《創世紀》第8章記載，諾厄一家從方舟出來以後，“諾厄給上主築了一座祭壇，拿各種潔淨的牲畜和潔淨的飛禽，獻在祭壇上，做了全燔祭。上主聞到了馨香，心裏說：‘我再也不為人的緣故咒罵大地，因為人心的思念從小就邪惡；我再也不照我所作的打擊一切生物，隻願大地存在之日，稼穡寒暑，冬夏晝夜，循環不息。’”（創8:20-22）
The New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) 這樣寫道:
20 Then Noah built an altar to the LORD, and choosing from every clean animal and every clean bird, he ffered burnt offerings on the altar.
21 When the LORD smelled the sweet odor, the LORD said to himself: Never again will I curse the ground because of human beings, since the desires of the human haert are evil from youth; nor will I ever again strike dowm every living being, as I have done.
22 All the days of the earth, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, Summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease.
我在想，現在這個世代，仿佛大洪水之前，上主如此厭惡人類的所作所為。或許因為人類罪惡太深，或許因為遺忘上主太久，上主也不再記念祂對人類的許諾，用瘟疫狠狠地打擊了人類。
