The Water Goes Down
1 God did not forget about Noah and the animals with him in the boat. So God made a wind blow, and the water started going down. 2 God stopped up the places where the water had been gushing out from under the earth. He also closed up the sky, and the rain stopped. 3 For 150 days the water slowly went down. 4 Then on the seventeenth day of the seventh month of the year, the boat came to rest somewhere in the Ararat mountains. 5 The water kept going down, and the mountain tops could be seen on the first day of the tenth month.
6-7 Forty days later Noah opened a window to send out a raven, but it kept flying around until the water had dried up. 8 Noah wanted to find out if the water had gone down, so he sent out a dove. 9 Deep water was still everywhere, and when the dove could not find a place to land, it flew back to the boat. Then Noah held out his hand and helped it back in.
10 Seven days later Noah sent the dove out again. 11 It returned in the evening, holding in its beak a green leaf from an olive tree. Noah knew the water was finally going down. 12 He waited seven more days before sending the dove out again, and this time it did not return.
13 Noah was now 601 years old. And by the first day of that year, almost all the water had gone away. Noah made an opening in the roof of the boat and saw that the ground was getting dry. 14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the earth was completely dry.
15 God said to Noah, 16 “You, your wife, your sons, and your daughters-in-law may now leave the boat. 17 Let out the birds, animals, and reptiles, so they can mate and live all over the earth.” 18 After Noah and his family had left the boat, 19 the living creatures left in groups of their own kind.
The Lord's Promise for the Earth
20 Noah built an altar where he could offer sacrifices to the Lord. Then he offered on the altar one of each kind of animal and bird that could be used for a sacrifice. 21 The smell of the burning offering pleased the Lord, and he said:
Never again will I punish the earth for the sinful things its people do. All of them have evil thoughts from the time they are young, but I will never destroy everything that breathes, as I did this time.
22 As long as the earth remains,
there will be planting
and harvest,
cold and heat;
winter and summer,
day and night.
1 Now God remembred Noah and euery beast, and all the cattell that was with him in the Arke: therefore God made a winde to passe vpon the earth, and the waters ceased. 2 The fountaines also of the deepe and the windowes of heauen were stopped and the raine from heauen was restrained, 3 And the waters returned from aboue the earth, going and returning: and after the ende of the hundreth and fiftieth day the waters abated. 4 And in the seuenth moneth, in the seuenteenth day of the moneth, the Arke rested vpon the mountaines of Ararat. 5 And the waters were going and decreasing vntill the tenth moneth: in the tenth moneth, and in the first day of the moneth were the toppes of the mountaines seene. 6 So after fourtie dayes, Noah opened the windowe of the Arke, which he had made, 7 And sent forth a rauen, which went out going forth and returning, vntill the waters were dried vp vpon the earth. 8 Againe he sent a doue from him, that he might see if the waters were diminished from off the earth. 9 But the doue found no rest for the sole of her foote: therefore she returned vnto him into the Arke (for the waters were vpon the whole earth) and he put forth his hand, and receiued her, and tooke her to him into the Arke. 10 And he abode yet other seuen dayes, and againe he sent forth the doue out of the Arke. 11 And the doue came to him in ye euening, and loe, in her mouth was an oliue leafe that she had pluckt: whereby Noah knewe that the waters were abated from off the earth. 12 Notwithstanding he wayted yet other seuen dayes, and sent forth the doue, which returned not againe vnto him any more. 13 And in the sixe hundreth and one yeere, in the first day of the first moneth the waters were dryed vp from off the earth: and Noah remoued the couering of the Arke and looked, and beholde, the vpper part of the ground was drie. 14 And in the second moneth, in the seuen and twentieth day of the moneth was the earth drie. 15 Then God spake to Noah, saying, 16 Goe forth of the Arke, thou and thy wife, and thy sonnes and thy sonnes wiues with thee. 17 Bring forth with thee euery beast that is with thee, of all flesh, both foule and cattell, and euery thing that creepeth and moueth vpon the earth, that they may breede abundantly in ye earth, and bring forth fruite and increase vpon ye earth. 18 So Noah came forth, and his sonnes, and his wife, and his sonnes wiues with him. 19 Euery beast, euery creeping thing, and euery foule, all that moueth vpon the earth after their kindes went out of the Arke. 20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and tooke of euery cleane beast, and of euery cleane foule, and offered burnt offerings vpon the altar. 21 And the Lord smellled a sauour of rest, and the Lord said in his heart, I will hencefoorth curse the ground no more for mans cause: for the imagination of mans heart is euill, euen from his youth: neither will I smite any more all things liuing, as I haue done. 22 Hereafter seede time and haruest, and colde and heate, and sommer and winter, and day and night shall not cease, so long as ye earth remaineth.