OCR Text |
Show Short Stories From The Bible BY C. V. HANSEN" NOAH'S AKK As people multiplied on the face of the earth, and their wickedness grew apace, the Lord was grieved and regretted that He had ever created them. But there was one man, named Noah who had. because of his goodness, won the favor of the Lord. And to him He gave a command to build a great ark of gopherwood, made water-tight with pitch, into which should be placed one male and one female of all the birds, beasts and reptiles upon the earth. So Noah and his three sons built an ark, according to the design of the Lord. As already stated, this ark or boat was to be made of gopher (i. e. cypress) wood, a kind of timber which both for its lightness and its durability was employed by the Phoenicians for building their vessels. The planks of the ark, after being put together, to-gether, were to be protected by a coating of pitch, or rather bitumen, bitu-men, both inside and outside, to make it water-tight. The ark was to consist Of a number of "nests" or small compartments, com-partments, with a view, no doubt, !o the convenient distribution 01 toe different animals and their food. These were to be arranged in three tiers, one above another. Means were also provided for let-,in? let-,in? light into the ark. There was to be a door; this was to be placed "i the side of the ark. Of the shape ot 'he ark nothing is said, but its dimensions are given. It was to be 3'0 cubits in length, 50 in breadth and 30 in height. Taking 21 inches 'ir the cubit, the ark would be J-5 feet in length, 87 feet 6 inches 111 breadth and 52 feet 6 inches :c height. It should be remember-c1 remember-c1 that this huge structure was ' intended to float on the wa-lfr. wa-lfr. and was not in the proper sense of the word a ship. It had "either mast, sail no rruddcr; it as in fact nothing but an enor-"rous enor-"rous house, or rather oblong box. rc nimatcs of the ark were Noah lnd his wife and his three sons 'ud their wives. Noah was directed sso to take all kinds of animals with him, that they might be Reserved alive. "Thus did Noah, according to all 1,31 God commanded him, so he Genesis 6: (TText, The Flood) |