⁸ Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: ⁹ “I now establish my covenant with you^(A) 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^(B) with you:^(C) Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.^(D)”

¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant^(E) I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:^{(F) 13} I have set my rainbow^(G) 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^(H) appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant^(I) between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.^{(J) 16} Whenever the rainbow^(K) appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant^(L) 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^(M) I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

The Supremacy of the Son of God

¹⁵ The Son is the image^(A) of the invisible God,^(B) the firstborn^(C) over all creation. ¹⁶ For in him all things were created:^(D) things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities;^(E) all things have been created through him and for him.^{(F) 17} He is before all things,^(G) and in him all things hold together. ¹⁸ And he is the head^(H) of the body, the church;^(I) he is the beginning and the firstborn^(J) from among the dead,^(K) so that in everything he might have the supremacy. ¹⁹ For God was pleased^(L) to have all his fullness^(M) dwell in him, ²⁰ and through him to reconcile^(N) to himself all things, whether things on earth or things in heaven,^(O) by making peace^(P) through his blood,^(Q) shed on the cross.

²¹ Once you were alienated from God and were enemies^(R) in your minds^(S) because of^[a] your evil behavior. ²² But now he has reconciled^(T) you by Christ’s physical body^(U) through death to present you^(V) holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation^(W)— ²³ if you continue^(X) in your faith, established^(Y) and firm, and do not move from the hope^(Z) held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven,^(AA) and of which I, Paul, have become a servant.^(AB)