Summary

God saw that the world was filled with wickedness. People were hurting one another and acting badly. God regretted creating humans and decided to destroy all of them. However there was one person who found favor with God, and his name was Noah. Noah was a righteous person in his generation. He walked with God.

God spoke to Noah, telling him that humanity was going to be wiped out because of its wickedness. God told Noah that he needed to create a great ship, an ark, made out of gopher wood. On this humongous ship Noah was to bring male and female of every type of animal – birds, reptiles, cattle, insects. God said to bring seven pairs of pure and unclean animals, and 1 pair of unclean animals. God said that a great flood would be coming, so Noah also needed to load enough food for all his family, which included his wife, his sons Shem, Ham, and Japhet, and their wives, and for all the animals. God said that in seven days it would begin to rain for 40 days and 40 nights. Everything not on the ark would die.

Seven days later the rain began, and as God had said, it rained for 40 days and 40 nights. The earth was filled with water, covering the highest mountains. The ark, containing Noah’s family and all of the animals, drifted alone in the world.

For 150 days the world was covered in water. God remembered Noah, and sent a great wind, making the water recede. After another 150 days the ark came to rest on the top of Mt. Ararat. Forty days later Noah opened the window of the ark and sent out a raven which flew around, waiting for the land to appear. Then Noah sent out a dove to see if there was any dry land, but it too returned to the ark, finding nowhere to rest.

Seven days later Noah sent the dove out again. It returned with an olive branch in its beak! After another seven days, Noah again sent out the dove, and that bird never returned. Noah now knew that there was dry land and it was safe to leave the ark.

God told Noah to leave the ark, bringing out his family and all the animals that were alive on the great boat. God said that all of the animals must go and be fertile and increase on earth. Noah left the ark, and built an offer where he offered up a thanksgiving sacrifice to God. God said that never again will humanity be wiped out.

God blessed Noah and his sons, telling them be be fruitful repopulate the earth. God also said that humans can eat animals and plants, but are not allowed to eat an animal that is still alive. God also said that it is forbidden to shed a person’s blood, because they were created in God’s image.

God then made a covenant with Noah and all of humanity and every living creature, that never again will God destroy the earth because of the way people acted. God created a rainbow to be a reminder of that covenant between God and all that lives on earth.