God’s Covenant with Noah

9 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.^{(A) 2} The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority.^{[a] 3} Every living creature will be food for you;^(B) as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything.^{(C) 4} However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it.^{(D) 5} I will require the life of every animal^(E) and every man for your life and your blood. I will require the life of each man’s brother for a man’s life.^(F)

⁷ But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it.”^(I)

⁸ Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, ⁹ “Understand that I am confirming My covenant^(J) with you and your descendants after you, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that is with you—birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you—all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark. ¹¹ I confirm My covenant with you that never again will every creature be wiped out by the waters of a flood; there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”^(K)

¹² And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant^(L) I am making between Me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: ¹³ I have placed My bow in the clouds,^(M) and it will be a sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember My covenant^(N) between Me and you and all the living creatures:^[b] water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. ¹⁶ The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the everlasting covenant^(O) between God and all the living creatures^[c] on earth.” ¹⁷ God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have confirmed between Me and every creature on earth.”

Prophecies about Noah’s Family

¹⁸ Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. ¹⁹ These three were Noah’s sons, and from them the whole earth was populated.^(P)

²⁰ Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant^[d] a vineyard. ²¹ He drank some of the wine, became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. ²² Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.^{(Q) 23} Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked.

²⁴ When Noah awoke from his drinking and learned what his youngest son had done to him, ²⁵ he said:

²⁶ He also said:

²⁸ Now Noah lived 350 years after the flood. ²⁹ So Noah’s life lasted 950 years; then he died.

The Table of Nations

10 These are the family records^(T) of Noah’s sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. They also had sons after the flood.

² Japheth’s sons:^(U) Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras. ³ Gomer’s sons: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah. ⁴ And Javan’s sons: Elishah, Tarshish,^(V) Kittim, and Dodanim.^{[g] 5} The coastland peoples spread out into their lands. These are Japheth’s sons by their clans, in their nations. Each group had its own language.

⁶ Ham’s sons:^(W) Cush, Egypt, Put, and Canaan. ⁷ Cush’s sons: Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, Raamah, and Sabteca. And Raamah’s sons: Sheba and Dedan.

⁸ Cush fathered Nimrod, who was the first powerful man on earth. ⁹ He was a powerful hunter in the sight of the Lord. That is why it is said, “Like Nimrod, a powerful hunter in the sight of the Lord.” ¹⁰ His kingdom started with Babylon,^(X) Erech,^[h] Accad,^[i] and Calneh,^[j] in the land of Shinar.^{[k](Y) 11} From that land he went to Assyria^(Z) and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-ir, Calah, ¹² and Resen, between Nineveh and the great city Calah.

¹³ Mizraim^[l](AA) fathered Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, ¹⁴ Pathrusim, Casluhim (the Philistines came from them), and Caphtorim.^(AB)

¹⁵ Canaan fathered Sidon his firstborn, then Heth, ¹⁶ the Jebusites, the Amorites, the Girgashites,^{(AC) 17} the Hivites, the Arkites, the Sinites, ¹⁸ the Arvadites, the Zemarites, and the Hamathites. Afterward the Canaanite clans scattered. ¹⁹ The Canaanite border went from Sidon going toward Gerar as far as Gaza, and going toward Sodom, Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim as far as Lasha.

²⁰ These are Ham’s sons, by their clans, according to their languages, in their own lands and their nations.

²¹ And Shem, Japheth’s older brother, also had sons. Shem was the father of all the sons of Eber.^{(AD) 22} Shem’s sons^(AE) were Elam, Asshur,^[m] Arpachshad, Lud, and Aram.

²³ Aram’s sons: Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash.

²⁴ Arpachshad fathered^[n] Shelah,^(AF) and Shelah fathered Eber. ²⁵ Eber had two sons. One was named Peleg, for during his days the earth was divided;^(AG) his brother was named Joktan. ²⁶ And Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, ²⁷ Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, ²⁸ Obal, Abimael, Sheba, ²⁹ Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab. All these were Joktan’s sons. ³⁰ Their settlements extended from Mesha to Sephar, the eastern hill country.

