Genesis 8
English Standard Version
The Flood Subsides
8 But God (A)remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the livestock that were with him in the ark. And (B)God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided. 2 (C)The fountains of the deep and (D)the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, 3 and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end (E)of 150 days the waters had abated, 4 and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of (F)Ararat. 5 And the waters continued to abate until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.
6 At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made 7 and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. 8 Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 9 But the dove found no place to set her foot, and she returned to him to the ark, for the waters were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took her and brought her into the ark with him. 10 He waited another seven days, and again he sent forth the dove out of the ark. 11 And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days and sent forth the dove, and she did not return to him anymore.
13 In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried from off the earth. And Noah removed the covering of the ark and looked, and behold, the face of the ground was dry. 14 In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth had dried out. 15 Then God said to Noah, 16 “Go out from the ark, (G)you and your wife, and your sons and your sons' wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh—birds and animals and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth—that they may swarm on the earth, and (H)be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife and his sons' wives with him. 19 Every beast, every creeping thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out by families from the ark.
God's Covenant with Noah
20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took some of every clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 And when the Lord smelled (I)the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again (J)curse[a] the ground because of man, for (K)the intention of man's heart is evil from his youth. (L)Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done. 22 (M)While the earth remains, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, (N)day and night, shall not cease.”
Footnotes
- Genesis 8:21 Or dishonor
Genesis 8
The Voice
8 But God remembered Noah and all of the wild and domesticated animals with him in the ark. When it was time, God sent the wind to blow over all of the earth, and the waters began to subside. 2 The subterranean waters from the depths of the earth and the casements of the heavens were again closed. The drenching rains that once fell from above finally stopped. 3 All of the waters gradually receded from the land. At last, after 150 days, the waters abated; 4 and on the 17th day of the 7th month, the ark at last came to rest on the mountains of Ararat. 5 The waters continued to recede until the 10th month. On the 1st day of the 10th month, the tops of the mountains began to appear.
6 After 40 more days, Noah opened a window he had built into the ark, 7 and he sent one of the ravens out into the sky. The raven flew back and forth until all of the waters had dried up on the land. 8 He then sent out a dove to see if the waters had subsided from the surface of the land. 9 But the dove found no place to land safely, and it returned to the ark. The waters were still covering the surface of the whole earth. So Noah put out his hand and brought the dove back into the ark. 10 Noah waited another seven days, and then he sent the dove out again from the ark. 11 This time the dove came back to him in the evening, and there, in its beak, was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew then that the waters had begun to retreat from the land. 12 For good measure, Noah waited another seven days. Once more, he sent out the dove. This time, it didn’t return.
13 On the 1st day of the 1st month in Noah’s 601st year, the waters had dried up from the land. Noah removed the covering of the ark, looked out, and saw that the land was nearly dry. 14 By the 27th day of the 2nd month, the earth was completely dry. 15 God came to Noah with a message.
Eternal One (to Noah): 16 It’s time. Leave the ark now, you and your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives. 17 Release every animal with you on the ark—everything of flesh: birds, animals, and every creeping thing—so that they may be fruitful, multiply in great numbers, and fill the land and the sky again.
18 So Noah left the ark with his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives. 19 And every animal, every small creeping thing, and every bird—everything that moves on the earth—left the ark with him as new families—a new generation.
20 Once he was back on dry land, Noah built an altar—a special offering table—for the Eternal One. He took some of every ritually acceptable animal and of every acceptable bird, and he gave them to God on the altar as a burnt offering. 21 When the Eternal smelled the delicious aroma of the sacrifice, He was moved.
Eternal One (to Himself): Never again will I curse the ground because of humankind, even though every thought of the mind and inclination of the heart is set on evil from the time they are young. Never again will I destroy every living creature as I have done. 22 As long as the earth endures, nothing will put a stop to planting and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night.
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.