There was a time long ago when the world had become a wicked place, there were wars and
murders, there was robbing in Bernion, conquering armies ravaged the land, and families lived
in the shadow of violence, greed and selfishness were everywhere, and there was a meanness
of spirit in people that made them evil and cruel. Now one day, God looked down on the
earth from up in heaven. He saw that the beautiful place he had made was full of violence
and hate, and that it was people who had made the world such an evil place, and it built
into his heart. In his anger, God said in a voice of thunder, I will destroy all those whom I have
created. But in that dark time, there was one good righteous man named Noah who lived with his wife
and three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth, and their wives. Noah and his family tended their
animals with care and love, and in all things they obeyed the laws of God. This is the story
of Noah and his family, and of the great thing they did at the dawn of time.
But the Lord remembered Noah and said, You have found a favor in my sight. You and your
family will be spared. And then God told Noah what he must do.
The Lord said, I will cause a great flood to happen, and everything that is on the earth shall
die. You must make an ark, and this is how you are to make it. The length of the ark shall be 450
feet, its width 75 feet, and its height 45 feet. Make a sturdy roof for the ark and set a great
door in the side. Noah proceeded to do exactly as the Lord had commanded. He and his sons
journeyed into the forest and cut logs of cypress wood. They brought the logs back and measured them
and cut them into lengths according to God's instructions. Noah and his sons sawed the wood
and hammered the pegs. The sound of hammers and the singing of soles and the sweet smell of cypress
wood filled the air. Slowly the ark began to take shape under the hands of Noah and his sons.
Months went by, and the wooden skeleton of a great ship rose in the midst of Noah's fields. It was so
wide it covered an entire vineyard. It stood so high that the top of it could be seen from miles
away. Passing caravans would leave their trails to see the great vessel being built, and people
laughed at Noah for building an ark on dry ground. Noah and his sons kept on with their labor until
the day came when the great ark was finished.
And it was a great ark, high and wide, thick and strong.
Then once more God spoke to Noah, in seven days I will send the great flood, and here is what I want
of you. Take with you into the ark two of every living thing, great or small, that walks or creeps
or flies. Take two of each, male and female, so all can survive and replenish the earth.
The animals obeyed God's call and came from all corners of the earth.
The beasts, birds, and other creatures of the earth made their way toward the ark,
and the species were without number, and the procession was without end.
Now the Lord said to Noah, take food for you and your family, and for each kind of animal according to its needs, store it inside the ark so each will have enough to eat and drink for a long time.
And when they had finished collecting all the food and water, Noah and his wife, his sons, and their wives all climbed aboard, stored their belongings, and made ready.
When all was finished, Noah looked out on the world from the door of the ark, and then the animals came.
In swarms, in packs, in droves, in herds and flocks, from every quarter they descended on Noah's fields and stopped at the door of the great ship.
For seven days, the parade of animals made their way up the wooden ramp and into the ark.
Two by two, creatures all, large and small, foul and clean, good and mean, fierce and tame, in they came,
pair by pair, gross and fair, all that walked, crawled, or stalked on dry earth found a birth.
A place was there for every species and type, and still the procession continued in an endless stream.
And on the seventh day, two creatures of every kind on earth were safely on board the ark, down to the smallest insect.
The world of God's creatures was contained in Noah's great ark.
When at last the work was done, and all the creatures were settled in perches and stalls, clouds darkened the sky.
Noah lifted the ropes attached to the great doors of the ark and pulled with all his strength, slowly they swung shut.
And then the windows of the heavens opened and the rains began to fall.
Lightly at first, the rains fell as though nothing more than a summer shower.
The rains increased, creating puddles that grew into ponds.
The ponds grew into lakes, and the lakes overflowed into streams.
The streams swelled into rivers, and the rivers grew into raging torrents that flowed over the earth, until they formed a vast flood that swept away everything in its path.
Now the full force of the flood pounded the earth, uprooting trees and destroying everything in its fury.
The flood waters rose and lifted the huge ark off the land, until it floated on a sea of destruction.
