Day 4 of 730

¹The Lord said to Noah, "Come with all of your household into the ship, for I have seen your righteousness before me in this generation.

²You shall take seven pairs of every clean animal with you, the male and his female. Of the animals that are not clean, take two, the male and his female.

³Also of the birds of the sky, seven and seven, male and female, to keep seed alive on the surface of all the earth.

⁴In seven days, I will cause it to rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights. Every living thing that I have made, I will destroy from the surface of the ground."

⁵Noah did everything that the Lord commanded him.

⁶Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth.

⁷Noah went into the ship with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives, because of the waters of the flood.

⁸Clean animals, animals that are not clean, birds, and everything that creeps on the ground

⁹went by pairs to Noah into the ship, male and female, as God commanded Noah.

¹⁰It happened after the seven days, that the waters of the flood came on the earth.

¹¹In the six hundredth year of Noah's life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep were burst open, and the sky's windows were opened.

¹²The rain was on the earth forty days and forty nights.

¹³In the same day Noah, and Shem, Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, entered into the ship;

¹⁴they, and every animal after its kind, all the livestock after their kind, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth after its kind, and every bird after its kind, every bird of every sort.

¹⁵They went to Noah into the ship, by pairs of all flesh with the breath of life in them.

¹⁶Those who went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God commanded him; and the Lord shut him in.

¹⁷The flood was forty days on the earth. The waters increased, and lifted up the ship, and it was lifted up above the earth.

¹⁸The waters prevailed, and increased greatly on the earth; and the ship floated on the surface of the waters.

¹⁹The waters prevailed exceedingly on the earth. All the high mountains that were under the whole sky were covered.

²⁰The waters prevailed fifteen cubits upward, and the mountains were covered.

²¹All flesh died that moved on the earth, including birds, livestock, animals, every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, and every man.

²²All in whose nostrils was the breath of the spirit of life, of all that was on the dry land, died.

²³Every living thing was destroyed that was on the surface of the ground, including man, livestock, creeping things, and birds of the sky. They were destroyed from the earth. Only Noah was left, and those who were with him in the ship.

²⁴The waters prevailed on the earth one hundred fifty days.

¹God remembered Noah, all the animals, and all the livestock that were with him in the ship; and God made a wind to pass over the earth. The waters subsided.

²The deep's fountains and the sky's windows were also stopped, and the rain from the sky was restrained.

³The waters receded from the earth continually. After the end of one hundred fifty days the waters decreased.

⁴The ship rested in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on Ararat's mountains.

⁵The waters receded continually until the tenth month. In the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains were seen.

⁶It happened at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the window of the ship which he had made,

⁷and he sent forth a raven. It went back and forth, until the waters were dried up from the earth.

⁸He sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters were abated from the surface of the ground,

⁹but the dove found no place to rest her foot, and she returned to him into the ship; for the waters were on the surface of the whole earth. He put forth his hand, and took her, and brought her to him into the ship.

¹⁰He stayed yet another seven days; and again he sent forth the dove out of the ship.

¹¹The dove came back to him at evening, and, behold, in her mouth was an olive leaf plucked off. So Noah knew that the waters were abated from the earth.

¹²He stayed yet another seven days, and sent forth the dove; and she did not return to him any more.

¹³It happened in the six hundred first year, in the first month, the first day of the month, the waters were dried up from the earth. Noah removed the covering of the ship, and looked. He saw that the surface of the ground was dried.

¹⁴In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.

¹⁵God spoke to Noah, saying,

¹⁶"Go out of the ship, you, and your wife, and your sons, and your sons' wives with you.

¹⁷Bring forth with you every living thing that is with you of all flesh, including birds, livestock, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that they may breed abundantly in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply on the earth."

¹⁸Noah went forth, with his sons, his wife, and his sons' wives with him.

¹⁹Every animal, every creeping thing, and every bird, whatever moves on the earth, after their families, went out of the ship.

²⁰Noah built an altar to the Lord, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar.

²¹The Lord smelled the pleasant aroma. The Lord said in his heart, "I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, because the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I ever again strike everything living, as I have done.

²²While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease."

¹Answer me when I call, God of my righteousness. Give me relief from my distress. Have mercy on me, and hear my prayer.

²You sons of men, how long shall my glory be turned into dishonor? Will you love vanity, and seek after falsehood? Selah.

³But know that the Lord has set apart for himself him who is godly: The Lord will hear when I call to him.

⁴When agitated, do not sin. Search your own heart on your bed, and be still. Selah.

⁵Offer the sacrifices of righteousness. Put your trust in the Lord.

⁶Many say, "Who will show us any good?" Lord, let the light of your face shine on us.

⁷You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and their new wine are increased.

⁸In peace I will both lay myself down and sleep, for you, the Lord alone, make me live in safety.

¹Listen, sons, to a father's instruction. Pay attention and know understanding;

²for I give you sound learning. Do not forsake my law.

³For I was a son to my father, tender and an only child in the sight of my mother.

⁴He taught me, and said to me: "Let your heart retain my words. Keep my commandments, and live.

⁵Get wisdom. Get understanding. Do not forget, neither swerve from the words of my mouth.

⁶Do not forsake her, and she will preserve you. Love her, and she will keep you.

⁷Wisdom is supreme. Get wisdom. Yes, though it costs all your possessions, get understanding.

⁸Esteem her, and she will exalt you. She will bring you to honor, when you embrace her.

⁹She will give to your head a garland of grace. She will deliver a crown of splendor to you."

¹⁰Listen, my son, and receive my sayings. The years of your life will be many.

¹¹I have taught you in the way of wisdom. I have led you in straight paths.

¹²When you go, your steps will not be hampered. When you run, you will not stumble.

¹³Take firm hold of instruction. Do not let her go. Keep her, for she is your life.

¹⁴Do not enter into the path of the wicked. Do not walk in the way of evil men.

¹⁵Avoid it, and do not pass by it. Turn from it, and pass on.

¹⁶For they do not sleep, unless they do evil. Their sleep is taken away, unless they make someone fall.

¹⁷For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine of violence.

¹⁸But the path of the righteous is like the dawning light, that shines more and more until the perfect day.

¹⁹The way of the wicked is like darkness. They do not know what they stumble over.

²⁰My son, attend to my words. Turn your ear to my sayings.

²¹Let them not depart from your eyes. Keep them in the midst of your heart.

²²For they are life to those who find them, and health to their whole body.

²³Keep your heart with all diligence, for out of it is the wellspring of life.

²⁴Put away from yourself a perverse mouth. Put corrupt lips far from you.

²⁵Let your eyes look straight ahead. Fix your gaze directly before you.

²⁶Make the path of your feet level. Let all of your ways be established.

²⁷Do not turn to the right hand nor to the left. Remove your foot from evil.