³¹ These are Shem’s sons by their clans, according to their languages, in their lands and their nations.

³² These are the clans of Noah’s sons, according to their family records, in their nations. The nations on earth spread out from these after the flood.^(AH)

The Tower of Babylon

11 At one time the whole earth had the same language and vocabulary.^{[o] 2} As people^[p] migrated from the east,^[q] they found a valley in the land of Shinar and settled there.^{(AI) 3} They said to each other, “Come, let us make oven-fired bricks.” They used brick for stone and asphalt for mortar.^{(AJ) 4} And they said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and a tower with its top in the sky.^(AK) Let us make a name for ourselves; otherwise, we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth.”

⁵ Then the Lord came down^(AL) to look over the city and the tower that the men were building. ⁶ The Lord said, “If they have begun to do this as one people all having the same language, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. ⁷ Come, let Us go down there and confuse^[r] their language^[s] so that they will not understand one another’s speech.”^{[t] 8} So from there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth,^(AM) and they stopped building the city. ⁹ Therefore its name is called Babylon,^[u](AN) for there the Lord confused the language of the whole earth, and from there the Lord scattered them over the face of the whole earth.

From Shem to Abram

¹⁰ These are the family records^(AO) of Shem. Shem lived 100 years and fathered Arpachshad two years after the flood. ¹¹ After he fathered Arpachshad, Shem lived 500 years and fathered other sons and daughters. ¹² Arpachshad lived 35 years^[v] and fathered Shelah. ¹³ After he fathered Shelah, Arpachshad lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ Shelah lived 30 years and fathered Eber. ¹⁵ After he fathered Eber, Shelah lived 403 years and fathered other sons and daughters. ¹⁶ Eber lived 34 years and fathered Peleg. ¹⁷ After he fathered Peleg, Eber lived 430 years and fathered other sons and daughters. ¹⁸ Peleg lived 30 years and fathered Reu. ¹⁹ After he fathered Reu, Peleg lived 209 years and fathered other sons and daughters. ²⁰ Reu lived 32 years and fathered Serug. ²¹ After he fathered Serug, Reu lived 207 years and fathered other sons and daughters. ²² Serug lived 30 years and fathered Nahor. ²³ After he fathered Nahor, Serug lived 200 years and fathered other sons and daughters. ²⁴ Nahor lived 29 years and fathered Terah.^{(AP) 25} After he fathered Terah, Nahor lived 119 years and fathered other sons and daughters. ²⁶ Terah lived 70 years and fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

²⁷ These are the family records of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran, and Haran fathered Lot. ²⁸ Haran died in his native land, in Ur of the Chaldeans, during his father Terah’s lifetime. ²⁹ Abram and Nahor took wives: Abram’s wife was named Sarai,^(AQ) and Nahor’s wife was named Milcah.^(AR) She was the daughter of Haran, the father of both Milcah and Iscah. ³⁰ Sarai was unable to conceive;^(AS) she did not have a child.

³¹ Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot (Haran’s son), and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they set out together from Ur of the Chaldeans^(AT) to go to the land of Canaan. But when they came to Haran, they settled there. ³² Terah lived 205 years and died in Haran.

The Parable of the Sower

4 Again^(A) He began to teach^(B) by the sea, and a very large crowd gathered around Him. So He got into a boat on the sea and sat down, while the whole crowd was on the shore facing the sea. ² He taught them many things in parables,^(C) and in His teaching^(D) He said to them: ³ “Listen! Consider the sower who went out to sow.^{(E) 4} As he sowed, this occurred: Some seed fell along the path,^(F) and the birds came and ate^(G) it up. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground where it didn’t have much soil, and it sprang up right away,^(H) since it didn’t have deep soil. ⁶ When the sun came up, it was scorched, and since it didn’t have a root, it withered.^{(I) 7} Other seed fell among thorns, and the thorns came up and choked it, and it didn’t produce a crop. ⁸ Still others fell on good ground and produced a crop that increased^(J) 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.”^{(K) 9} Then He said, “Anyone who has ears to hear should listen!”^(L)

