5 ^bThe Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every ^cintention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. 6 And ^dthe Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it ^egrieved him to his heart. 7 So the Lord said, “I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I am sorry that I have made them.”

11 Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God ^jsaw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, ^kfor all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth.

21 And when the Lord smelled ^kthe pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again ^lcurse¹ the ground because of man, for ^mthe intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. ⁿNeither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.