spiritual faithfulness and practical preparation aren't in competition; a life of real trust in God still plans wisely and works diligently for what's ahead.
"Thus did Noah; according to all that God commanded him, so did he. "
"Noah did everything exactly as God had commanded him."
Noah did 'according to all that God commanded,' completely, not selectively. Full obedience, doing all of it rather than just the convenient parts, is what actually carried Noah through to safety. Ask whether you're following God's instruction fully, or only the parts that suit you.