Why Jesus Used Parables

¹⁰ When He was alone with the Twelve,^(M) those who were around Him asked Him about the parables.^{(N) 11} He answered them, “The secret^(O) of the kingdom of God^(P) has been given to you, but to those outside,^(Q) everything comes in parables ¹² so that

The Parable of the Sower Explained

¹³ Then^(T) He said to them: “Don’t you understand this parable?^(U) How then will you understand any of the parables? ¹⁴ The sower sows^(V) the word.^{(W) 15} These^[c] are the ones along the path^(X) where the word is sown: when they hear, immediately Satan^(Y) comes and takes away the word^(Z) sown in them.^{[d] 16} And these are^[e] the ones sown on rocky ground: when they hear the word, immediately they receive it with joy.^{(AA) 17} But they have no root in themselves; they are short-lived. When pressure^(AB) or persecution comes because of the word, they immediately stumble.^{(AC) 18} Others are sown among thorns; these are the ones who hear the word, ¹⁹ but the worries^(AD) of this age,^(AE) the seduction^[f](AF) of wealth,^(AG) and the desires^(AH) for other things enter in and choke the word, and it becomes unfruitful.^{(AI) 20} But the ones sown on good ground are those who hear the word,^(AJ) welcome it, and produce a crop:^(AK) 30, 60, and 100 times what was sown.”

Using Your Light

²¹ He^(AL) also said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket or under a bed?^(AM) Isn’t it to be put on a lampstand?^{(AN) 22} For nothing is concealed except to be revealed,^(AO) and nothing hidden except to come to light. ²³ If anyone has ears to hear, he should listen!”^{(AP) 24} Then He said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear. By the measure^(AQ) you use,^[g](AR) it will be measured and added^(AS) to you. ²⁵ For to the one who has, it will be given, and from the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken away.”^(AT)

The Parable of the Growing Seed

²⁶ “The kingdom of God^(AU) is like this,” He said. “A man scatters seed on the ground; ²⁷ he sleeps^(AV) and rises^(AW)—night^(AX) and day, and the seed sprouts and grows—he doesn’t know how. ²⁸ The soil produces a crop^(AY) by itself—first the blade, then the head, and then the ripe grain^(AZ) on the head. ²⁹ But as soon as the crop is ready, he sends for the sickle,^(BA) because the harvest^(BB) has come.”

The Parable of the Mustard Seed

³⁰ And^(BC) He said: “How can we illustrate the kingdom of God,^(BD) or what parable^(BE) can we use to describe it? ³¹ It’s like a mustard seed^(BF) that, when sown in the soil, is smaller than all the seeds on the ground. ³² And when sown,^(BG) it comes up and grows taller than all the vegetables,^(BH) and produces large branches, so that the birds of the sky^(BI) can nest in its shade.”

Using Parables

³³ He would speak the word^(BJ) to them with many parables^(BK) like these, as they were able to understand.^{(BL) 34} And He did not speak to them without a parable. Privately, however, He would explain everything to His own disciples.^(BM)

Wind and Wave Obey the Master

³⁵ On^(BN) that day, when evening had come, He told them, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the sea.” ³⁶ So they left the crowd and took Him along since He was already in the boat. And other boats were with Him. ³⁷ A fierce windstorm^(BO) arose, and the waves^(BP) were breaking over the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. ³⁸ But He was in the stern, sleeping^(BQ) on the cushion. So they woke Him up^(BR) and said to Him, “Teacher! Don’t You care that we’re going to die?”^(BS)

³⁹ He got up, rebuked^(BT) the wind, and said to the sea, “Silence!^(BU) Be still!” The wind ceased, and there was a great calm. ⁴⁰ Then He said to them, “Why are you fearful?^(BV) Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ And they were terrified^(BW) and asked one another, “Who then is this? Even the wind and the sea obey^(BX) Him!”^(BY)