Which Genesis chapters contain the main account of Noah’s Ark and the Flood?

Genesis chapters 6–9 contain the main account of Noah’s Ark and the Flood.

Genesis 6 introduces humanity’s violence, Noah’s righteousness, and the command to build the Ark. Genesis 7 describes the animals entering, the rainfall, and the rising waters. Genesis 8 follows the recession of the waters, the Ark’s resting, Noah’s release of birds, and the family’s departure. Genesis 9 presents the covenant, rainbow, and events in Noah’s later life.

The story begins before chapter 6 with genealogical material about Noah, and it continues afterward with the account of his sons and the Tower of Babel. However, chapters 6–9 form the main narrative unit associated with the Ark.

The passage is also important for comparisons with other ancient flood traditions, including the Atrahasis Epic and the Epic of Gilgamesh. Similar motifs do not mean the texts are identical: their characters, divine settings, measurements, and narrative purposes differ.