《创世纪》第8章记载，诺厄一家从方舟出来以后，“诺厄给上主筑了一座祭坛，拿各种洁净的牲畜和洁净的飞禽，献在祭坛上，做了全燔祭。上主闻到了馨香，心里说：‘我再也不为人的缘故咒骂大地，因为人心的思念从小就邪恶；我再也不照我所作的打击一切生物，只愿大地存在之日，稼穑寒暑，冬夏昼夜，循环不息。’”（创8:20-22）

The New American Bible, Revised Edition (NABRE) 这样写道:

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，现在这个世代，仿佛大洪水之前，上主如此厌恶人类的所作所为。或许因为人类罪恶太深，或许因为遗忘上主太久，上主也不再记念祂对人类的许诺，用瘟疫狠狠地打击了人类。