The Flood Subsides

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. (C)The fountains of the deep and (D)the windows of the heavens were closed, the rain from the heavens was restrained, and the waters receded from the earth continually. At the end (E)of 150 days the waters had abated, and in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest on the mountains of (F)Ararat. 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.

At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had made and sent forth a raven. It went to and fro until the waters were dried up from the earth. Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground. 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

  1. Genesis 8:21 Or dishonor

The Waters Recede

God kept Noah in mind, along with all the wildlife[a] and livestock that were with him in the ark. God’s Spirit[b] moved throughout the earth, causing the flood waters to subside. The water sources from the ocean depths were blocked and the floodgates of the heavens were closed. Then the flood waters steadily receded,[c] diminishing completely by the end of the 150 days. The ark came to rest on the mountains of Ararat[d] on the seventeenth day of the seventh month. The flood water continued to recede until the tenth month, when, on the first of that month, the tops of the mountains could be seen.

After 40 days, Noah opened the window of the ark that he had built and sent out a raven. It went back and forth as the flood water continued to evaporate throughout the earth. Later, he sent a dove out from the ark[e] to see whether the water that covered the land’s surface had completely[f] receded, but the dove could not yet find a place to rest,[g] so it returned to Noah[h] on the ark, since water still covered the land. Noah reached out his hand and took the dove back[i] into the ark with him.

10 Noah[j] waited another seven days and sent the dove out from the ark again. 11 The dove returned to him in the evening, but in its beak there was an olive leaf that it had plucked! So Noah knew that the flood waters had decreased on the land. 12 He waited seven more days and sent the dove out again, but it did not return to him anymore.

13 In the six hundred and first year of Noah’s life,[k] during the first month, the flood water began to evaporate from the land. Noah then removed the ark’s cover and saw that the surface of the land was drying. 14 By the twenty-seventh day of the second month, the ground was dry.

The Lord’s Covenant

15 God spoke to Noah, 16 “It’s time for you, your wife, your sons, and your sons’ wives who are with you to leave the ark. 17 Bring out with you every living creature—including the flying creatures, animals, and everything that crawls on the ground—so they may disperse throughout the land, be fruitful, and multiply throughout the earth.” 18 So Noah, his sons, his wife, and his sons’ wives emerged. 19 Every animal, every crawling thing, every flying creature, and everything that moves on the earth emerged from the ark by groups.[l]

20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and offered burnt offerings on it[m] from every clean animal and every clean bird. 21 When the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, he told himself, “I will never again curse the land because of human beings—even though human inclinations remain evil from youth—nor will I destroy every living being ever again, as I’ve done.

22 “Never[n] again, as long as the earth exists,
    will sowing and harvest,
cold and heat,
    summer and winter,
        and day and night ever cease.”

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 8:1 I.e., non-domesticated animals, as opposed to domesticated livestock
  2. Genesis 8:1 Or wind
  3. Genesis 8:3 Lit. receded from the dry land
  4. Genesis 8:4 I.e. ancient Urartu
  5. Genesis 8:8 Lit. from his presence
  6. Genesis 8:8 The Heb. lacks completely
  7. Genesis 8:9 Lit. rest for its foot
  8. Genesis 8:9 Lit. him
  9. Genesis 8:9 Lit. took it
  10. Genesis 8:10 Lit. He
  11. Genesis 8:13 The Heb. lacks of Noah’s life
  12. Genesis 8:19 Lit. by their groups
  13. Genesis 8:20 Lit. on the altar
  14. Genesis 8:22 The Heb. lacks Never