Noah and the flood

The earth slowly filled with people. And little by little, they stopped obeying God. They did mean and harmful things. That made God very sad. He said, “I am going to start over. I am going to wipe out all the people except for Noah and his family.” Noah was a godly man. He walked faithfully with God, and God was pleased with him. Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham and Japheth. God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to everyone. But I will save your life and the lives of your wife, your sons and their wives. You must build an ark out of cypress wood. Make rooms in it. Cover it with tar on the inside and the outside. I will also save the animals and birds, so you have to take them into the ark with you.” Noah began working on the ark. He did everything just as God had told him. The ark was very big. It had three storeys. There was a roof and a door on one side of the ark. Noah stored food for his family and for all the animals in the ark.

When the ark was built, God said, “Go into the ark with your whole family. Take seven pairs of every kind of clean animal with you into the ark. Take one pair of every kind of unclean animal as well.

Also, take seven pairs of every kind of bird. After the flood, the animals and birds can spread out over the earth and fill the earth again.” In those days, people were only allowed to offer certain animals to the Lord. They were called ‘clean’ animals. All the other animals were called ‘unclean’. Then God said, “Seven days from now I will send rain. It will rain for 40 days and 40 nights.” Noah and his family went into the ark. Then the animals and birds came to the ark. All of them entered the ark. When everyone was inside, the Lord shut the door of the ark. Then it began to rain. It rained continually for 40 days and 40 nights. The rivers overflowed. There was so much water that the ark began to float. The water rose even higher, and soon the houses and trees couldn’t be seen any more. The water rose until it covered everything, even the tops of the mountains. All the people and animals drowned.

But Noah, his family and the animals the Lord had sent him were safe. The Lord kept them safe in the ark.

Genesis 6 and 7