Genesis 8:20-9:17
Expanded Bible
20 Then Noah built an altar [C a place to offer sacrifices] to the Lord. He took some of all the clean [C in a ritual sense] birds and ·animals [beasts; livestock], and he ·burned them on the altar as offerings to God [L offered a whole burnt offering on the altar; Lev. 1]. 21 The Lord ·was pleased with these sacrifices [L smelled the sweet savor/smell] and said ·to himself [L in his heart], “I will never again curse the ground because of human beings. ·Their thoughts [The inclination of their hearts] are evil even ·when [from the time] they are young, but I will never again destroy every living thing on the earth as I did this time.
22 “As long as the earth continues,
planting and harvest,
cold and hot,
summer and winter,
day and night
will not stop.”
The New Beginning
9 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “·Have many children; grow in number [T Be fruitful and multiply] and fill the earth [1:22, 29]. 2 Every ·animal [living thing] on earth, every bird in the ·sky [heavens], every animal that crawls on the ground, and every fish in the sea will ·respect [fear] and ·fear [dread; be terrified of] you. I have given them ·to you [L into your hand].
3 “Everything that moves, everything that is alive, is yours for food. Earlier I gave you the green plants [1:29–30], but now I give you everything for food. 4 But you must not eat ·meat [flesh] that still has blood in it, because blood ·gives [L is] life [Lev. 3:17; 7:26–27; 17:10–14]. 5 I will ·demand [require; L seek] blood for life. I will ·demand [require; L seek] the life of any animal that kills a person, and I will ·demand [require; L seek] the life of anyone who takes another person’s life.
6 “Whoever ·kills [L sheds the blood of] a human being
will ·be killed [L have his blood shed] by a human being,
because God made humans
in ·his own image [L the image of God; 1:26–27].
7 “As for you, Noah, ·I want you and your family to have many children, to grow in number on the earth, and to become many [L be fruitful and multiply, swarm/teem over the earth and multiply on it; 9:1].”
8 Then God said to Noah and his sons, 9 “·Now [or Look] I am making my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] with you and your ·people [seed] ·who will live after you [L after you], 10 and with every living thing that is with you—the birds, the ·tame [livestock; cattle] and the wild animals, and with everything that came out of the ·boat [ark] with you—with every living thing on earth. 11 I ·make [establish] this ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] with you: ·I will never again destroy all living things by a flood [L a flood will never again cut off all flesh]. A flood will never again destroy the earth.”
12 And God said, “This is the sign [C a symbol that represents this relationship between God and Noah; 17:11; Ex. 31:13, 17] of the ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] between me and you and every living creature that is with you for all future generations. 13 I am putting my ·rainbow [bow; C may represent God hanging up his weapon after warring against humanity] in the clouds as the sign of the ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and a ·rainbow [bow] appears in them, 15 I will remember my ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] between me and you and every living thing [L of all flesh]. [L The waters of the] Floods will never again destroy all ·life on the earth [L flesh]. 16 When the ·rainbow [bow] appears in the clouds, I will see it and I will remember the ·agreement that continues forever [L eternal covenant] between me and every living thing [L of all flesh] on the earth.”
17 So God said to Noah, “·The rainbow [L This] is a ·sign [9:12] of the ·agreement [covenant; treaty; 6:18] that I made with all living things on earth.”
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