Genesis 7
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 7
1 The Lord said to Noah, “Enter into the ark with your entire family, for I have seen that you, of all this generation, are just in my sight. 2 You are to take seven pairs of each type of clean animal with you, male and female. You are to take one pair of each type of unclean animal with you, male and female. 3 You are also to take seven pairs of birds of the air, male and female, with you, so that you may save every species of animal upon the earth. 4 In seven days I will make it begin to rain upon the earth, and it will rain for forty days and forty nights. I will destroy from the face of the earth every living creature I have made.”
5 Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him to do.
End of the Sinful World.[a] 6 Noah was six hundred years old when the flood began and the waters covered the earth. 7 Noah went into the ark with his sons, his wife, and the wives of his sons to escape from the waters of the flood. 8 The clean animals and the unclean animals, the birds, and the creatures that creep on the ground[b] 9 entered the ark two by two, male and female, along with Noah, just as the Lord had commanded. 10 After seven days, the waters of the flood covered the earth; 11 this happened in the six hundredth year of the life of Noah, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month. On that very day the springs of the great abyss and the floodgates of the heavens opened.[c] 12 The rains fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.
13 That day Noah and his sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth entered the ark along with the wife of Noah and the three wives of his sons. 14 They entered along with all living creatures according to their kind, all cattle according to their kind, all creeping creatures according to their kind, and all birds according to their kind. 15 They went into the ark with Noah, two by two, every creature that had breath in it. 16 Those that came, male and female of every type of flesh, entered the ark as God had commanded. The Lord closed the door after them.
17 The flood lasted for forty days. The waters rose and lifted the ark off the earth as they increased. 18 The waters continued to swell and increased greatly on the earth until the ark floated upon the waters. 19 The waters rose more and more on the earth and covered all the highest mountains that are under the heavens. 20 The waters were fifteen cubits over the tops of the mountains that they covered.
21 Every living creature that moves upon the earth, every bird, cattle, wild animal, and creature that crawls upon the earth, and every single person on dry land died. 22 Every creature on dry land that had the breath of life in its nostrils died.
23 This is how every living creature on earth was slain, every human being and every animal, every reptile and every bird of the air. They were blotted out of the earth, and only Noah and those who were with him in the ark survived.[d]
24 The waters covered the earth for one hundred and fifty days.
Footnotes
- Genesis 7:6 In this section the entrance into the ark and the description of the flood are repeated, first in the Yahwist version with inserts from the Priestly tradition (vv. 1-12) and then in the Priestly version with inserts from the Yahwist tradition (vv. 13-20); finally, there is a description of the effects of the flood that draws on both traditions (vv. 21-24). In the Yahwist tradition the flood is simply a torrential rain that continues for forty days (vv. 4, 12; 8:2b), while in the Priestly account, in keeping with the cosmic vision in Genesis 1:1-10, the waters are loosed both from the subterranean ocean and from the heavenly ocean (7:11; 8:2a).
According to the ideas of the ancients, in creating the world God separated the earth from the waters by creating the solid heavenly vault that divided the oceanic mass (the “abyss”) into an upper part beyond the heavens and a lower, earthly part, and by then commanding the lower waters to retreat, allowing the dry land to emerge. At this point, then, the lower, subterranean waters invade the earth anew through springs, while passages (“floodgates”) open in the heavenly vault and allow the upper waters to pour down. Thus God causes some effects of his creative work to cease. The waters that submerge the highest mountains on earth and destroy humankind and the animals effect a return of the universe to its primitive condition; the process is an image of the cosmic dimensions that sin, the rejection of God, has. - Genesis 7:8 This verse, which seems to be the work of the final editor, brings the Yahwist source, which distinguishes between clean and unclean animals, into harmony with the Priestly source, which has the animals in pairs.
- Genesis 7:11 According to the calendar used in the Priestly story of the flood, the year is divided into twelve months of about thirty days each, depending always on the cycle of the moon. The first month, equivalent to Nisan, is the month of the first lunar cycle in the spring (March-April).
- Genesis 7:23 The flood prefigures the final judgment (Mt 24:37-41) and salvation through baptism (1 Pet 3:20-21).
Genesis 7
1599 Geneva Bible
7 1 Noah and his enter into the Ark. 20 The flood destroyeth all the rest upon the earth.
1 And the Lord said unto Noah, Enter thou and all thine house into the Ark: for thee have I seen (A)[a]righteous before me in this [b]age.
2 Of every [c]clean beast thou shalt take to thee by sevens, the male and his female: but of unclean beasts by couples, the male and his female.
3 Of the fowls also of the heaven by sevens, male and female, to keep seed alive upon the whole earth.
4 For seven days hence I will cause it rain upon the earth forty days, and forty nights, and all the substance that I have made, will I destroy from off the earth.
5 (B)Noah therefore did according to all that the Lord commanded him.
6 And Noah was six hundred years old, when the flood of waters was upon the earth.
7 ¶ So Noah entered and his sons, and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him into the Ark, because of the waters of the flood.
