בְּרֵאשִׁית 8

1 וַיִּזְכֹּ֤ר אֱלֹהִים֙ אֶת־נֹ֔חַ וְאֵ֤ת כָּל־הֽ͏ַחַיָּה֙ וְאֶת־כָּל־הַבְּהֵמָ֔ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר אִתֹּ֖ו בַּתֵּבָ֑ה וַיַּעֲבֵ֨ר אֱלֹהִ֥ים ר֙וּחַ֙ עַל־הָאָ֔רֶץ וַיָּשֹׁ֖כּוּ הַמָּֽיִם׃

But God hadn't forgotten about Noah and all the wild animals and livestock with him in the ark. God sent a wind to blow over the earth, and the floodwaters started to drop.

2 וַיִּסָּֽכְרוּ֙ מַעְיְנֹ֣ת תְּהֹ֔ום וֽ͏ַאֲרֻבֹּ֖ת הַשָּׁמָ֑יִם וַיִּכָּלֵ֥א הַגֶּ֖שֶׁם מִן־הַשָּׁמָֽיִם׃

The subterranean waters were closed off, and the heavy rainfall was stopped.

3 וַיָּשֻׁ֧בוּ הַמַּ֛יִם מֵעַ֥ל הָאָ֖רֶץ הָלֹ֣וךְ וָשֹׁ֑וב וַיַּחְסְר֣וּ הַמַּ֔יִם מִקְצֵ֕ה חֲמִשִּׁ֥ים וּמְאַ֖ת יֹֽום׃

The floodwaters steadily receded from the earth. They had gone down so much that by 150 days after the flood began

4 וַתָּ֤נַח הַתֵּבָה֙ בַּחֹ֣דֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִ֔י בְּשִׁבְעָה־עָשָׂ֥ר יֹ֖ום לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ עַ֖ל הָרֵ֥י אֲרָרָֽט׃

the ark grounded on the mountains of Ararat. This happened on the seventeenth day of the seventh month.

5 וְהַמַּ֗יִם הָיוּ֙ הָלֹ֣וךְ וְחָסֹ֔ור עַ֖ד הַחֹ֣דֶשׁ הֽ͏ָעֲשִׂירִ֑י בּֽ͏ָעֲשִׂירִי֙ בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ נִרְא֖וּ רָאשֵׁ֥י הֽ͏ֶהָרִֽים׃

The waters continued to drop so that by the first day of the tenth month the tops of mountains could be seen.

6 וֽ͏ַיְהִ֕י מִקֵּ֖ץ אַרְבָּעִ֣ים יֹ֑ום וַיִּפְתַּ֣ח נֹ֔חַ אֶת־חַלֹּ֥ון הַתֵּבָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשָֽׂה׃

Forty days later Noah opened the window he'd made in the ark,

7 וַיְשַׁלַּ֖ח אֶת־הֽ͏ָעֹרֵ֑ב וַיֵּצֵ֤א יָצֹוא֙ וָשֹׁ֔וב עַד־יְבֹ֥שֶׁת הַמַּ֖יִם מֵעַ֥ל הָאָֽרֶץ׃

and sent a raven out. It flew back and forth until the water on the earth had dried up.

8 וַיְשַׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־הַיֹּונָ֖ה מֵאִתֹּ֑ו לִרְאֹות֙ הֲקַ֣לּוּ הַמַּ֔יִם מֵעַ֖ל פְּנֵ֥י הֽ͏ָאֲדָמָֽה׃

Then he sent a dove out to see if the waters had gone down enough to expose dry ground.

9 וְלֹֽא־מָצְאָה֩ הַיֹּונָ֨ה מָנֹ֜וחַ לְכַף־רַגְלָ֗הּ וַתָּ֤שָׁב אֵלָיו֙ אֶל־הַתֵּבָ֔ה כִּי־מַ֖יִם עַל־פְּנֵ֣י כָל־הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיִּשְׁלַ֤ח יָדֹו֙ וַיִּקָּחֶ֔הָ וַיָּבֵ֥א אֹתָ֛הּ אֵלָ֖יו אֶל־הַתֵּבָֽה׃

But the dove couldn't find anywhere to land. So it came back to Noah in the ark because water was still covering the whole earth. He reached out his hand, picked up the dove, and took it back into the ark with him.

10 וַיָּ֣חֶל עֹ֔וד שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וַיֹּ֛סֶף שַׁלַּ֥ח אֶת־הַיֹּונָ֖ה מִן־הַתֵּבָֽה׃

He waited another seven days and sent the dove out from the ark again.

11 וַתָּבֹ֨א אֵלָ֤יו הַיֹּונָה֙ לְעֵ֣ת עֶ֔רֶב וְהִנֵּ֥ה עֲלֵה־זַ֖יִת טָרָ֣ף בְּפִ֑יהָ וַיֵּ֣דַע נֹ֔חַ כִּי־קַ֥לּוּ הַמַּ֖יִם מֵעַ֥ל הָאָֽרֶץ׃

When it came back to him in the evening it had a freshly-picked olive leaf in its beak, so Noah knew the floodwaters were mainly gone from the earth.

