Genesis 8 describes the end of the great flood and the subsequent receding of the waters. As the floodwaters abate, God remembers Noah and causes a wind to pass over the earth, which results in the waters decreasing. The rain stops, and the fountains of the deep and the windows of heaven are closed. After 150 days, the ark comes to rest on the mountains of Ararat.
As the days pass, Noah sends out a raven and a dove to see if the waters have receded. The raven does not return, but the dove finds no resting place and returns to the ark. After waiting for another seven days, Noah releases the dove once again, and it returns in the evening with an olive leaf in its beak. This indicates that the waters have sufficiently subsided. Noah waits for another seven days and releases the dove once more, but this time it does not return.
When Noah is 601 years old, on the first day of the new year, the earth is finally dry. God instructs Noah to leave the ark with his family and all the animals. Noah builds an altar and offers burnt offerings to God. The pleasing aroma of the sacrifices moves God’s heart, and He promises never to curse the ground again or destroy all living creatures as He had done with the flood.
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