The Bible, Douay-Rheims Part 3

5:14. And all the days of Cainan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

5:15. And Malaleel lived sixty-five years and begot Jared.

5:16. And Malaleel lived after he begot Jared, eight hundred and thirty years, and begot sons and daughters.

5:17. And all the days of Malaleel were eight hundred and ninety-five years, and he died.

5:18. And Jared lived a hundred and sixty-two years, and begot Henoch.

5:19. And Jared lived after he begot Henoch, eight hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

5:20. And all the days of Jared were nine hundred and sixty-two years, and he died.

5:21. And Henoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Mathusala.

5:22. And Henoch walked with G.o.d: and lived after he begot Mathusala, three hundred years, and begot sons and daughters.

5:23. And all the days of Henoch were three hundred and sixty-five years.

5:24. And he walked with G.o.d, and was seen no more: because G.o.d took him.

5:25. And Mathusala lived a hundred and eighty-seven years, and begot Lamech.

5:26. And Mathlusala lived after he begot Lamech, seven hundred and eighty-two years, and begot sons and daughters.

5:27. And all the days of Mathusala were nine hundred and sixty-nine years, and he died.

5:28. And Lamech lived a hundred and eighty-two years, and begot a son.

5:29. And he called his name Noe, saying: This same shall comfort us from the works and labours of our hands on the earth, which the Lord hath cursed.

5:30. And Lamech lived after he begot Noe, five hundred and ninety-five years, and begot sons and daughters.

5:31. And all the days of Lamech came to seven hundred and seventy-seven years, and he died. And Noe, when he was five hundred years old, begot Sem, Cham, and j.a.pheth.

Genesis Chapter 6

Man's sin is the cause of the deluge. Noe is commanded to build the ark.

6:1. And after that men began to be multiplied upon the earth, and daughters were born to them,

6:2. The sons of G.o.d seeing the daughters of men, that they were fair, took to themselves wives of all which they chose.

The sons of G.o.d... The descendants of Seth and Enos are here called sons of G.o.d from their religion and piety: whereas the unG.o.dly race of Cain, who by their carnal affections lay grovelling upon the earth, are called the children of men. The unhappy consequence of the former marrying with the latter, ought to be a warning to Christians to be very circ.u.mspect in their marriages; and not to suffer themselves to be determined in their choice by their carnal pa.s.sion, to the prejudice of virtue or religion.

6:3. And G.o.d said: My spirit shall not remain in man for ever, because he is flesh, and his days shall be a hundred and twenty years.

His days shall be, etc... The meaning is, that man's days, which before the flood were usually 900 years, should now be reduced to 120 years. Or rather, that G.o.d would allow men this term of 120 years, for their repentance and conversion, before he would send the deluge.

6:4. Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of G.o.d went in to the daughters of men, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown.

Giants... It is likely the generality of men before the flood were of a gigantic stature in comparison with what men now are. But these here spoken of are called giants, as being not only tall in stature, but violent and savage in their dispositions, and mere monsters of cruelty and l.u.s.t.

6:5. And G.o.d seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times,

6:6. It repented him that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart,

It repented him, etc... G.o.d, who is unchangeable, is not capable of repentance, grief, or any other pa.s.sion. But these expressions are used to declare the enormity of the sins of men, which was so provoking as to determine their Creator to destroy these his creatures, whom before he had so much favoured.

6:7. He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them.

6:8. But Noe found grace before the Lord.

6:9. These are the generations of Noe: Noe was a just and perfect man in his generations, he walked with G.o.d.

6:10. And he begot three sons, Sem, Cham, and j.a.pheth.

6:11. And the earth was corrupted before G.o.d, and was filled with iniquity.

6:12. And when G.o.d had seen that the earth was corrupted (for all flesh had corrupted its way upon the earth),

6:13. He said to Noe: The end of all flesh is come before me, the earth is filled with iniquity through them, and I will destroy them with the earth.

6:14. Make thee an ark of timber planks: thou shalt make little rooms in the ark, and thou shalt pitch it within and without.

6:15. And thus shalt thou make it. The length of the ark shall be three hundred cubits: the breadth of it fifty cubits, and the height of it thirty cubits.

Three hundred cubits, etc... The ark, according to the dimensions here set down, contained four hundred and fifty thousand square cubits; which was more than enough to contain all the kinds of living creatures, with all necessary provisions: even supposing the cubits here spoken of to have been only a foot and a half each, which was the least king of cubits.

6:16. Thou shalt make a window in the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish the top of it: and the door of the ark thou shalt set in the side: with lower, middle chambers, and third stories shalt thou make it.

6:17. Behold, I will bring the waters of a great flood upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life under heaven. All things that are in the earth shall be consumed.

6:18. And I will establish my covenant with thee, and thou shalt enter into the ark, thou and thy sons, and thy wife, and the wives of thy sons with thee.

6:19. And of every living creature of all flesh, thou shalt bring two of a sort into the ark, that they may live with thee: of the male s.e.x, and the female.

6:20. Of fowls according to their kind, and of beasts in their kind, and of every thing that creepeth on the earth according to its kind: two of every sort shall go in with thee, that they may live.

6:21. Thou shalt take unto thee of all food that may be eaten, and thou shalt lay it up with thee: and it shall be food for thee and them.

6:22. And Noe did all things which G.o.d commanded him.

Genesis Chapter 7

Noe with his family go into the ark. The deluge overflows the earth.

7:1. And the Lord said to him: Go in, thou and all thy house, into the ark: for thee I have seen just before me in this generation.