Genesis 8:20-9:17

Holman Christian Standard Bible

²⁰Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. He took some of every kind of clean animal and every kind of clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹When the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma,^(A) He said to Himself, “I will never again curse the ground^(B) because of man, even though man’s inclination is evil from his youth.^(C) And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done.^(D)

²²As long as the earth endures,
seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,
summer and winter, and day and night
will not cease.”^(E)

God’s Covenant with Noah

9 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.^(F) ²The 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] ³Every living creature will be food for you;^(G) as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything.^(H) ⁴However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it.^(I) ⁵I will require the life of every animal^(J) and every man for your life and your blood. I will require the life of each man’s brother for a man’s life.^(K)

⁶Whoever sheds man’s blood,
his blood will be shed by man,^(L)
for God made man in His image.^(M)

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

⁸Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, ⁹“Understand that I am confirming My covenant^(O) with you and your descendants after you, ¹⁰and 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. ¹¹I 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.”^(P)

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