THE FLOOD.

: Old Testament Stories

About fifteen hundred years had passed since Cain slew Abel, during

which time man had become more and more wicked. At length God saw

"that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every

imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually."

Then God said, "I will destroy man whom I have created from the face

of the earth."



But one man was righteous and served God. His name was
Noah. God told

him that the world would be drowned by a flood because of the

wickedness of the people, and commanded him to build a great ark to

float upon the waters. In this ark God promised to preserve alive Noah

and his family; and also two of each of every living thing on the

earth--animals, birds, and creeping things. All the rest were to die.



Noah built the ark as God commanded. It took him a great many years,

during which time the people were warned to forsake their sins and

turn to God, but they did not do so. At last the ark was finished, and

Noah, with his wife, and his sons with their wives, and the animals,

birds, and creeping things, as God had commanded, all entered into it.

What a long procession it must have been! Then God shut them in, and

they dwelt in safety while the rain came down, and the waters rose up

and covered the earth. All were drowned except those in the ark.



A year afterwards, when the waters were dried up, Noah, and all that

had been with him, left the ark. Then Noah built an altar, and offered

sacrifices to God, in thankfulness for God's goodness to him and his

family.



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