Genesis 6
The full text of Genesis 6 in the Trinity Bible Version — clear modern English, translated from the original Hebrew. Free to read.
1 When human beings began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them,
2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of humans were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with humans forever, for they are mortal; their days will be a hundred and twenty years."
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went to the daughters of humans and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
5 The LORD saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.
6 The LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled.
7 So the LORD said, "I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them."
8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the LORD.
9 This is the account of Noah and his family. Noah was a righteous man, blameless among the people of his time, and he walked faithfully with God.
10 Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth.
11 Now the earth was corrupt in God's sight and was full of violence.
12 God saw how corrupt the earth had become, for all the people on earth had corrupted their ways.
13 So God said to Noah, "I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. Now I am going to destroy both them and the earth.
14 So make yourself an ark of cypress wood; 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 three hundred cubits long, fifty cubits wide and thirty cubits high.
16 Make a roof for it, finishing the ark to within a cubit 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, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons' wives with you.
19 You are to 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 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them."
22 Noah did everything just as God commanded him.
Translation notes (10)
- Genesis 6:2a The Hebrew phrase bene ha-'elohim means 'sons of God.' This phrase is understood in various ways, such as referring to divine or angelic beings, the descendants of Seth, or powerful dynastic rulers. The original text does not specify, and this ambiguity is preserved.
- Genesis 6:3a The Hebrew word yadon is obscure and can mean 'contend/strive,' 'abide/remain,' or 'rule.' The word beshaggam is also difficult to translate, meaning either 'because they are also' or 'in their erring.' The 120 years mentioned are interpreted either as a shortened human lifespan or as a period of reprieve before the flood.
- Genesis 6:4a The Hebrew word Nephilim is left untranslated; it is traditionally connected to 'fallen ones' or 'giants,' and the Septuagint, the ancient Greek translation of the Old Testament, renders it as 'giants.' The word gibborim means 'mighty warriors' or 'heroes,' and 'anshe ha-shem means 'men of the name' or 'renown.'
- Genesis 6:6a The Hebrew word nacham means 'regretted' or 'relented,' and 'atsav means 'was grieved' or 'pained.' This verse attributes grief and a change of heart to God without softening the language.
- Genesis 6:9a The Hebrew word tamim, meaning 'blameless' or 'complete,' denotes integrity rather than sinless perfection.
- Genesis 6:11a The Hebrew word chamas means 'violence,' referring to lawless cruelty and wrongdoing.
- Genesis 6:14a Hebrew gofer-wood is uncertain; "cypress" is a common conjecture. tevah ("ark") is the same word used for the basket that saves the infant Moses (Exod 2:3).
- Genesis 6:15a A cubit is a unit of measurement equal to about 18 inches (45 cm), making the dimensions roughly 450 by 75 by 45 feet.
- Genesis 6:16a The Hebrew word tsohar is obscure and can mean 'roof,' 'opening,' or 'window' for light.
- Genesis 6:18a This is the first occurrence of the Hebrew word berit, meaning 'covenant,' in the Bible.
About this translation
The Trinity Bible Version (TBV) is Trinity Bible's own translation of Scripture, made directly from the original Hebrew rather than revised from an older English Bible. Completed in 2026, it is the most modern English Bible translation available, and it is exclusive to Trinity Bible. Reading the TBV here on the web is free — the full study edition, with original-language tools and notes on every verse, lives in the Trinity Bible app.
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