The Story

When the ark was finished, God told Noah to come into the ark with his whole family, because Noah was righteous before Him. The animals came too, just as God had said — and then something wonderful happened: "the LORD shut him in". God Himself closed the door. Noah and his family were safe inside because God had shut them in.

Then the rain began. It rained for forty days and forty nights, and great fountains of water burst up from under the earth as well. The waters rose higher and higher until they covered even the tops of the highest mountains. The ark floated on top of the water, and everything living outside the ark died. Inside were Noah, his wife, his three sons and their wives, and all the animals God had saved.

The waters stayed on the earth for a long, long time. But God had not forgotten the family inside the boat. The Bible says "God remembered Noah". God made a wind pass over the earth, and the waters began to go down. At last the ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat, and later the tops of other mountains could be seen.

Noah sent out a raven, and then a dove, to see if the ground was dry. The first time, the dove found nowhere to rest and came back. The second time, she returned with a special sign: "in her mouth was an olive leaf". Noah waited a little longer, and when the dove did not return, he knew the earth was dry. Then God told Noah to come out of the ark with his family and all the animals.

The first thing Noah did on the dry ground was build an altar and thank God. God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to fill the earth again. Then God made a promise to every living creature: never again would a flood destroy the whole earth. And God gave a sign for His promise — a beautiful bow of colours in the clouds. Every rainbow still reminds us that God always keeps His promises.