Once upon a time there was a man named Noah. He lived at a time when people on earth were often evil and did many bad things. This made God very sad. But Noah was different. He loved God and did what was right. That is why God was pleased with Noah.
God spoke to Noah and said, “I have decided to flood the earth with a great flood because people are so wicked. But I want to make a new beginning with you. Build yourself a large ark, a ship made of wood. Take your family and a male and a female from each animal into the ark so that they are safe.”
Noah listened carefully to what God told him. He immediately began work and built the ark out of solid wood, just as God had described it to him. That was a big task! The people who watched Noah wondered and perhaps laughed at him because they did not believe that a flood would come. But Noah trusted God and continued to work diligently.
When the ark was finished, Noah brought his wife, sons, and their wives inside. Then came the animals: elephants, giraffes, lions, birds, insects and many more! It was like a huge, living zoo in the Ark. After everyone was safely inside, God closed the door.
Then it started to rain. It rained and rained and rained – for 40 days and 40 nights. The whole earth was covered with water, but the ark floated safely on the water. Noah and the others waited patiently for the flood to pass, knowing that God was with them.
Finally, the rain stopped, and the water slowly began to sink. Noah sent out a raven to see if the land was dry again. Then he sent a dove. The second time, the pigeon came back with a fresh olive branch. Noah knew that the water had receded and that soon everything would be fine.
When the earth was dry, Noah left the ark with his family and animals. Full of gratitude, Noah built an altar and thanked God for his salvation. God promised Noah that He would never again bring such a flood upon the earth. As a sign of His promise, God placed the rainbow in the sky. Every time we see a rainbow, we can remember God’s promise.
Message of history
God loves us and cares for us. If we trust Him and do what is right, He will protect us—just like Noah and his family.
Bible passage
The story of Noah and the Ark spans several chapters in Genesis. Here are some of the central verses from Genesis 6-9 in the Slaughter 2000 translation:
Genesis 6:9-22:
“This is the story of Noah: Noah was a righteous, blameless man among his contemporaries; [er] walked with God. And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. But the earth was corrupt before God, and the earth was filled with iniquity. And God looked at the earth, and behold, it was corrupt; for all flesh had corrupted its way on earth. Then God said to Noah, “The end of all flesh is decreed with me; for the earth is full of iniquity because of it, and behold, I will destroy it with the earth. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood; you are to divide the ark into rooms and spoil it inside and outside with bad luck. And this is how you shall make it: 300 cubits be the length of the ark, 50 cubits its width, and 30 cubits its height. You shall make an opening for an ark, and [sie] a cubit made a large one above, and you shall set the door of the ark by its side. You should make them with a lower, second and third floor. For behold, I will bring the flood of water upon the earth, to destroy all flesh in which there is a breath of life under heaven; everything that is on the earth shall perish. But with you I will establish my covenant; and you shall go into the ark with your sons and your wife and with the wives of your sons. And of all that lives, of all flesh, you shall bring two of them into the ark, that they may live with you; they are supposed to be a male and a female. Of the birds after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of all the worms of the ground after their kind, of all of them a pair shall go in to you, that they may live. But you take of all the food that is eaten and gather it with you, that it may serve you and them as food. And Noah did it; he did everything exactly as God had commanded him.”
Genesis 7:1-5:
“And the Lord said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark, you and all your house; for I have found you righteous before me among this generation. Of all the clean animals, take seven pairs each, the male and his female, but from the animals that are not clean, one pair each, the male and his female; also of the birds of the air, seven pairs, males and females, so that their seed may live in all the earth. For from this day forward in seven days I will cause rain on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights; and I will destroy from the face of the earth every living thing that I have made. And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.”
Genesis 8:15-17:
“Then God spoke to Noah, saying, ‘Come out of the ark, you and your wife, and your sons, and your wives with you.’ Let all the animals that are with you go out with you, of all flesh, of birds and cattle, and of every creeping thing that moves on the earth; that they may stir on the earth, and be fruit, and multiply on the earth.”
Genesis 9:12-15:
“And God said, This is the sign of the covenant which I am establishing between me and you, and all living creatures that are with you, for everlasting generations: I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pass, when I bring clouds upon the earth, that the bow shall appear in the clouds, that I shall remember my covenant which exists between me and you and all living creatures of all flesh, that in the future the waters shall no longer become a flood to destroy all flesh.”
These excerpts provide an overview of the comprehensive narrative of how Noah builds the ark, survives the flood, and finally makes a covenant with God.
