Noah noticed from his youth up, how sin had multiplied, how wickedness prevailed; how generations of men perished, how sorrow increased, how righteous men diminished.

2Therefore did he afflict his soul; he restrained his members, and retained his virginity; and grieved over the rain wrought by the generations of men.

3And this Noah habitually mourned and wept and was of a sad countenance; and thus he held his soul in fasting, so that the enemy had no advantage over him, and did not come near him.

4This Noah also, ever since he was a child with his parents, (parents) never made them angry, never transgressed against them; nor ever did a thing without their advice.

5And when he was away from them, if he wished to pray or to do aught else; he would ask of God, to guide him aright therein; wherefore God watched over him.

6And while he was on the mountain, he did not transgress against God in any one evil thing, nor did he wilfully depart from what pleased God; neither did he ever anger God.

7Many were the wonderful things which happened to him, more than to any of his fathers before him, about the time of the Flood.

8And Noah continued in his virginity and in his obedience to God 500 years; yet after that it pleased God to raise him a seed; He therefore spake unto him, saying,

9"Arise, O Noah, and take unto thyself a wife, that of her thou mayest have children that may be a comfort to thee; for thou art left alone, and thou shalt go out of this country unto a strange land; for the earth shall be peopled with thy posterity."

10Then when Noah heard this from God, he did not transgress His commandment, yet took unto himself a wife, whose name was Haikal, the daughter of Abaraz, who was of the children of Enos's children, that went into perdition.

11And she bare unto him three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japhet.