Add parallel Print Page Options

The New Beginning

Then God blessed Noah and his sons. He said to them, “Have many children. Grow in number and fill the earth. Every animal on earth and every bird in the sky will respect and fear you. So will every animal that crawls on the ground and every fish in the sea respect and fear you. I have given them to you.

“Everything that moves, everything that is alive, is yours for food. Earlier I gave you the green plants. And now I give you everything for food. But you must not eat meat that still has blood in it, because blood gives life. I will demand your blood for your lives. That is, I will demand the life of any animal that kills a person. And I will demand the life of anyone who takes another person’s life.

“Whoever kills a human being
    will be killed by a human being.
This is because God made humans
    in his own image.

“Noah, I want you and your family to have many children. Grow in number on the earth and become many.”

Then God said to Noah and his sons, “Now I am making my agreement with you and your people who will live after you. 10 And I also make it with every living thing that is with you. It is with the birds, the tame animals and the wild animals. It is with all that came out of the boat with you. I make my agreement with every living thing on earth. 11 I make this agreement with you: I will never again destroy all living things by floodwaters. A flood will never again destroy the earth.”

12 And God said, “I am making an agreement between me and you and every living creature that is with you. It will continue from now on. This is the sign: 13 I am putting my rainbow in the clouds. It is the sign of the agreement between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth, a rainbow appears in the clouds. 15 Then I will remember my agreement. It is between me and you and every living thing. Floodwaters will never again destroy all life on the earth. 16 When the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it. Then I will remember the agreement that continues forever. It is between me and every living thing on the earth.”

17 So God said to Noah, “That rainbow is a sign. It is the sign of the agreement that I made with all living things on earth.”

Noah and His Sons

18 The sons of Noah came out of the boat with him. They were Shem, Ham and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19 These three men were Noah’s sons. And all the people on earth came from these three sons.

20 Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank wine made from his grapes. Then he became drunk and lay naked in his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, looked at his naked father. Ham told his brothers outside. 23 Then Shem and Japheth got a coat and carried it on both their shoulders. They walked backwards into the tent and covered their father. They turned their faces away. In this way they did not see their father without clothes.

24 Noah was sleeping because of the wine. Later he woke up. Then he learned what his youngest son, Ham, had done to him. 25 So Noah said,

“May there be a curse on Canaan!
    May he be the lowest slave to his brothers.”

26 Noah also said,

“May the Lord, the God of Shem, be praised!
    May Canaan be Shem’s slave.
27 May God give more land to Japheth.
    May Japheth live in Shem’s tents,
    and may Canaan be their slave.”

28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 He lived a total of 950 years. Then he died.

God’s Covenant With Noah

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.(A) The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.(B) Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.(C) Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.(D)

“But you must not eat meat that has its lifeblood still in it.(E) And for your lifeblood I will surely demand an accounting.(F) I will demand an accounting from every animal.(G) And from each human being, too, I will demand an accounting for the life of another human being.(H)

“Whoever sheds human blood,
    by humans shall their blood be shed;(I)
for in the image of God(J)
    has God made mankind.

As for you, be fruitful and increase in number; multiply on the earth and increase upon it.”(K)

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him: “I now establish my covenant with you(L) 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(M) with you:(N) Never again will all life be destroyed by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth.(O)

12 And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant(P) I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come:(Q) 13 I have set my rainbow(R) 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(S) appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant(T) between me and you and all living creatures of every kind. Never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life.(U) 16 Whenever the rainbow(V) appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant(W) 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(X) I have established between me and all life on the earth.”

The Sons of Noah

18 The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham and Japheth.(Y) (Ham was the father of Canaan.)(Z) 19 These were the three sons of Noah,(AA) and from them came the people who were scattered over the whole earth.(AB)

20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded[a] to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine,(AC) he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked(AD) and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,

“Cursed(AE) be Canaan!(AF)
    The lowest of slaves
    will he be to his brothers.(AG)

26 He also said,

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!(AH)
    May Canaan be the slave(AI) of Shem.
27 May God extend Japheth’s[b] territory;(AJ)
    may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,(AK)
    and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”

28 After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29 Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.(AL)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 9:20 Or soil, was the first
  2. Genesis 9:27 Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for extend.