Noah

God made heaven and earth. He made the flowers, the trees and the animals.

God was pleased with everything he had made.

God also made people. But the people were wicked and their thoughts were evil. They quarrelled with each other, and they killed each other.

Noah was a good man, but the other people were very evil.

God said to Noah, “Build a boat for yourself. I am going to destroy every living being. Everything on the earth will die. But your whole family must go into the boat. You must also take birds and animals of every kind into the boat. Take along all kinds of food for you and for them.”

Noah did everything as God has said. Noah built a boat.

Noah and his whole family went into the boat. With them went a male and a female of every kind of animal, domestic and wild, large and small, and of every kind of bird.

Rain fell on the earth for forty days and forty nights.

The flood continued and the water became deeper.

The water covered the highest mountains. Many days passed before the water began to sink away.

The water kept going down and the tops of the mountains appeared.

The water kept going down. Then Noah sent out a dove. But the dove did not find a place to rest, and it flew back to the boat.

Noah waited another seven days and sent out the dove again. The dove came back to him in the evening with a fresh olive leaf in its beak. So Noah knew the water had gone down.

Then he waited another seven days and sent out the dove once more. This time the dove did not come back.

Now the earth was completely dry. God said to Noah, “Go out of the boat, you and your whole family. Also, take all the birds and animals out with you.”

Noah wanted to thank God. He made an altar of stone. On it he made a fire. He gave God animals and birds.

God was pleased and said, “Never again will I let it happen. Never again will a flood destroy the earth. Whenever a rainbow appears in the clouds, it will always show that a flood will never again destroy all living beings. That is the sign on my promise to you.”

Genesis 6:9-8:22

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