heir discoveries on them both, that in case the pillar
of brick should be destroyed by the flood, the pillar of stone might
remain, and exhibit those discoveries to mankind; and also inform them
that there was another pillar of brick erected by them. Now this remains
in the land of Siriad to this day.

CHAPTER 3. Concerning The Flood; And After What Manner Noah Was Saved In
An Ark, With His Kindred, And Afterwards Dwelt In The Plain Of Shinar.

1. Now this posterity of Seth continued to esteem God as the Lord of the
universe, and to have an entire regard to virtue, for seven generations;
but in process of time they were perverted, and forsook the practices
of their forefathers; and did neither pay those honors to God which were
appointed them, nor had they any concern to do justice towards men. But
for what degree of zeal they had formerly shown for virtue, they now
showed by their actions a double degree of wickedness, whereby they
made God to be their enemy. For many angels[11] of God accompanied with
women, and begat sons that proved unjust, and despisers of all that was
good, on account of the confidence they had in their own strength; for
the tradition is, that these men did what resembled the acts of those
whom the Grecians call giants. But Noah was very uneasy at what they
did; and being displeased at their conduct, persuaded them to change
their dispositions and their acts for the better: but seeing they did
not yield to him, but were slaves to their wicked pleasures, he was
afraid they would kill him, together with his wife and children, and
those they had married; so he departed out of that land.

2. Now God loved this man for his righteousness: yet he not only
condemned those other men for their wickedness, but determined to
destroy the whole race of mankind, and to make another race that should
be pure from wickedness; and cutting short their lives, and making their
years not so many as they formerly lived, but one hundred and twenty
only,[12] he turned the dry land into sea; and thus were all these
men destroyed: but Noah alone was saved; for God suggested to him the
following contrivance and way of escape:--That he should make an ark of
four stories high, three hundred cubits[13] long, fifty cubits broad,
and thirty cubits high. Accordingly he entered into that ark, and
his wife, and sons, and their wives, and put into it not only other
provisions, to support their wants there, but also sent in wi