Noah's Ark and the Rainbow

Long after Adam and Eve, the world had filled up with people, and many of them had turned away from God. They hurt each other and did evil things all the time. God was very sad to see the world he had made so full of violence.

But one man, Noah, was good and stayed close to God. So God told Noah his plan. A great flood was coming. God told Noah to build an ark, an enormous wooden boat, and to coat it inside and out to keep the water out. Noah did everything God told him.

Then God told Noah to bring his family, his wife, his three sons and their wives, into the ark, along with animals of every kind, a male and a female of each, and food for them all. Then God shut the door.

The rain fell for forty days, and the water rose higher and higher until it covered even the mountains. Many people and animals died in the flood. It was very sad. But inside the ark, Noah's family and the animals were safe, because God had not forgotten them.

After many months the water began to go down, and the ark landed high in the Ararat mountains. Noah sent out a dove. The first time it came back, because there was nowhere to land. The second time it came back with a fresh olive twig in its beak! The third time it didn't come back at all. The earth was drying out.

When God told them, Noah's family and the animals came out. Noah built an altar and thanked God.

Then God made a promise, called a covenant, with Noah and every living thing: he would never again send a flood to destroy the whole earth. As a sign of his promise, God placed a rainbow in the clouds. Whenever we see a rainbow, we can remember that God keeps his promises.