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the time of man has come, of him who is so called according to sinning. Nor is <in vain> "before me" added; for it is not for any created being to know the time at which someone has done deeds worthy of being despaired of henceforth. And this, fittingly, no created being knows; for if they knew hearts, they would not help, quickly turning away from those who have been in sin. For it belongs to unsurpassed goodness alone, to the goodness a[cc]ording to essence 171 that is not diminished, both to see what is hidden and to know the time. But if any created being p[ar]takes of goodness from God by disposition, still he is ignorant of the onsets of sins and their causes, all of which God knows and thus knows the time for punishment, wherefore it is said, "before me" and "for the earth was filled with iniquity from them." And this is also said reasonably; for the punishment does not come upon them for the sins of o[th]ers. It is c[le]ar from this also that fate did not br[in]g such a death upon them; for since he says, "the earth was filled with iniquity from them," the time has come, which would not have arrived, i[f] they had not sinned.

13. And behold, I [wi]ll d[es]troy them and the earth. The philant[hr]opy and goodness of God are also shown through these things, by fo[re]telling what is to be, so that by the fear of what is expected He might restrain their wickedness, which also happened in the case of the Ninevites who heard the prophet Jonah: "Yet three days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown." Accordingly, then, he also foretells these things to the just man and pre-ordains that the ark be made, putting forth its construction more clearly than any proclamation for repentance, and he announces that he will destroy them and the earth, since they needed this. For there are indeed many punishments given by God for repentance of sins to occur; for he w[i]shes all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, saying: "How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not 172 willing!" For necessity does not compel people to become good, for this is not possible; for such a thing is no longer good. But when God, who knows all things, after many admonitions does not find the one admonished obedient, he destroys these, about whom the d[isco]urse is, and this being advantageous by his judgment. And the earth is also destroyed with them—that is, the things on the earth, for this is what "the earth" now signifies—reasonably; for with the men peri[shing], it was necessary also for the things that existed for their sake to perish along with them. Since a re[mna]nt was <le>ft behind through Noah and those with h[im], remnants of the other animals were likewise le[f]t.

