And the Lord saw that the sin of man was great on the earth, and that all the thoughts of his heart were  evil. And the Lord had sorrow because he had made man on the earth, and grief was in his heart.

And the Lord said, I will take away man, whom I have made, from the face of the earth, even man and beast and that which goes on the earth and every bird of the air; for I have sorrow for having made them. Genesis 6:5-7

Noah was hammering away at the last few boards to go on the large boat he was building. Some of his neighbours walked by and said sarcastically, “Well Noah, still waiting for this stuff you call rain?”

Noah straightened up and said,  “It’s going to come, and I don’t know what it will be like, all I know God has told me to get this boat ready and there will be enough room in it for anyone else who wants to get on board”.

“Aw poof!” said the man again, “I’m not going to make a fool of myself like that!”

The time came when Noah and his sons hammered the last nail in place.

The Bible  tells us that two of all the different sorts of animals came along to Noah and went quietly into the boat. Birds too, came flying along and went into the departments that Noah had built especially for them. Noah and his sons had gathered a lot of straw  and other dried food and stored them in the special bins that God had told him to build. At last all was ready.

People were gathering around at the sight of these animals all so docile and tame, even the lions and tigers were just like big cats and were so quiet as they filed inside the boat.

“Ho, ho”, the people laughed, “That won’t last! Noah will have some fun in there after a few days!”

The last animals and birds had gone on board. Noah felt God telling him it was time for him and his family to go in behind them. He turned around as he went up the ramp and spoke to the people watching. “Are you sure you don’t want to come in too?” he asked, “God says there is going to be a dreadful flood and you won’t have any chance”.

But they wouldn’t listen.

Soon the people heard a clang as the door swung shut on its hinges. The sky had been getting darker and darker as storm clouds rolled across it. The people began to wonder what was going to happen.

Then the rain started. They had never seen rain before. At first they thought it was fun, but then the water started to rise as well. It came higher and higher. People started to hammer on the sides of Noah’s boat. “Let us in!” they cried, “Keep us safe!” But there was no reply. God had shut the door and Noah couldn’t open it. They weren’t ready and it was  too late.

And on the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was dry. God said to Noah, Go out of the ark, you and your family and take out with you every living thing which is with you, birds and cattle and everything which goes on the earth, so that they may have offspring and be fertile and be increased on the earth.

And God said, This is the sign of the agreement which I make between me and you and every living thing with you, for all future generations … I will put my bow in the cloud and it will be for a sign of the agreement between me and the earth.

And whenever I make a cloud come over the earth, the bow will be seen in the cloud, and I will keep in mind the agreement between me and you and every living thing; and never again will there be a great flow of waters causing destruction to all flesh.

                                        You can read this full story in the Bible in  Genesis 8:15-17;  9:12-15