God told Noah he was going to flood the earth as punishment for mankind's sins. He instructed Noah to build an ark to save his family and two of every kind of animal. Noah obeyed God and built the ark, taking animals aboard in pairs. It rained for 40 days and nights, flooding the entire world. Once the waters receded, Noah released a raven and dove to check if the land was dry, and God sent a rainbow as a promise to never flood the earth again.