8 Of the clean beasts, and of the unclean beasts, and of the fowls, and of all that creepeth upon the earth,
9 There [d]came two and two unto Noah into the Ark, male and female, as God had commanded Noah.
10 And so after seven days, the waters of the flood were upon the earth.
11 ¶ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the [e]second month, the seventeenth day of the month, in the same day were all the [f]fountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heaven were opened,
12 And the rain was upon the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 In the selfsame day entered Noah with Shem, and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them into the Ark.
14 They and every beast after his kind, and all cattle after their kind, and everything that creepeth and moveth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, even every bird of every feather.
15 For they came to Noah into the Ark, two and two, [g]of all flesh wherein is the breath of life.
16 And they entering in, came male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord [h][i]shut him in.
17 Then the flood was forty days upon the earth, and the waters were increased, and bare up the Ark, which was lifted up above the earth.
18 The waters also waxed strong, and were increased exceedingly upon the earth, and the Ark went upon the waters.
19 The waters [j]prevailed so exceedingly upon the earth, that all the high mountains, that are under the whole heaven, were covered.
20 Fifteen cubits upward did the waters prevail, when the mountains were covered.
21 Then all flesh perished that moved upon the earth, both fowl and cattle and beast, and everything that creepeth and moveth upon the earth, and every man.
22 Everything in whose nostrils the spirit of life did breathe, whatsoever they were in the dry land, they died.
23 So [k]he destroyed everything that was upon the earth, from man to beast, to the creeping thing, and to the fowl of the heaven: they were even destroyed from the earth. And Noah only [l]remained, and they that were with him in the Ark.
24 And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days.
Footnotes
- Genesis 7:1 In respect of the rest of the world, and because he had a desire to serve God and live uprightly.
- Genesis 7:1 Or, generation.
- Genesis 7:2 Which might be offered in sacrifice, whereof six were for breed, and the seventh for sacrifice.
- Genesis 7:9 God compelled them to present themselves to Noah, as they did before to Adam, when he gave them names, Gen. 2:19.
- Genesis 7:11 Which was about the beginning of May, when all things did most flourish.
- Genesis 7:11 Both the waters in the earth did overflow, and also the clouds poured down.
- Genesis 7:15 Every living thing that God would have to be preserved on earth, came into the Ark to Noah.
- Genesis 7:16 So that God’s secret power defended him against the rage of the mighty waters.
- Genesis 7:16 Or, shut it upon him.
- Genesis 7:19 Hebrew, waxed very mighty.
- Genesis 7:23 That is, God.
- Genesis 7:23 Learn what it is to obey God only, and to forsake the multitude, 1 Pet. 3:20.
Genesis 7
New King James Version
The Great Flood(A)
7 Then the (B)Lord said to Noah, (C)“Come into the ark, you and all your household, because I have seen that (D)you are righteous before Me in this generation. 2 You shall take with you seven each of every (E)clean animal, a male and his female; (F)two each of animals that are unclean, a male and his female; 3 also seven each of birds of the air, male and female, to keep [a]the species alive on the face of all the earth. 4 For after (G)seven more days I will cause it to rain on the earth (H)forty days and forty nights, and I will [b]destroy from the face of the earth all living things that I have made.” 5 (I)And Noah did according to all that the Lord commanded him. 6 Noah was (J)six hundred years old when the floodwaters were on the earth.
7 (K)So Noah, with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives, went into the ark because of the waters of the flood. 8 Of clean animals, of animals that are unclean, of birds, and of everything that creeps on the earth, 9 two by two they went into the ark to Noah, male and female, as God had commanded Noah. 10 And it came to pass after seven days that the waters of the flood were on the earth. 11 In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, the seventeenth day of the month, on (L)that day all (M)the fountains of the great deep were broken up, and the (N)windows of heaven were opened. 12 (O)And the rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.
13 On the very same day Noah and Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark— 14 (P)they and every beast after its kind, all cattle after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every (Q)sort. 15 And they (R)went into the ark to Noah, two by two, of all flesh in which is the breath of life. 16 So those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in (S)as God had commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.
17 (T)Now the flood was on the earth forty days. The waters increased and lifted up the ark, and it rose high above the earth. 18 The waters prevailed and greatly increased on the earth, (U)and the ark moved about on the surface of the waters. 19 And the waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth, and all the high hills under the whole heaven were covered. 20 The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered. 21 (V)And all flesh died that moved on [c]the earth: birds and cattle and beasts and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man. 22 All in (W)whose nostrils was the breath [d]of the spirit of life, all that was on the dry land, died. 23 So He destroyed all living things which were on the face of the ground: both man and cattle, creeping thing and bird of the air. They were destroyed from the earth. Only (X)Noah and those who were with him in the ark remained alive. 24 (Y)And the waters prevailed on the earth one hundred and fifty days.
Footnotes
- Genesis 7:3 Lit. seed
- Genesis 7:4 Lit. blot out
- Genesis 7:21 the land
- Genesis 7:22 LXX, Vg. omit of the spirit
Geneva Bible, 1599 Edition. Published by Tolle Lege Press. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, without written permission from the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations in articles, reviews, and broadcasts.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
