5 if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, ^twhen he brought a ^uflood upon the world of the ungodly;

5 For they deliberately overlook this fact, ^bthat the heavens existed long ago, and the earth was formed out of water and through water ^cby the word of God, 6 and that by means of these the world that then existed was ^ddeluged with water and ^eperished.