Human Wickedness
1 When people had spread all over the world, and daughters were being born, 2 some of the heavenly beings saw that these young women were beautiful, so they took the ones they liked. 3 Then the Lord said, “I will not allow people to live forever; they are mortal. From now on they will live no longer than 120 years.” 4 In those days, and even later, there were giants on the earth who were descendants of human women and the heavenly beings. They were the great heroes and famous men of long ago.
5 When the Lord saw how wicked everyone on earth was and how evil their thoughts were all the time, 6 he was sorry that he had ever made them and put them on the earth. He was so filled with regret 7 that he said, “I will wipe out these people I have created, and also the animals and the birds, because I am sorry that I made any of them.” 8 But the Lord was pleased with Noah.
Noah
9-10 This is the story of Noah. He had three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Noah had no faults and was the only good man of his time. He lived in fellowship with God, 11 but everyone else was evil in God's sight, and violence had spread everywhere. 12 God looked at the world and saw that it was evil, for the people were all living evil lives.
13 God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to all people. I will destroy them completely, because the world is full of their violent deeds. 14 Build a boat for yourself out of good timber; make rooms in it and cover it with tar inside and out. 15 Make it 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high. 16 Make a roof for the boat and leave a space of 18 inches between the roof and the sides. Build it with three decks and put a door in the side. 17 I am going to send a flood on the earth to destroy every living being. Everything on the earth will die, 18 but I will make a covenant with you. Go into the boat with your wife, your sons, and their wives. 19-20 Take into the boat with you a male and a female of every kind of animal and of every kind of bird, in order to keep them alive. 21 Take along all kinds of food for you and for them.” 22 Noah did everything that God commanded.
Mbipo ye nthu
1 Kwakati bathu betangisa kuwanda mu shango, bezwala bakololokadzi, 2 bakololo be Ndzimu bakabona kuti bakololokadzi be bathu bakanaka, ngono bakashalula babakada bakabalobola. 3 Ipapo Yahwe bakabe beti, “Meya yangu aingagale mu nthu nge kusingapele, ngoti nthu unofa. Mazhuba awe anowobe makole ali zana ling'ompela lina makole ali makumi mabili (120).” 4 Mu misi iyeyo kwakabe kuna bathu balefu, bakasima mu shango ne mu misi yakaitobela, pakati bakololo be Ndzimu bakawalilana ne bakololokadzi be bathu ngono bakathama bana nabo. Bakabe bali balume be babhayani bakulu ba ntolo, balume bakabe bezibika.
5 Yahwe bakabona kuti mbipo ye nthu yakula mu shango ne kuti zwabanokumbula mu moyo yabo i mbipo zwibaka zose. 6 Yahwe bakazwisola kube bakathama nthu mu shango, ngono bakahwa zogwadza. 7 Ndizo Yahwe bakabe beti, “Ndowolobesa bathu bandakabumba ndibadusa mu shango, bathu ne phuka ne zwibumbiwa zwinokambayila mu shango ne nyuni dzinowuluka, ngoti ndozwisola kube ndakabathama.” 8 Koga Nuwa kahwigwa ngoni ndi Yahwe.
Nuwa
9 Edzi i thawu ngekwa Nuwa. Nuwa wakabe ali nthu wakalulwama, asina nlandu pakati kwe bathu be tjibaka tjitje, wakabe eyenda ne Ndzimu. 10 Nuwa wakabe ana bakololo bali batatu, Shemu na Hamu na Jafeti. 11 Ngono shango ikalingika yakabola nge jinyo mu kubona kwe Ndzimu, ili zhele kumukilana. 12 Ndzimu ukalinga shango ngono ukabona yakabola nge jinyo, ngoti mipanga ye bathu bose yakabodziwa nge jinyo.
13 Ndizo Ndzimu ukati kuna Nuwa, “Ndazwimisila kuzhisa bheledzo le bathu bose, ngoti shango izhele kumukilana nge kwabo. Ndowobalobesa kose ne shango. 14 Ndizo uzwithamigwe araka nge makwasayile akasima, uthame ng'umbana dzakathubukana muili, uidzile nge ikontiri mukati na kuzhe. 15 Oku ndiko sekwa unowoithama: Bulefu gwayo ngagube matshambo ali zana ling'ompela lina matshambo ali makumi matatu ana matatu (133), bupabi gube matshambo ali makumi ali mabili ana matshambo ali mabili (22), bulefu kuyenda pezhugwi gube matshambo ali gumi lina matshambo ali matatu (13). 16 Uithamile denga, usiye fesitere bulefu gungapa gaswa le thambo kudwa pezhugwi. Uthame nkoba pa ntumbu wayo, uithame ng'umba thatu dzakatathikana. 17 Ngoti ndowozhisa nkubila we vula mu shango kulobesa zwitjili zose zwina meya ye bupenyu, tjimwe ne tjimwe mu shango tjowofa. 18 Koga ndowothama tjidumano tjangu nawe, iwe unowongina mu araka, iwe ne bakololo babo ne nkadzi uwo ne bakadzi be bakololo babo. 19 Ungine ne bubili gwe zwitjili zose mu araka, tjilume ne tjikadzi mu ludzi gumwe ne gumwe kuti zwitjile nawe. 20 Mu ludzi gumwe ne gumwe gwe nyuni ne mu ludzi gumwe ne gumwe gwe phuka ne ludzi gumwe ne gumwe gwe zwitjili zwinokambayila mu shango zwili zwibili zwinginile ku kuli kuzwitjengeta kuti zwitjile. 21 Utolebo zojiwa zwinojiwa zwakasiyana siyana uzwibiganye kube zojiwa zwizo ne zwazo.” 22 Nuwa kakuthama ikoku, kathama kose Ndzimu kwawakandwa.