20 Then Noah built (A)an altar to the Lord, and took some of every kind of (B)clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered (C)burnt offerings on the altar. 21 The Lord (D)smelled the soothing aroma, and the Lord said [a]to Himself, “I will never again (E)curse the ground on account of man, for (F)the [b]intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; (G)and I will never again [c]destroy every living thing, as I have done.

22 While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
(H)Summer and winter,
And (I)day and night
Shall not cease.”

Covenant of the Rainbow

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “(J)Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every animal of the earth and on every bird of the sky; on everything that crawls on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea. They are handed over to you. Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I have given everything to you, (K)as I gave the green plant. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, (L)its blood. I certainly will require [d](M)your lifeblood; [e](N)from every animal I will require it. And [f]from every person, [g]from every man as his brother I will require the life of a person.

(O)Whoever sheds human blood,
By man his blood shall be shed,
For (P)in the image of God
He made mankind.
As for you, (Q)be fruitful and multiply;
[h]Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “Now behold, (R)I Myself am establishing My covenant with you, and with your [i]descendants after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, every animal of the earth. 11 I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall (S)never again be eliminated by the waters of a flood, (T)nor shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is (U)the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for [j]all future generations; 13 I have set My (V)rainbow in the cloud, and it shall [k]serve as a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall come about, when I make a cloud appear over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and (W)I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and (X)never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the rainbow is in the cloud, then I will look at it, to remember the (Y)everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 8:21 Lit to His heart
  2. Genesis 8:21 Or inclination
  3. Genesis 8:21 Lit strike
  4. Genesis 9:5 Lit your blood of your lives
  5. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  6. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  7. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  8. Genesis 9:7 Lit Swarm in the earth
  9. Genesis 9:9 Lit seed
  10. Genesis 9:12 Or everlasting generations
  11. Genesis 9:13 Lit be for

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