Gen 7 | EE | STEP | Then the LORD said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark (large boat) with your wife and family. I have found you to be righteous in these times.’

Genesis 7

God destroys his creatures

1 Then the LORD said to Noah, ‘Go into the ark (large boat) with your wife and family. I have found you to be righteous in these times.’ ^{▼▼7:1 Righteous means that God sees Noah as someone who does what is right. At that time, Noah was telling people that God was going to destroy the earth. Noah told them that they must stop doing wrong. But the people would not listen to him.}

2 God said ‘Take 7 of every different clean animal. Take a male and a female together. Take 2 of every different unclean animal. Take a male and a female together. 3 Take 7 of every kind of bird. Take males and females. Do this so that they will have young ones again. Then the different animals and birds will not die. ^{▼▼7:3 Clean animals are animals that God accepts as a sacrifice. Unclean animals are those that God does not accept as a sacrifice. God told Noah to take more clean animals so that Noah could make sacrifices to God.}

4 In 7 days, I will send rain down to the earth. It will rain for 40 days and 40 nights. I will destroy every living thing that I have made on the earth.’

5 Noah did everything that God told him.

6 Noah was 600 years old when God sent the rain to cover the earth with water. 7 Noah and his wife went into the boat. And his sons and their wives went into it. They all went into the boat to be safe from the water that would cover the earth. 8 Pairs of clean and unclean animals came to Noah. Also, pairs of birds and pairs of all the animals that move across the ground came to him. 9 Both males and females came to Noah and went into the ark. Everything happened as God had told Noah. 10 After 7 days had passed, God sent the waters to cover the earth. ^{▼▼7:10 God told the animals to go to Noah. God did not destroy those animals that went into the ark. Noah and his family listened to God. And they did what he told them. And God kept them safe.}

11 On the 17th day of the 2nd month all the water below the earth came up and covered the earth. All the water in the heavens came down on the earth. At that time, Noah was 600 years old. 12 Rain fell on the earth for 40 days and 40 nights.

13 On the day that the rains began, Noah and his sons went into the boat with their wives. (Noah’s sons are Shem, Ham and Japheth.) 14 With them was every different wild animal and every different livestock animal. They also had with them every kind of animal that moves along the ground, and every different kind of bird and flying thing. 15 Pairs of every animal alive came to Noah and went into the boat. ^{▼▼7:15 The things that lived in the sea were safe in the waters. (See 1:21-25.)}

16 The animals were male and female of every different animal. This happened as the LORD told Noah. Then Noah went into the boat and God shut the door.

17 For 40 days, the waters came on the earth. More water came and lifted the boat high above the ground.

18 The waters rose and covered the earth. The boat was safe on top of the water. 19 More water came and covered every high mountain on the earth. 20 And even more water came. It covered all the mountains. The water was more than 20 feet higher than the top of the mountains. 21 Everything still living on the earth died. Birds, livestock and wild animals died. Every animal that moved across the ground died. All the people living on the earth died. 22 Everything that was alive on the dry land died. 23 Every living thing on the earth died. Men and animals died. The animals that move across the ground and the birds of the air died. God destroyed all of them. Only Noah and his family, and the animals that were in the boat stayed alive.

24 The waters covered the earth for 150 days.