FIRST READING Genesis 6:5-22
5The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth,
and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil
continually.
6And the Lord was sorry that he had made humankind on the earth, and it
grieved him to his heart. 7So the Lord said, “I will blot out from the earth
the human beings I have created—people together with animals and
creeping things and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made
them.”
8But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord. 9These are the
descendants of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his
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generation; Noah walked with God. 10And Noah had three sons, Shem,
Ham, and Japheth.
11Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with
violence. 12And God saw that the earth was corrupt; for all flesh had
corrupted its ways upon the earth.
13And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh,
for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to
destroy them along with the earth. 14Make yourself an ark of cypress
wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.
15This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred
cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. 16Make a roof for
the ark, and finish it to a cubit above; and put the door of the ark in its
side; make it with lower, second, and third decks. 17For my part, I am
going to bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy from under
heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the
earth shall die. 18But I will establish my covenant with you; and you shall
come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with
you. 19And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of
every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male
and female. 20Of the birds according to their kinds, and of the animals
according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according
to its kind, two of every kind shall come in to you, to keep them alive.
21Also take with you every kind of food that is eaten, and store it up; and
it shall serve as food for you and for them.”
22Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.
SECOND READING Genesis 8:6-12
6At the end of forty days Noah opened the window of the ark that he had
made 7
and sent out the raven; and it went to and fro until the waters were
dried up from the earth. 8Then he sent out the dove from him, to see if
the waters had subsided from the face of the ground; 9
but the dove found
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no place to set its foot, and it returned to him to the ark, for the waters
were still on the face of the whole earth. So he put out his hand and took
it and brought it into the ark with him. 10He waited another seven days,
and again he sent out the dove from the ark; 11and the dove came back to
him in the evening, and there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf;
so Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth. 12Then he
waited another seven days, and sent out the dove; and it did not return to
him any more.
THIRD READING Genesis 9:8-17
8Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9
“As for me, I am
establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you, 10and
with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic
animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of
the ark. 11I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all
flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a
flood to destroy the earth.”
12God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and
you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations:
13I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant
between me and the earth. 14When I bring clouds over the earth and the
bow is seen in the clouds, 15I will remember my covenant that is between
me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall
never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16When the bow is in the
clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God
and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17God said to
Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between
me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
Reader: Word of God. Word of Life.