Adam and Eve had many children. These children grew up and married and had children. Adam lived to nine hundred thirty years old. When Adam died, he had a great many children and grandchildren and great-grandchildren. There were very many people on the earth. They lived in cities and in towns and in the country.

In those days, when God looked down from heaven upon His earth, what did He see? He saw that his beautiful earth was no longer the same as it was in the beginning. There were many thorns and weeds where beautiful flowers used to be. Many of the animals were wild; they fought each and even ate each other.

And what about the people? Some people were very sinful, like Cain. Some were just having a good time, forgetting all about God. They did not pray. They did not bring gifts to God. They played and danced and did only what they wanted to do. They did not take care of God's plants and animals. They did not even think about God.

But there were still a few good people.

There was Enoch. Enoch lived close to God. He walked with God and talked with God every day, even if people laughed at him.  One day Enoch's children went to see their father. They could not find him. They hunted for him. He was not in hiud house. He was not in the field. He was gone. God had taken him up out of the world. God had taken him to heaven. So Enoch never died but God took him.

Then there was Noah. Noah had an altar. He brought gifts to God upon the altar, and he prayed to God. God was pleased to see that Noah served him. God was very sorry to see all other people living in sin. He loved the people and wanted them to love him. But they would not. Then God said, " I will send a great flood to wash all these wicked people from the earth. I will save only the good ones, only Noah and his family." God made his plan. He told Noah about it. He told Noah to build a big, big boat - an ark.

God said, "Make a boat -- a big boart. It must be three stories high. It must have a roof. It must have one window high up, and it must have one door. It must have little rooms. Put tar on it, all around, inside and out, so that no water can get into it. When the boat is ready, I shall send a very great rain. The rain will cover all the earth with a flood. You and your family will be safe inside the ark when I send the rain. Noah listened to God. God told him just how to make the ark. Then Noah went to work. Noah worked hard. He cut wood. He sawed, and he hammered. His three sons, Shem, Ham, & Japheth, helped him.

Sometimes people came to see what Noah was doing. He told them about the flood that was coming. He told them to stop living in sin. He told them to live for God. They only laughed at him. They would not listen. They did not think the flood would ever come.

From heaven God watched. He gave the people a long, long, time. He gave them one hundred and twenty years' time. He was kind to them. But they would not listen. They still lived in their sinful way. And Noah went on building the ark.