Noah stood at the edge of the ark, staring out at a world that had long forgotten its Maker. The skies were still, eerily calm, as if the earth itself was holding its breath. Then came the voice—clear, powerful, and final.
"Noah," the Lord said, "enter the ark, you and your entire household. Among all the people of this generation, I have found you righteous."
Without hesitation, Noah obeyed. He began gathering the animals, just as God instructed. Seven pairs of every clean animal, both male and female. Two pairs of each unclean kind. Birds of the sky in sevens as well—each pair fluttering nervously, sensing a change in the air. The purpose was clear: to preserve life, to give the earth a second chance.
"In seven days," the Lord warned, "I will send rain upon the land for forty days and forty nights. I will wipe from the face of the earth every living thing I have made."
Noah moved with urgency. Though he was six hundred years old, strength filled his limbs like fire. His sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—worked alongside him, their wives beside them. All knew something unspeakable was coming. The earth had mocked Noah's obedience for years, but now, the time of mercy was closing.
The ark's vast wooden frame stood tall and silent as the animals arrived in pairs, guided by instinct—or by something divine. They marched, crawled, flew, and slithered into the ark. Clean and unclean, wild and tame, great and small. Each entered its place. And when all was done, when Noah and his family had stepped inside...
The Lord Himself shut the door.
Then it began.
Rain.
Not a drizzle, not a passing storm—but a torrential force from the heavens. The fountains of the deep burst open with a roar. Water surged from the ground and fell from the skies. It did not stop.
For forty days and forty nights, the rain fell.
The ark rose with the waters, lifted by the flood as the world below drowned. Mountains vanished beneath the waves. Cities, villages, fields—gone. The waters surged until even the highest peaks were submerged twenty feet under.
Life vanished.
Birds fell from the sky, beasts were swept away, mankind cried out—but no answer came. Only Noah remained, surrounded by the breath of life he had preserved in the ark.
For one hundred and fifty days, the flood ruled the world.