The rising tide continued without stop.
This was the flood that the Lord had ordained, which would destroy all life on earth.
All that was inside the ark was safe, but everything on land, with a breath of life, perished.
The flood waters rose higher still, until even the highest mountains were covered.
The world submerged under the waters of devastation was silent, gone were the evil ways that had brought on the flood.
All was still beneath the endless world of water.
In that eerie calm, there was only peace.
But high above the earth, the rains continued.
It rained for forty days and forty nights.
The animals huddled in their births and were frightened.
But God remembered Noah and made a wind blow over the earth, and the seas grew calm.
Noah and his family tended to each of the animals in the ark, giving each one food according to its kind.
But Noah did not allow one animal to prey on another.
With only two of each, the ark was no place for devouring each other.
The elephants, lions, and other creatures of the jungle were restless in their cramped quarters.
The birds missed the air and sky, the land animals their hills and mountains.
Noah and his family cared for them, and the creatures responded with the coos and howls, the squawks and growls that was their language.
At last, the sun broke through the clouds and blessed the quietly drifting ark with its warmth, and life renewed itself on board the ark.
Noah and his family went back to the ark.
But God remembered Noah and made a wind blow over the earth, and the seas grew calm.
Noah looked down into the water and saw a welcome sight, dolphins and whales and all the other creatures of the deep, and Noah knew then that whatever lived in water had survived.
Days turned into weeks, and weeks into months, and still the waters prevailed over the earth.
At night, the only sounds were the endless waters lapping at the sides of the ark, the creaking of her decks and timbers, and the cries of the animals that come to life after dark.
But for Noah, there was neither rest nor peace. Would the journey never end? Would the waters never recede?
In the seventh month, the ark came to rest on the top of Mount Ararat.
Noah looked out. The ark was surrounded by water still, but now, all around, the tops of mountains could be seen.
So Noah opened the window of the ark and sent forth a raven.
He also sent forth a dove to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the earth.
The raven was never seen again. The dove flew far and wide and could find no place to set her foot.
So she returned to the ark. She bore no signs of new growth on the land, so Noah returned her to her perch.
He waited another seven days and again sent the dove out of the ark, and again she spread her wings and flew out over the waters.
Then, just as the sun was setting, the dove reappeared in the sky, and as she neared, Noah saw that she held in her beak a freshly plucked olive leaf, so Noah knew that life had once again returned to the earth.
So, as she was returning to the ark, Noah saw that she had been able to see the earth.
With time, a new world emerged from beneath the waters.
From the deck of the ark, Noah could see mountains and hills and solid ground on which to set foot, and he knew that the time had come to leave the ark.
So, as she was returning to the ark, Noah saw that she had been able to see mountains and hills and solid ground on which to set foot, and he knew that the time had come to leave the ark.
And God spoke to Noah and said, Go forth from the ark, you and your family.
Set free every living thing that is with you, birds and animals and every creeping thing,
that they may breed abundantly and multiply upon the earth.
And Noah with his sons released all the animals.
Each went its own way, wandering off to build a new home.
And Noah with his sons released all the animals.
Each went its own way, wandering off to build a new home.
And Noah with his sons released all the animals.
Each went its own way, wandering off to build a new home.
And Noah with his sons released all the animals.
Noah watched all the creatures that had been entrusted to his care,
make their way into a reborn world.
Noah watched all the creatures that had been entrusted to his care,
make their way into a reborn world.
And Noah and his family left the great and mighty ark
that has served them and the animals so well
during the weeks and months of the flood.
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And God said to Noah,
Here is my promise to you.
Never again will I curse the earth
because of man.
Neither will I ever again destroy
every living creature
as I have done.
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I set my bow in the clouds
and it shall be a sign
of that promise.
Whenever I bring clouds over the earth
and the bow is seen in the clouds
I will remember my promise
to you and all creatures.
From this time forward
seed time and harvest
summer and winter
day and night shall not cease.
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Noah's family offered
thanks.
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And Noah planted
a vineyard.
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