14-17. [M]ake for yourself an ark o<f> squared timber; you shall make com[part]ments in the ark; and you shall coat it insi[de] and [ou]tside with pitch. And this is how you shall make the ar[k]: three hundred cubits the length of the ark, and fi[f]ty cubits its breadth, and thirty cubits its height. You shall make the ark tapering, and to a cubit you shall finish it above; and you shall make the door of the ark in its side. You shall make it with lower, second, and third decks. And I, behold, I am bringing the flood, water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which is the breath of life from under heaven; and everything that is on the earth shall die.

The saying has great consistency, commanding Noah to make the ark "from squared timber," first, so that not much time would be spent in splitting them, then, which is also more true, so that being made from whole timbers it might happen to be safer; for it was going to approach mountains and endure no small storm, against which it would not have <held> up, unless 173 it had been constructed from whole timbers. And usefully he also commands "compartments" to be made, which are divided spaces, for these two reasons, both so that the [dw]elling of the animals which he was about to bring in would not be mixed

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ἀνθρώπου καιρὸν ἥκειν, τοῦ κατὰ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν οὕτω καλουμένου. Οὐδὲ <ματαίως> καὶ τὸ "6ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ"6 πρόσκειται· οὐδενὸς γὰρ γενητοῦ ὑπάρχει τὸ γνῶναι καιρόν, καθ' ὃν ἄξια πεποίηκέν τις τοῦ λοιπὸν ἀπογνωσθῆναι. Καὶ τοῦτό γε δεόντως οὐδεὶς οἶδεν γενητός· εἰ γὰρ ἐγίγνωσκον τὰς καρδίας, οὐδ' ἂν ἐβοήθουν ἀποστρεφόμενοι ταχέως τοὺς ἐν ἁμαρτίᾳ γεγενημένους. Μόνης γὰρ τῆς ἀγαθότητός ἐστιν τῆς ἀνυπερβλήτου, τῆς κ[α]τ' οὐσίαν ἀγαθότητος 171 τῆς μὴ μειουμένης, καὶ ὁρᾶν τὸ κρυπτὸν καὶ τὸν καιρὸν εἰδέναι. Εἰ δὲ καί τις γενητῶν ἐκ Θεοῦ μ[ε]τέχει ἀγαθό- τητος κατὰ διάθεσιν, ἀλλ' οὖν τὰς ἐπιβολὰ[ς] τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων καὶ τὰς αἰτίας ἀγνοεῖ, ἅσπερ πάσας εἰδὼς ὁ Θεὸς τὸν καιρὸν τῆς ἐπιτιμίας γιγνώσκει, διὸ εἴρηται "6ἐναντίον ἐμοῦ"6 καὶ "6ὅτι ἐπλήσθη ἡ γῆ ἀδικίας ἀπ' αὐ- τῶν"6. Εἰκότως δὲ καὶ τοῦτο εἴρηται· οὐ γὰρ ἄ[λ]λων ἁμαρτόντων ἐπ' αὐτοὺς ἡ τιμωρία ἔρχεται. ∆ῆ[λο]ν δὲ καὶ ἐκ τούτου ὡς οὐχ εἱμαρμένη αὐτοῖς ἐπήνε[γ]κεν τὸν τοιοῦτον θάνατον· ἐπεὶ γὰρ "6ἐπλήσθη"6 φησὶν "6[ἡ] γῆ ἀδικίας ἀπ' αὐτῶν"6, ὁ καιρὸς ἥκει, ὅσπερ οὐκ ἂν ἐνστήσῃ, [ε]ἰ μὴ ἡμάρτανον. ῃι, 13. Καὶ ἰδοὺ ἐ[γὼ] κ̣[ατ]αφθείρω αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν γῆν. Φιλανθρωπ[ία] κ̣αὶ ἀγαθότης Θεοῦ καὶ διὰ τούτων δηλοῦται προλέγοντ̣ο̣ς [τὸ] ἐσόμενον, ἵνα τῷ φόβῳ τῶν