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God Confirms His Covenant

Then God blessed Noah and his sons and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth. All the animals of the earth, all the birds of the sky, all the small animals that scurry along the ground, and all the fish in the sea will look on you with fear and terror. I have placed them in your power. I have given them to you for food, just as I have given you grain and vegetables. But you must never eat any meat that still has the lifeblood in it.

“And I will require the blood of anyone who takes another person’s life. If a wild animal kills a person, it must die. And anyone who murders a fellow human must die. If anyone takes a human life, that person’s life will also be taken by human hands. For God made human beings[a] in his own image. Now be fruitful and multiply, and repopulate the earth.”

Then God told Noah and his sons, “I hereby confirm my covenant with you and your descendants, 10 and with all the animals that were on the boat with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals—every living creature on earth. 11 Yes, I am confirming my covenant with you. Never again will floodwaters kill all living creatures; never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

12 Then God said, “I am giving you a sign of my covenant with you and with all living creatures, for all generations to come. 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of my covenant with you and with all the earth. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will appear in the clouds, 15 and I will remember my covenant with you and with all living creatures. Never again will the floodwaters destroy all life. 16 When I see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the eternal covenant between God and every living creature on earth.” 17 Then God said to Noah, “Yes, this rainbow is the sign of the covenant I am confirming with all the creatures on earth.”

Noah’s Sons

18 The sons of Noah who came out of the boat with their father were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham is the father of Canaan.) 19 From these three sons of Noah came all the people who now populate the earth.

20 After the flood, Noah began to cultivate the ground, and he planted a vineyard. 21 One day he drank some wine he had made, and he became drunk and lay naked inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and went outside and told his brothers. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a robe, held it over their shoulders, and backed into the tent to cover their father. As they did this, they looked the other way so they would not see him naked.

24 When Noah woke up from his stupor, he learned what Ham, his youngest son, had done. 25 Then he cursed Canaan, the son of Ham:

“May Canaan be cursed!
    May he be the lowest of servants to his relatives.”

26 Then Noah said,

“May the Lord, the God of Shem, be blessed,
    and may Canaan be his servant!
27 May God expand the territory of Japheth!
May Japheth share the prosperity of Shem,[b]
    and may Canaan be his servant.”

28 Noah lived another 350 years after the great flood. 29 He lived 950 years, and then he died.

Footnotes

  1. 9:6 Or man; Hebrew reads ha-adam.
  2. 9:27 Hebrew May he live in the tents of Shem.

God’s Covenant with Noah and Humankind

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And fear of you and dread of you shall be upon every animal of the earth, and on every bird of heaven,[a] and on everything that moves upon the ground, and on all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they shall be given. Every moving thing that lives shall be for you as food. As I gave the green plants to you, I have now given you everything. Only you shall not eat raw flesh with blood in it.[b] And[c] your lifeblood[d] I will require; from every animal[e] I will require it. And from the hand of humankind, from the hand of each man to his brother I will require the life of humankind.

As for the one shedding the blood of humankind,
    by humankind his blood shall be shed,
for God made humankind in his own image.

“And you, be fruitful and multiply, swarm on the earth and multiply in it.” And God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, behold, I am establishing my covenant with you and with your seed after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you—the birds, the animals, and every animal of the earth with you, from all that came out of the ark to all the animals of the earth. 11 I am establishing my covenant with you, that never again will all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, nor will there ever be a flood that destroys the earth.” 12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I am making between me and you, and between every living creature that is with you for future generations. 13 My bow I have set in the clouds, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between me and between the earth. 14 And when I make clouds appear over the earth the bow shall be seen in the clouds. 15 Then[f] I will remember my covenant that is between me and you, and between every living creature, with all flesh. And the waters of a flood will never again cause the destruction[g] of all flesh. 16 The bow shall be in the clouds, and I will see it, so as to remember the everlasting covenant between God and between every living creature, with all flesh that is upon the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am establishing between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

Noah’s Descendants

18 Now[h] the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.[i] 20 And Noah began to be a man of the ground, and he planted a vineyard. 21 And he drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he exposed himself in the midst of his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and he told his two brothers outside. 23 Then[j] Shem and Japheth took a garment, and the two of them put it on their shoulders and, walking backward, they covered the nakedness of their father. And their faces were turned backward, so that[k] they did not see the nakedness of their father. 24 Then[l] Noah awoke from his drunkenness,[m] and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 And he said,

“Cursed be Canaan,
    a slave of slaves he shall be to his brothers.”

26 Then[n] he said,

“Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem,
    and let Canaan be a slave to them.
27 May God make space for Japheth,
    and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,
    and let Canaan be a slave for him.”

28 And Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood. 29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 9:2 Or “the sky”
  2. Genesis 9:4 Literally “flesh with its life, its blood”
  3. Genesis 9:5 Or “only”; the same word that occurs at the beginning of v. 4
  4. Genesis 9:5 Literally “your blood belonging to your life”
  5. Genesis 9:5 Literally “from the hand of every animal”
  6. Genesis 9:15 Or “And”
  7. Genesis 9:15 Literally “be to destroy”
  8. Genesis 9:18 Or “And”
  9. Genesis 9:19 Literally “all the earth branched out”
  10. Genesis 9:23 Or “And”
  11. Genesis 9:23 Or “and”
  12. Genesis 9:24 Or “And”
  13. Genesis 9:24 Or “his wine”
  14. Genesis 9:26 Or “And”

And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “(A)Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. And the fear of you and the terror of you will be on every beast of the earth and on every bird of the [a]sky; with everything that creeps on the ground, and all the fish of the sea, into your hand they are given. Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; (B)as with the green plant, I give all to you. However, flesh with its life, that is, (C)its blood, you shall not eat. Surely I will require [b](D)your lifeblood; [c](E)from every living thing I will require it. And [d]from every man, [e]from each man’s brother I will require the life of man.

(F)Whoever sheds man’s blood,
By man his blood shall be shed,
For (G)in the image of God
He made man.
As for you, (H)be fruitful and multiply;
[f]Swarm on the earth and multiply in it.”

Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “As for Me, behold, (I)I establish My covenant with you and with your seed after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, even every beast of the earth. 11 Indeed I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall (J)never again be cut off by the water of the flood, (K)and there shall never again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 Then God said, “This is (L)the sign of the covenant which I am giving to be between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for [g]all successive generations; 13 I put My (M)bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 And it will be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and (N)I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and (O)never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 So the bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it, to remember the (P)everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant which I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Noah’s Three Sons

18 Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth; and (Q)Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and (R)from these the whole earth was scattered abroad.

20 Then Noah began to be [h]a man of the land and planted a vineyard. 21 And he drank of the wine and (S)became drunk and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Then Ham, the father of Canaan, (T)saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took the garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were turned backward, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 Then Noah awoke from his wine, and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 So he said,

(U)Cursed be Canaan;
[i](V)A servant of servants
He shall be to his brothers.”

26 And he said,

(W)Blessed be Yahweh,
The God of Shem;
And let Canaan be [j]his servant.
27 (X)May God enlarge Japheth,
And let him dwell in the tents of Shem;
And let Canaan be [k]his servant.”

28 And Noah lived 350 years after the flood. 29 So all the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 9:2 Lit heavens
  2. Genesis 9:5 Lit your blood of your lives
  3. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  4. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  5. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  6. Genesis 9:7 Or increase, cf. Ex 1:7
  7. Genesis 9:12 Or everlasting generations
  8. Genesis 9:20 Or a farmer
  9. Genesis 9:25 The lowest of servants
  10. Genesis 9:26 Or their
  11. Genesis 9:27 Or their