Noah And The Great Flood

When Jehovah saw that men were growing more wicked in the world and that

their thoughts were always evil, he was greatly grieved and regretted

that he had made man. Therefore, Jehovah said, "I will completely

destroy all living beings from off the earth, for I regret that I have

made them."



But Noah had won Jehovah's favor. So Jehovah said to Noah, "I have

decided to put an end to all living beings, for t e earth is filled with

their wicked acts. I am going to destroy them from the earth. Make

yourself an ark of cypress wood. Build rooms in the ark, and cover it

within and without with pitch. This is how you shall build it: the ark

shall be five hundred feet long, eighty feet wide, and fifty feet high.

Make a roof for it and place the door on the side. Build it with lower,

second, and third stories. For I am about to bring floods of water upon

the earth to destroy every living creature in which is the breath of

life. Every creature that is on the earth shall die."



Then Jehovah said to Noah, "Enter with all your household into the ark,

for I see that of all the people who are now alive you alone are

upright. Of all the beasts that are fit for food and sacrifice you shall

take with you seven, the male and the female; but of the beasts that are

not fit for food and sacrifice two, the male and the female; and of the

wild birds that are fit for food and sacrifice seven, to keep each kind

alive on all the earth. After seven days I will send rain on the earth

for forty days and forty nights; and I will destroy every living thing

that I have made."



Then Noah did all that Jehovah commanded him. When the waters of the

flood came upon the earth, he, his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives,

together with the beasts that were fit for food and sacrifice and the

beasts that were not fit, and the birds, and everything that creeps upon

the ground, entered the ark because of the waters of the flood.



The rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights, and Jehovah

shut Noah in the ark. And the waters rose higher and higher and raised

up the ark, and it was lifted high above the earth. All creatures living

on the land died. Noah only was left and they who were with him in the

ark.



Then God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the animals that

were with him in the ark. And God caused a wind to blow over the earth,

and the flood went down, the rain from heaven ceased, and the waters

withdrew more and more from the land.



After forty days Noah opened the window of the ark and sent out a raven;

and it kept going to and fro until the waters were dried up on the

earth. He also sent out a dove to see if the waters had gone from the

surface of the earth. But the dove found no rest for her foot, and so

returned to him to the ark, for the waters covered the whole earth.

Therefore, Noah reached out his hand and took her and brought her back

into the ark.



Then he waited seven days longer and again sent out the dove from the

ark. And the dove came in to him at dusk; and in her mouth was a freshly

plucked olive-leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had gone from the

earth. And he waited seven days more and again sent out the dove, but it

did not return to him.



So Noah took off the covering of the ark and looked and saw that the

surface of the ground was dry. Then he, with his sons, his wife, and his

sons' wives, went out of the ark.



And Noah built an altar to Jehovah and took one of every beast and bird

that was fit for sacrifice and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. And

Jehovah said to himself, "I will never again condemn the ground because

of man, nor will I again destroy every living creature, as I have done.

While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and

winter, day and night, shall not cease."



And God said, "This is the sign of the solemn agreement that I make for

all time between me and you and every living creature that is with you:

I have placed my rainbow in the cloud and it shall be the sign of the

solemn agreement between me and the people who live on the earth.

Whenever I bring a cloud over the earth and the rainbow is seen in the

cloud, I will remember the agreement which is between me and you and

every living creature; and the waters shall never again become a flood

to destroy them."