« | Genesis 7 | » |
1 When everything was ready, the LORD said to Noah, "Go into the boat with all your family, for among all the people of the earth, I can see that you alone are righteous.
2 Take with you seven pairs-- male and female-- of each animal I have approved for eating and for sacrifice, and take one pair of each of the others.
3 Also take seven pairs of every kind of bird. There must be a male and a female in each pair to ensure that all life will survive on the earth after the flood.
4 Seven days from now I will make the rains pour down on the earth. And it will rain for forty days and forty nights, until I have wiped from the earth all the living things I have created."
5 So Noah did everything as the LORD commanded him.
6 Noah was 600 years old when the flood covered the earth.
7 He went on board the boat to escape the flood-- he and his wife and his sons and their wives.
8 With them were all the various kinds of animals-- those approved for eating and for sacrifice and those that were not-- along with all the birds and the small animals that scurry along the ground.
9 They entered the boat in pairs, male and female, just as God had commanded Noah.
10 After seven days, the waters of the flood came and covered the earth.
11 When Noah was 600 years old, on the seventeenth day of the second month, all the underground waters erupted from the earth, and the rain fell in mighty torrents from the sky.
12 The rain continued to fall for forty days and forty nights.
13 That very day Noah had gone into the boat with his wife and his sons-- Shem, Ham, and Japheth-- and their wives.
14 With them in the boat were pairs of every kind of animal-- domestic and wild, large and small-- along with birds of every kind.
15 Two by two they came into the boat, representing every living thing that breathes.
16 A male and female of each kind entered, just as God had commanded Noah. Then the LORD closed the door behind them.
17 For forty days the floodwaters grew deeper, covering the ground and lifting the boat high above the earth.
18 As the waters rose higher and higher above the ground, the boat floated safely on the surface.
19 Finally, the water covered even the highest mountains on the earth,
20 rising more than twenty-two feet above the highest peaks.
21 All the living things on earth died-- birds, domestic animals, wild animals, small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the people.
22 Everything that breathed and lived on dry land died.
23 God wiped out every living thing on the earth-- people, livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and the birds of the sky. All were destroyed. The only people who survived were Noah and those with him in the boat.
24 And the floodwaters covered the earth for 150 days.
The New Living Translation (NLT)
The New Living Translation (NLT) is a modern English translation of the Bible that aims to make the Scriptures accessible and engaging for contemporary readers. First published in 1996 by Tyndale House Publishers, the NLT was conceived as an effort to create a translation that combines both accuracy and readability. Unlike many other translations that focus on a word-for-word rendering of the original texts, the NLT employs a thought-for-thought translation philosophy, also known as dynamic equivalence. This approach prioritizes conveying the meaning and message of the original texts in a way that is natural and understandable in modern English.
One of the defining features of the NLT is its commitment to clarity and simplicity. The translators, a team of over 90 evangelical scholars, aimed to create a text that would be approachable for a wide audience, including those who may find traditional translations challenging to read. The NLT’s language is contemporary and conversational, making it particularly effective for public reading, teaching, and personal study. This emphasis on readability helps ensure that the profound messages of the Bible are easily grasped and retained by readers from various backgrounds and levels of biblical knowledge.
The NLT also incorporates a rich array of study aids designed to enhance the reader’s understanding of the biblical text. These include book introductions, footnotes, cross-references, and explanatory notes that provide historical, cultural, and theological context. These features are particularly useful for readers who seek a deeper comprehension of the Scriptures and their application to modern life. The translation also includes clear and concise headings that help guide readers through the narrative and thematic structure of each book, making it easier to follow and comprehend the overall message.
Despite its many strengths, the New Living Translation has faced some criticism, particularly from those who favor more literal translations. Critics argue that the dynamic equivalence approach, while making the text more readable, can sometimes result in a loss of the precise nuances and literary qualities of the original languages. Some scholars believe that certain theological concepts might be oversimplified in the process of making the text more accessible. Nevertheless, the NLT remains one of the most popular and widely used translations today, valued for its readability, clarity, and ability to convey the timeless truths of the Bible in a way that resonates with contemporary readers.