The story of Noah's Ark is a significant and enduring narrative found in the Book of Genesis, chapters 6 through 9. This story unfolds during a time when the earth is filled with violence and corruption, and God is deeply grieved by the wickedness of mankind. In response to humanity's pervasive sinfulness, God decides to cleanse the earth with a great flood, sparing only Noah, a righteous man in God's eyes, along with his family and a representation of the world's animals.

God instructs Noah to build an ark, a large, seaworthy vessel, providing specific dimensions and construction details. Noah is to bring into the ark his wife, his three sons—Shem, Ham, and Japheth—and their wives, along with pairs of every living creature, one pair of each unclean animal and seven pairs of each clean animal, to keep them alive during the flood. This includes birds, livestock, and "creeping things" of the ground, ensuring the preservation of life to repopulate the earth after the flood.

Noah obediently follows God's commands, building the ark and gathering the animals. Once everything is prepared, the floodwaters come, covering even the highest mountains, and all life outside the ark is destroyed. The ark floats upon the waters for 150 days before coming to rest on the mountains of Ararat.

As the waters gradually recede, Noah sends out a raven and then a dove to find out if the land is dry. When the dove finally returns with an olive leaf, Noah understands that the water has abated from the earth. God then instructs Noah to leave the ark, bringing out the animals so they can multiply and fill the earth.

In gratitude for Noah's faithfulness, God makes a covenant with him and his descendants, promising never again to destroy all life with a flood. The rainbow is set as a sign of this everlasting covenant between God and all living creatures on earth. The story of Noah's Ark is rich with themes of judgment and grace, obedience and salvation, and the renewal of life and covenant with God.