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20 Noah built an altar to Yahweh, and took of every clean animal, and of every clean bird, and offered burnt offerings on the altar. 21 Yahweh smelled the pleasant aroma. Yahweh said in his heart, “I will not again curse the ground any more for man’s sake because the imagination of man’s heart is evil from his youth. I will never again strike every living thing, as I have done. 22 While the earth remains, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night will not cease.”

God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, and replenish the earth. The fear of you and the dread of you will be on every animal of the earth, and on every bird of the sky. Everything that moves along the ground, and all the fish of the sea, are delivered into your hand. Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. As I gave you the green herb, I have given everything to you. But flesh with its life, that is, its blood, you shall not eat. I will surely require accounting for your life’s blood. At the hand of every animal I will require it. At the hand of man, even at the hand of every man’s brother, I will require the life of man. Whoever sheds man’s blood, his blood will be shed by man, for God made man in his own image. Be fruitful and multiply. Increase abundantly in the earth, and multiply in it.”

God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “As for me, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your offspring 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 go out of the ship, even every animal of the earth. 11 I will establish my covenant with you: All flesh will not be cut off any more by the waters of the flood. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13 I set my rainbow in the cloud, and it will be a sign of a covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud, 15 I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will no more become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 The rainbow will be in the cloud. I will look at it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the token of the covenant which I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

20 Then Noah built an altar to the Lord(A) and, taking some of all the clean animals and clean(B) birds, he sacrificed burnt offerings(C) on it. 21 The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma(D) and said in his heart: “Never again will I curse the ground(E) because of humans, even though[a] every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood.(F) And never again will I destroy(G) all living creatures,(H) as I have done.

22 “As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest,(I)
cold and heat,
summer and winter,(J)
day and night
will never cease.”(K)

God’s Covenant With Noah

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.(L) The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.(M) Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.(N) Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.(O)

“But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.(P) And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting.(Q) I will demand an accounting from every animal.(R) And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.(S)

“Whoever sheds human blood,
    by humans shall their blood be shed;(T)
for in the image of God(U)
    has God made mankind.

As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”(V)

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you(W) and with your descendants after you 10 and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ark with you—every living creature on earth. 11 I establish my covenant(X) with you:(Y) Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.(Z)

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant(AA) I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:(AB) 13 I have set my rainbow(AC) in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow(AD) appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant(AE) between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.(AF) 16 Whenever the rainbow(AG) appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant(AH) between God and all living creatures of every kind on the earth.”

17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant(AI) I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 8:21 Or humans, for