上帝與挪亞立約

上帝賜福給挪亞和他的兒子們,對他們說:「你們要生養眾多,遍佈地面。 你們要管理所有地上的走獸、空中的飛鳥、地上的爬蟲和海裡的魚,牠們都必懼怕你們。 凡是活著的動物都可作你們的食物,就像菜蔬和穀物一樣。 只是你們不可吃帶血的肉,因為血就是生命。 凡是殺人害命的,無論人或獸,我必向他們追討血債。凡殺人的,我必追討他的血債。 凡殺害人的,也必被人殺害,因為人是上帝照著自己的形像造的。 你們要生養眾多,使地上人口興旺。」

上帝又對挪亞和他的兒子們說: 「我要跟你們和你們的後代, 10 以及所有和你們在一起、從方舟出來的飛禽走獸和牲畜等各種動物立約。 11 我與你們立約,不再叫洪水淹沒一切生靈,也不再讓洪水毀滅大地。」 12 上帝說:「我與你們及各種生靈立世代永存的約,我要給這個約一個記號。 13 我把彩虹放在雲中,作為我跟大地立約的記號。 14 我使雲彩覆蓋大地的時候,會有彩虹在雲中出現。 15 這樣我會記得我與你們及一切生靈所立的約,水就不會再氾濫淹滅所有生靈。 16 當我看見彩虹在雲中出現的時候,就會記得我與地上一切生靈立的永約。」 17 上帝對挪亞說:「彩虹是我與地上一切生靈立約的記號。」

挪亞和他的兒子

18 與挪亞一起出方舟的有他的兒子閃、含、雅弗。含是迦南的父親。 19 挪亞這三個兒子的後代遍佈天下。

20 挪亞做了農夫,他是第一個栽種葡萄園的人。 21 一天,他喝葡萄酒喝醉了,赤裸著身體躺在帳篷裡。 22 迦南的父親含看見他父親赤身露體,便去告訴外面的兩個弟兄。 23 於是,閃和雅弗拿了一件衣服搭在肩上,倒退著走進帳篷,把衣服蓋在父親身上,他們背著臉不看父親赤裸的身體。

24 挪亞酒醒後,知道了小兒子做的事, 25 就說:

「迦南該受咒詛,
必做他弟兄的僕人的僕人。」

26 又說:

「閃的上帝耶和華當受稱頌!
迦南要做閃的僕人。
27 願上帝擴張雅弗的疆界,
願他住在閃的帳篷裡,
讓迦南做他的僕人。」

28 洪水以後,挪亞又活了三百五十年。 29 挪亞一生共活了九百五十歲。

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, (A)“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. (B)The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. (C)Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And (D)as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. But you shall not eat flesh with its (E)life, that is, its blood. And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: (F)from every beast I will require it and (G)from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

(H)“Whoever sheds the blood of man,
    by man shall his blood be shed,
(I)for God made man in his own image.

And you,[a] be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “Behold, (J)I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11 (K)I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 And God said, (L)“This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13 I have set (M)my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 (N)I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember (O)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 sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Noah's Descendants

18 The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were (P)Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and (Q)from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.[b]

20 Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.[c] 21 He drank of the wine and became drunk and lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father's nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine (R)and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,

(S)“Cursed be Canaan;
    (T)a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

26 He also said,

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem;
    and let Canaan be his servant.
27 May God enlarge Japheth,[d]
    and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,
    and let Canaan be his servant.”

28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 9:7 In Hebrew you is plural
  2. Genesis 9:19 Or from these the whole earth was populated
  3. Genesis 9:20 Or Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard
  4. Genesis 9:27 Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for enlarge

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.(A) 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.(B) Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.(C) Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.(D)

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

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

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

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you(L) 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(M) with you:(N) Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.(O)

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant(P) I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:(Q) 13 I have set my rainbow(R) 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(S) appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant(T) between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.(U) 16 Whenever the rainbow(V) appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant(W) 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(X) I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

The Sons of Noah

18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth.(Y) (Ham was the father of Canaan.)(Z) 19 These were the three sons of Noah,(AA) and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.(AB)

20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded[a] to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine,(AC) he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked(AD) and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,

“Cursed(AE) be Canaan!(AF)
    The lowest of slaves
    will he be to his brothers.(AG)

26 He also said,

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!(AH)
    May Canaan be the slave(AI) of Shem.
27 May God extend Japheth’s[b] territory;(AJ)
    may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,(AK)
    and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”

28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.(AL)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 9:20 Or soil, was the first
  2. Genesis 9:27 Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for extend.