|
After Noah and his family and all the birds and
animals were safely inside the ark they waited for God to keep his promise. For seven days they waited. Then as God had
said, The flood began.
The rain began to fall. Drop, drop, and drop! It rained, rained and rained-for forty days and forty nights. Water began to
cover the grass. Then the small trees were swallowed up in the floods. The animals and creatures that God had put upon the
earth all died. Soon the houses and the towns and villages disappeared under the water. There was no hope for the people who
lived in them. There was no place for them to go.
Still the floods came. Even the highest mountain and tallest trees were covered with water. The whole earth looked like the
ocean.
The ark floated on top of the water. God was taking care of Noah just as he had promised he would. Inside Noah and his
family were tossed about, but they were not afraid because they knew that God was with them.
At last the rain stopped. But Noah had to stay in the ark for many more days until the water had gone down. The winds began
to blow and dry up the water. The warm sun began to shine. The water was lower and lower each day. Finally, the ark came to
rest on top of Mount Ararat.
Noah opened the window of the ark and sent out a raven to see if the water had dried up. he also sent out a dove. When the
dove came back, Noah knew that he must stay in the ark a little longer.
Seven days later, Noah sent out dove again, but it did not return at once. All day Noah and his family waited for the dove
to come back. When it was evening, the bird flew back with a leafy branch in its beak. Noah knew that the trees were
appearing and that the land would soon be dry.
The next time Noah sent out the dove, it did not returned at all because it found dry land at last. Noah opened the door of
the ark when he heard God saying: "Noah! Take your wife, your sons and their wives, and all the birds and animals out of the
ark. Your family will be the first of a new generation. The children of your sons will have children and their children will
have children also."
It was a happy day for Noah and his family. How glad they were to be on dry land again! |
