"Bedtime Bible Stories"

From the Book of Genesis
Chapters 6-9

One of Adam's descendants was named
Noah. He had three boys of his own
named Shem, Ham and Japheth. Of all
the people in the world back then, only
Noah, his wife, his sons and their wives,

still obeyed the word of the Lord. Everyone else was
wicked and evil and laughed at God's orders.
God said, "I am sorry I made these people. I will
clean them off of the world, along with all of the
animals." However, God noticed Noah and his family and
did not want to destroy them. So God spoke to Noah and
told him, "I have decided to destroy all of mankind,
because they have filled the world with crime. What I
want you to do is to build a giant ship."
Noah listened as God told him exactly how to build
the giant ship which was to be called the Ark. God told
him the kind of wood to use and how high and long the
Ark was to be. He told him how to make it waterproof
and safe. He told him how to make windows and doors
for the Ark.
Then he told Noah why He was ordering him to do
all of this hard work. "I am going to cover all the earth
with a great flood," God told Noah. "Only you and your
family will survive inside the Ark. Along with you, you
are to bring a pair of every animal in the world, one male
and one female. Inside the Ark you will store all of the
food you and the animals will need to live during the
flood."
Noah was frightened, but he did exactly as the Lord
God Jehovah had commanded him. The evil people of the
world laughed at him as he and his sons worked on
building the Ark. They thought he was crazy to build a
ship when he didn't even live near an ocean.
Finally, the Lord spoke to Noah again. He told him
that it was time to load the ship. In one week he was
going to start the rain that would flood the world. It was
going to rain for 40 days and 40 nights. God spoke to the
animals. A male and female of each kind came and
climbed aboard the Ark because God told them to.
Then it began to rain. It rained harder and harder
until the water began to flood all of the oceans, rivers and
streams. The water overflowed the banks and began to
flood the land. The wicked people of the earth realized
that Noah had been right all along. It was too late for
them. As the waters began to rise and lift the Ark, God
reached down and shut the huge side door. Noah, his
wife, his sons and their wives were the only people in the
world who were safe from the floods.
After the 40 days and nights of rain, the sky
cleared. Noah and his family looked out of the windows
of the Ark. All they could see in all directions was water.
The entire world was covered with water. Even the
highest peak of the highest mountain was covered. Every
living thing, except Noah, his family and the animals in
the Ark had been drowned.
For 150 days the Ark floated on the waters that
covered the earth. Then God sent winds to blow across
the water and it began to dry up. The Ark came to rest on
the top of a mountain that was sticking out of the water.
The mountain was called Mount Ararat.
After three months, the water had gone down
further and Noah could see other mountain peaks in the
distance. After waiting 40 more days, Noah opened a
window of the Ark. He sent a dove out the window to see
if she could find some dry land somewhere. Before
nightfall, the tired dove returned to the Ark. She had
found no dry land.
A week later, Noah sent the dove out again. Before
nightfall, the dove returned. But this time she had a small
branch from an olive tree in her beak. Noah knew that
there must be dry land somewhere on the earth again. The
next day, when the dove flew away again, she did not
return. Noah knew she must have found a new home
somewhere on dry land.
Noah waited 29 more days. Then he opened the big
side door of the Ark. The water was gone from Mount
Ararat. In 8 more weeks, the land had dried. God spoke to
Noah once again and said, "You may all come out of the
Ark. Release all of the animals so they can go and
multiply and fill the earth again. "
Before Noah and his family left Mount Ararat, they
built an altar and gave thanks to God. Jehovah was
pleased with Noah and the great job he had done for the
Lord. He told Noah and his family to go out into the
world and have many children so the earth would be filled
with people again.
Then God made a promise to Noah. "I will never
again destroy the world with a flood. As a sign of this, I
will set my bow in the sky to show you I will remember
my promise forever."
And across the sky appeared a bow of beautiful
colors which can still be seen today. Noah called it a
rainbow, the sign of God's promise.