Having decided to destroy the life of the world by means of a flood, God communicated His intention and the reason thereof to the patriarch, and instructed him to build an ark in which he was to save both himself and his family from the impending destruction. The vessel is to be built of gopher-wood, to have rooms in it, and to be pitched within and without with pitch. The dimensions also are specified. Its length was to be three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. He was to make the ark "with light" ({ ~HEBREW LETTER TSADI~}{ ~HEBREW LETTER HE~}{ ~HEBREW LETTER RESH~} or { ~HEBREW LETTER RESH~}{ ~HEBREW LETTER HE~}{ ~HEBREW LETTER TSADI~}), that is, with windows, and their length or height, apparently, was to be a cubit. The vessel was to have a door, and to be built with three stories, lower, second, and third. In accordance with God's covenant with the patriarch, he, his sons, and his sons' wives were to be saved, along with every living thing, male and female of each kind. For all this great multitude a sufficiency of food was directed to be provided.
Then comes the command (the ark having been duly built, and all the directions followed) to enter into the vessel, and further instructions are given with regard to the creatures that are to be saved, with a slight modification in the numbers, for the clean beasts are to be taken in "by sevens," and all the rest, "the unclean," by pairs. God then announces that in seven days' time He will cause rain to come upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. "All the fountains of the great deep" were broken up, and the Lord shut up those upon whom He had favour in the ark.
Then, as the rain continued, the waters "prevailed exceedingly" upon the earth, and the high hills that were under the whole heaven were covered, the depth of the waters being "fifteen cubits and upwards." Everything was destroyed, "Noah alone remained alive, and those who were with him in the ark."
"And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fifty days."
The "fountains of the deep" and "the windows of heaven" having been stopped, and the "rain from heaven" restrained, the waters abated, leaving the ark high and dry upon the mountains of Ararat; and after the tops of the mountains were seen, Noah looked out of the window that he had made. He then sent forth a raven and a dove, and the latter, not finding a resting-place, returned to him, to be sent forth again at the end of another week. The dove again returned bearing in her beak an olive-leaf. Seven days more passed, and the dove, having been sent out a third time, returned to him no more. Recognizing that the waters were now all returned into their old channels, and that the land was dry enough for him and his, Noah removed the covering of the vessel, and saw that his supposition was correct, and having received the command to come forth from the ark, which had been his abiding-place for so long, and to send forth the living creatures that were with him, the patriarch obeyed, and, when on dry land, built an altar to Yahwah, and offered burnt offerings thereon of every clean beast and every clean fowl.