s men spread over the earth, God’s sons saw that human women were beautiful, and took them as wives. And God’s sons fathered children by the human women, and their children became the strong men and heroes of ancient times.

God saw that men had become wicked, and men’s thoughts turned always to evil. And God was sorry that he had ever made mankind. He decided that he would destroy mankind, and all the animals, and the insects, and the birds of the air, because he was sorry he had made them.

All flesh died that moved upon the earth.

But there was one righteous man, Noah, who found favor with God.

God said to Noah, “I am going to destroy all living things in a flood of water, because the earth is full of cruelty. But I will make an agreement with you:

“You must build an ark of wood, one hundred and fifty yards long, and go into the ark with your family. And you must bring two of every kind of living thing into the ark; every kind of bird, every kind of beast, and every kind of insect; and bring food for all of them to eat.”

Noah did as God had said. He took his family and all the animals into the ark. Then it began to rain.

It rained for forty days and forty nights, and the waters rose and lifted the ark, and kept rising until all the high hills under the sky were covered. Every living thing on earth died—every bird, every beast, every insect, and every man. Only Noah was left alive, and those who were with him in the ark.