Genesis 8:20-9:17

Modern English Version

²⁰ Then Noah built an altar to the Lord and took of every clean animal and of every clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹ The Lord smelled a soothing aroma; and the Lord said in His heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the inclination of man’s heart is evil from his youth, nor will I again destroy every living thing as I have done.

The Noahic Covenant

9 Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. ² Every beast of the earth and every bird of the sky and all that moves on the earth and all the fish of the sea will fear you and be terrified of you. They are given into your hand. ³ Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. I give you everything, just as I gave you the green plant.

⁴ “Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. ⁵ But for your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; from every animal will I require it; of man, too, will I require a reckoning for human life, of every man for that of his fellow man.

⁷ And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly in the earth and multiply in it.”

⁸ Again God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, ⁹ “As for Me, I establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, every beast of the earth. ¹¹ I establish My covenant with you. Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood. Never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

¹² Then God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations. ¹³ I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ When I bring a cloud over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the cloud; ¹⁵ then I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. ¹⁶ The rainbow will appear in the cloud, and I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”

¹⁷ So 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.”