After the boat was completely built, he loaded it with all the living things, his family, and all that he had of gold. Finally, the gods sent down their wrath and destroyed all the land. After many days and nights of constant flooding, the rains subsided and everything calmed down. Utnapishtim first let out a dove, but because there wasn't a resting place, it came back. Then he let loose a raven, and it never came back, so he knew the flood was finally over. He made a sacrifice to the gods and in their satisfaction, Ishtar swore by the lapis lazuli around her neck that the flood and his obedience will never be forgotten. It was at that time where Enlil granted him and his wife immortality. In comparison, the Bible story of the flood in Genesis illustrates a very similar picture of the events that occurred according to Judeo-Christianity. When man multiplied and spread throughout the earth, "the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great and said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created'", just as the Mesopotamian gods destroyed all of mankind for their consistent clamor. However, Noah was righteous among corrupt men in the eyes of the Lord as Utnapishtim was favored in the eyes of Ea. He spoke to him, "the end of all flesh has come before me; for the earth is filled with violence because of them I am about to destroy them Make yourself an ark" This was God's warning and blessing to Noah, to save him and his family's lives from the flood, the Lord's Covenant. God instructed him to bring aboard two of every kind of animal into the ark so that they may reproduce after the flood subsides. He also instructed him to "take for yourself some of all food which is edible, and gather it to yourself, and it shall be for food for you and for them (his family and the animals)." When all animals were boarded in the ark with Noah and his family, the Lord opened the skies and the torrents rained upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.
