Noah, his family, and all the animals were safe inside the ark. The door was closed by God's own hand. Outside, people continued their lives normally, not believing anything would happen.

Seven days passed since the ark's door was closed. The sky remained blue and clear. People laughed even more at Noah. "See? Nothing is going to happen!" they mocked.

But God had spoken the truth. On the seventh day, everything changed.

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of heaven were opened.

Rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

At first, people were not worried. "It's just a heavy rain," they said. But the rain did not stop. It fell harder and harder, more and more intense. It was unlike any rain they had ever seen. It came from the heavens and sprang from the earth itself.

The streets began to flood. Houses were inundated. Rivers overflowed. The water rose and rose without stopping.

People began to be afraid. They ran to the ark, pounding on the door, shouting: "Noah! Noah! Open the door! Let us in!"

But the door was closed by God. It was too late. For years, Noah had warned, but no one wanted to listen.

The waters increased and lifted the ark, which rose above the earth. The waters swelled and increased greatly upon the earth, and the ark floated upon the waters.

The waters swelled so much upon the earth that they covered all the high mountains that exist under heaven. Fifteen cubits above them rose the waters, after having covered the mountains.

All beings of flesh that move upon the earth perished: birds, domestic animals, beasts, and everything that crawls upon the earth, as well as all mankind. Everything that had the breath of life in its nostrils, everything that was on dry land, died.

All beings that were upon the face of the earth were destroyed, from mankind to animals, both reptiles and birds of the air; all were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah remained, and those who were with him in the ark.

The waters covered the earth for one hundred and fifty days.

Inside the ark, Noah and his family were safe and dry. The animals remained calm, as if God Himself calmed them. There were no fights between predators and prey. It was as if a little piece of paradise was inside.

Every day, Noah and his sons cared for the animals, giving them food and water. Their wives helped prepare meals and keep everything organized. It was a lot of work, but they were grateful to be alive.

Outside, only the sound of rain hitting the roof and waves rocking the ark could be heard. There were no more human voices, no more sounds of cities. Only silence and water.

Noah looked through the window and saw only water in all directions. There was no land in sight. But he was not afraid, because he knew God was in control.

God remembered Noah, and all the animals and all the domestic animals that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind blow over the earth, and the waters subsided.

The fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven were closed, and the rain from heaven was restrained. The waters withdrew from upon the earth, going back and forth. At the end of one hundred and fifty days, the waters had decreased.

In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark came to rest upon the mountains of Ararat.

The waters continued to decrease until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains appeared.

Noah felt when the ark touched solid ground. After months of floating, they were finally still! But there was still water everywhere. When would it be safe to leave?

At the end of forty days, Noah opened the window he had made in the ark, and sent forth a raven, which went back and forth until the waters had dried up from the earth.

Then he sent forth the dove to see if the waters had decreased from the face of the earth. The dove, however, found no place to rest, and returned to him, to the ark, because the waters still covered the surface of all the earth. Noah, extending his hand, took it and brought it back to himself in the ark.

He waited another seven days, and again sent forth the dove out of the ark. In the evening the dove returned to him, carrying in its beak a green olive branch. Noah knew that the waters had subsided upon the earth.

What joy Noah felt seeing that green branch! There was life outside! Plants were growing again!

He waited another seven days, and sent forth the dove, which did not return to him again.

In the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first day of the month, the waters had dried upon the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ark, and saw that the surface of the earth was dry.

In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

Then God spoke to Noah:

Noah went out of the ark, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives. All the animals, all the reptiles, and all the birds, everything that moves upon the earth, went out of the ark according to their kinds.

What joy to leave after so long! To breathe fresh air, feel the sun on their faces, step on solid ground! The animals ran, jumped, flew, happy to be free. The earth was clean, washed, ready for a new beginning.

Noah built an altar to the Lord; he took some of all clean animals and all clean birds and offered burnt offerings upon the altar.

The Lord smelled the sweet aroma and said to Himself:

God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth."

God also said to Noah and his sons:

And God said:

"When I gather the clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, I will remember My covenant with you and with all living animals, with all flesh, and the waters of the flood shall no longer spread to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will look at it to remember the eternal covenant between God and all living beings, with all flesh that is upon the earth."

Noah and his family looked to the sky and saw that wonder: bright colors arching across the sky, from purple to red, passing through blue, green, yellow, and orange. It was the first rainbow, and it was God's promise that He would never again destroy the earth with a flood.

Every time we see a rainbow, we can remember God's promise to Noah and all humanity. God is faithful to His promises!