προσδοκωμένων̣ τ̣ὴ[ν] κακίαν ἀναστείλῃ, ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ Νινευειτῶν γέγονεν τοῦ προφήτου Ἰωνᾶ ἀκούσαντος· "6Ἔτι τρεῖς ἡμέραι καὶ Νινευὴ καταστραφήσεται"6. Ἀκολούθως οὖν καὶ τῷ δικαίῳ ταῦτα προλέγει καὶ προδιατάττει τὴν κιβωτὸν γενέσθαι, παντὸς κηρύγματος ἐναργέστερον πρὸς μετάνοιαν τὴν ταύτης κατασκευὴν προβαλλόμενος, φθείρειν δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ τὴν γῆν κατ- επαγγελεῖται, ἐπεὶ τούτου ἔχρῃζον. Εἴσι μὲν γὰρ ἐπιτιμίαι πολλαὶ πρὸς Θεοῦ διδό- μεναι ἐπὶ τῷ μετάγνωσιν γενέσθαι τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων· θέλε[ι] γὰρ πάντας ἀνθρώπους σωθῆναι καὶ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἐλθεῖν λέγων· "6Ποσάκις ἠθέλησα ἐπισυναγαγεῖν τὰ τέκνα σου, ὃν τρόπον ὄρνις ἐπισυνάγει τὰ νοσσία ὑπὸ τὰς πτέρυγας, καὶ οὐκ ἠθελή- 172 σατε"6. Ἀνάγκη γὰρ οὐ βιάζεται ἀγαθοὺς γενέσθαι, οὐδὲ γὰρ οἷόν τε· οὐκέτι γὰρ ἀγαθὸν τὸ τοιοῦτον. Ἐπὰν δὲ Θεὸς ὁ τὰ πάντα ἐπιστάμενος μετὰ πολλὰς τὰς νουθεσίας μὴ ἔχῃ ὑπακούοντα τὸν νουθετούμενον, τούτους, περὶ ὧν ὁ [λό]γος, καταφθείρει αὐτούς, καὶ τούτου κρίσει αὐτοῦ συμφέροντος. Συμφθείρεται δὲ καὶ ἡ γῆ-τουτέστιν τὰ ἐν τῇ γῇ, τοῦτο γὰρ σημαίνει τὰ νῦν ἡ γῆ-εἰκότως· τῶν γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ἀπολλυμέν[ων], ἔδει καὶ τὰ δι' αὐτοὺς συστάντα παραπόλεσθαι. Ἐπεὶ καὶ ζ[ωπύ]ρου πα<ρα>- καταλιμπανομένου διὰ τοῦ Νῶε καὶ τῶν σὺν αὐ[τ]ῷ, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων ὁμοίως ζώπυρα κατελείφθησ̣[α]ν̣. ῃι, 14-17. [Π]οίησον οὖν σεαυτῷ κιβωτὸν ἐ<κ> ξύλων τετραγώνων· ν[οσ]σ̣ι̣α`̣ς ποιήσ̣ε̣ι̣ς̣ τὴν κιβωτόν· καὶ ἀσφαλ- τώσεις αὐτὴν ἔσωθε[ν] καὶ [ἔ]ξωθεν τῇ ἀσφάλτῳ. Καὶ οὕτως ποιήσεις τὴν κιβωτό[ν]· τριακοσίων πήχεων τὸ μῆκος τῆς κιβωτοῦ καὶ πεντήκ̣[ο]ν̣τ[̣α] πήχεων τὸ πλάτος καὶ τριάκοντα πήχεων τὸ ὕψος αὐτῆς. Ἐπισυνάγων ποιήσεις τὴν κιβωτὸν καὶ εἰς πῆχυν συντελέσεις αὐτὴν ἄνωθεν· τὴν δὲ θύραν τῆς κιβωτοῦ ποιήσεις ἐκ πλαγίων. Κατάγαια διώροφα καὶ τριώροφα ποιήσεις αὐτῇ. Ἐγὼ δὲ ἰδοὺ ἐπάγω τὸν κατακλυσμόν, ὕδωρ ἐπὶ τὴν γῆν, καταφθεῖραι πᾶσαν σάρκα, ἐν ᾗ ἐστιν πνεῦμα ζωῆς ὑποκάτω τοῦ οὐρανοῦ· καὶ ὅσα ἐὰν ᾖ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς τελευτήσει. Πλείστην ἀκολουθίαν ἔχει τὸ ῥητόν, "6ἐκ ξύλων τετρα- γώνων"6 προσταττομένου ποιῆσαι τὴν κιβωτὸν τοῦ Νῶε, πρῶτον μὲν ἵνα μὴ καὶ πολὺς χρόνος καταναλίσκηται εἰς διαίρεσιν α̣υ᾿̣τ̣ω῀̣ν̣, ἔπειτα, ὅπερ καὶ ἀληθέστερόν ἐστιν, ἵν' ἐξ ὁλοκλή[ρ]ω̣ν ξ̣υ´̣λ̣ω̣ν̣ γινομένη ἀσφαλεστέρα τυγχάνῃ· ἔμελλεν γὰρ καὶ ὄρεσιν προσπελάζειν καὶ ζάλην οὐ μικρὰν ὑφίστασθαι, πρὸς ἅπερ οὐκ ἂν <ἀν>τεῖχεν, εἰ μὴ 173 ἐξ ὁλοκλήρων ξύλων κατεσκεύαστο. Χρησίμως̣ δὲ καὶ "6νοσσιὰς"6 γενέσθαι προστάττει, αἵπερ εἰσὶν χῶραι διῃρη- μέναι, δύο τούτων ἕνεκεν, πρός τε τὸ μὴ ἀναμὶξ εἶναι τὴν τῶν ζῴων [δι]ατριβήν, ὧν ἔμελλεν εἰσάγειν