THE FLOOD.

In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month,the seventeenth day of the month, the same day were all thefountains of the great deep broken up, and the windows of heavenwere opened. And the rain was upon the earth forty days and fortynights.

In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, andJapheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wivesof his sons with them, into the ark; they, and every beast afterhis kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creepingthing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowlafter his kind, every bird of every sort. And they went in untoNoah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is thebreath of life. And they that went in, went in male and female ofall flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut himin.

And the flood was forty days upon the earth; and the watersincreased, and bare up the ark, and it was lift up above theearth. And the waters prevailed, and were increased, greatly uponthe earth; and the ark went upon the face of the waters. And thewaters prevailed exceedingly upon the earth; and all the highhills, that were under the whole heaven, were covered. Fifteencubits upward did the waters prevail; and the mountains werecovered. And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both offowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thingthat creepeth upon the earth, and every man; all in whosenostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land,died. And every living substance was destroyed which was upon theface of the ground, both man and cattle, and the creeping things,and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from theearth; and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with himin the ark.

And the waters prevailed upon the earth an hundred and fiftydays.—Genesis vii, 11-24.