12 וַיִּיָּ֣חֶל עֹ֔וד שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִ֖ים אֲחֵרִ֑ים וַיְשַׁלַּח֙ אֶת־הַיֹּונָ֔ה וְלֹֽא־יָסְפָ֥ה שׁוּב־אֵלָ֖יו עֹֽוד׃

Again he waited another seven days and sent the dove out again, but this time it didn't return to him.

13 וֽ͏ַ֠יְהִי בְּאַחַ֨ת וְשֵׁשׁ־מֵאֹ֜ות שָׁנָ֗ה בּֽ͏ָרִאשֹׁון֙ בְּאֶחָ֣ד לַחֹ֔דֶשׁ חָֽרְב֥וּ הַמַּ֖יִם מֵעַ֣ל הָאָ֑רֶץ וַיָּ֤סַר נֹ֙חַ֙ אֶת־מִכְסֵ֣ה הַתֵּבָ֔ה וַיַּ֕רְא וְהִנֵּ֥ה חֽ͏ָרְב֖וּ פְּנֵ֥י הֽ͏ָאֲדָמָֽה׃

By now Noah was 601, and by the first day of the first month, the floodwaters on the earth were gone. Noah pulled back the ark's covering and saw that the ground was drying out.

14 וּבַחֹ֙דֶשׁ֙ הַשֵּׁנִ֔י בְּשִׁבְעָ֧ה וְעֶשְׂרִ֛ים יֹ֖ום לַחֹ֑דֶשׁ יָבְשָׁ֖ה הָאָֽרֶץ׃ ס

By the twenty-seventh day of the second month the earth was dry.

15 וַיְדַבֵּ֥ר אֱלֹהִ֖ים אֶל־נֹ֥חַ לֵאמֹֽר׃

Then God told Noah,

16 צֵ֖א מִן־הַתֵּבָ֑ה אַתָּ֕ה וְאִשְׁתְּךָ֛ וּבָנֶ֥יךָ וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנֶ֖יךָ אִתָּֽךְ׃

“Leave the ark, you and your wife, your sons and their wives.

17 כָּל־הַחַיָּ֨ה אֲשֶֽׁר־אִתְּךָ֜ מִכָּל־בָּשָׂ֗ר בָּעֹ֧וף וּבַבְּהֵמָ֛ה וּבְכָל־הָרֶ֛מֶשׂ הָרֹמֵ֥שׂ עַל־הָאָ֖רֶץ הֹוצֵא (הַיְצֵ֣א) אִתָּ֑ךְ וְשֽׁ͏ָרְצ֣וּ בָאָ֔רֶץ וּפָר֥וּ וְרָב֖וּ עַל־הָאָֽרֶץ׃

Let all the animals go—the birds, the wild animals, the creatures that run along the ground—so that they can breed and increase their numbers on the earth.”

18 וַיֵּ֖צֵא־נֹ֑חַ וּבָנָ֛יו וְאִשְׁתֹּ֥ו וּנְשֵֽׁי־בָנָ֖יו אִתֹּֽו׃

So Noah and his wife, his sons and their wives, left the ark.

19 כָּל־הֽ͏ַחַיָּ֗ה כָּל־הָרֶ֙מֶשׂ֙ וְכָל־הָעֹ֔וף כֹּ֖ל רֹומֵ֣שׂ עַל־הָאָ֑רֶץ לְמִשְׁפְּחֹ֣תֵיהֶ֔ם יָצְא֖וּ מִן־הַתֵּבָֽה׃

All the animals, all the creatures that run along the ground, all the birds—everything that lives on land—also left, each kind leaving together.

20 וַיִּ֥בֶן נֹ֛חַ מִזְבֵּ֖חַ לֽ͏ַיהוָ֑ה וַיִּקַּ֞ח מִכֹּ֣ל ׀ הַבְּהֵמָ֣ה הַטְּהֹורָ֗ה וּמִכֹּל֙ הָעֹ֣וף הַטָּהֹ֔ר וַיַּ֥עַל עֹלֹ֖ת בַּמִּזְבֵּֽחַ׃

Noah built an altar, and sacrificed some of the clean animals and birds as a burnt offering.

21 וַיָּ֣רַח יְהוָה֮ אֶת־רֵ֣יחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ֒ וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוָ֜ה אֶל־לִבֹּ֗ו לֹֽא־אֹ֠סִף לְקַלֵּ֨ל עֹ֤וד אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָה֙ בַּעֲב֣וּר הֽ͏ָאָדָ֔ם כִּ֠י יֵ֣צֶר לֵ֧ב הָאָדָ֛ם רַ֖ע מִנְּעֻרָ֑יו וְלֹֽא־אֹסִ֥ף עֹ֛וד לְהַכֹּ֥ות אֶת־כָּל־חַ֖י כּֽ͏ַאֲשֶׁ֥ר עָשִֽׂיתִי׃

The Lord accepted the sacrifice, and said to himself, “I won't ever again curse the ground because of human beings, even though every single thought in their minds is evil from childhood. I won't ever destroy all life again as I have just done.

22 עֹ֖ד כָּל־יְמֵ֣י הָאָ֑רֶץ זֶ֡רַע וְ֠קָצִיר וְקֹ֨ר וָחֹ֜ם וְקַ֧יִץ וָחֹ֛רֶף וְיֹ֥ום וָלַ֖יְלָה לֹ֥א יִשְׁבֹּֽתוּ׃

As long as the earth exists, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, will never come to an end.”

A Dove is Sent Forth from the Ark