1God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fertile, multiply, and fill the earth. 2All of the animals on the earth will fear you and dread you—all the birds in the skies, everything crawling on the ground, and all of the sea’s fish. They are in your power. 3Everything that lives and moves will be your food. Just as I gave you the green grasses, I now give you everything. 4However, you must not eat meat with its life, its blood, in it.

5I will surely demand your blood for a human life,

from every living thing I will demand it.

From humans, from a man for his brother,

I will demand something for a human life.

6Whoever sheds human blood,

by a human his blood will be shed;

for in the divine image

God made human beings.

7As for you, be fertile and multiply. Populate the earth and multiply in it.” 8God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9“I am now setting up my covenant with you, with your descendants, 10and with every living being with you—with the birds, with the large animals, and with all the animals of the earth, leaving the ark with you.#9.10 LXX; MT includes for all the animals of the earth. 11I will set up my covenant with you so that never again will all life be cut off by floodwaters. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12God said, “This is the symbol of the covenant that I am drawing up between me and you and every living thing with you, on behalf of every future generation. 13I have placed my bow in the clouds; it will be the symbol of the covenant between me and the earth. 14When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15I will remember the covenant between me and you and every living being among all the creatures. Floodwaters will never again destroy all creatures. 16The bow will be in the clouds, and upon seeing it I will remember the enduring covenant between God and every living being of all the earth’s creatures.” 17God said to Noah, “This is the symbol of the covenant that I have set up between me and all creatures on earth.”

Shem’s blessing and Canaan’s curse

18Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth came out of the ark. Now Ham was Canaan’s father. 19These were Noah’s three sons, and from them the whole earth was populated. 20Noah, a farmer, made a new start and planted a vineyard. 21He drank some of the wine, became drunk, and took off his clothes in his tent. 22Ham, Canaan’s father, saw his father naked and told his two brothers who were outside. 23Shem and Japheth took a robe, threw it over their shoulders, walked backward, and covered their naked father without looking at him because they turned away. 24When Noah woke up from his wine, he discovered what his youngest son had done to him. 25He said,

“Cursed be Canaan:

the lowest servant

he will be for his brothers.”

26He also said,

“Bless the LORD,

the God of Shem;

Canaan will be his servant.

27May God give space#9.27 Heb sounds like Japheth. to Japheth;

he will live in Shem’s tents,

and Canaan will be his servant.”

28After the flood, Noah lived 350 years. 29In all, Noah lived 950 years; then he died.

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Genesis 9

God’s Promise to Noah

1So God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them: #Gen. 1:28, 29; 8:17; 9:7, 19; 10:32“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2#Gen. 1:26, 28; Ps. 8:6And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be on every beast of the earth, on every bird of the air, on all that move on the earth, and on all the fish of the sea. They are given into your hand. 3#Deut. 12:15; 14:3, 9, 11; Acts 10:12, 13Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. I have given you #Rom. 14:14, 20; 1 Cor. 10:23, 26; Col. 2:16; (1 Tim. 4:3, 4)all things, even as the #Gen. 1:29green herbs. 4#Lev. 7:26; 17:10–16; 19:26; Deut. 12:16, 23; 15:23; 1 Sam. 14:33, 34; Acts 15:20, 29But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5Surely for your lifeblood I will demand a reckoning; #Ex. 21:28from the hand of every beast I will require it, and #Gen. 4:9, 10; Ps. 9:12from the hand of man. From the hand of every #Acts 17:26man’s brother I will require the life of man.

6“Whoever #Ex. 21:12–14; Lev. 24:17; Num. 35:33; Matt. 26:52sheds man’s blood,

By man his blood shall be shed;

#Gen. 1:26, 27For in the image of God

He made man.

7And as for you, #Gen. 9:1, 19be fruitful and multiply;

Bring forth abundantly in the earth

And multiply in it.”

8Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying: 9“And as for Me, #Gen. 6:18behold, I establish #Is. 54:9My covenant with you and with your descendants after you, 10#Ps. 145:9and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the cattle, and every beast of the earth with you, of all that go out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11Thus #Gen. 8:21; Is. 54:9I establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood; never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12And God said: #Gen. 9:13, 17; 17:11“This is the sign of the covenant which I make between Me and you, and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations: 13I set #Ezek. 1:28; Rev. 4:3My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be for the sign of the covenant between Me and the earth. 14It shall be, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the cloud; 15and #Lev. 26:42, 45; Deut. 7:9; Ezek. 16:60I will remember My covenant which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16The rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look on it to remember #Gen. 17:13, 19; 2 Sam. 23:5; Is. 55:3; Jer. 32:40; Heb. 13:20the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17And 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 and His Sons

18Now the sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. #Gen. 9:25–27; 10:6And Ham was the father of Canaan. 19#Gen. 5:32These three were the sons of Noah, #Gen. 9:1, 7; 10:32; 1 Chr. 1:4and from these the whole earth was populated.

20And Noah began to be #Gen. 3:19, 23; 4:2; Prov. 12:11; Jer. 31:24a farmer, and he planted a vineyard. 21Then he drank of the wine #Prov. 20:1; Eph. 5:18and was drunk, and became uncovered in his tent. 22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23#Ex. 20:12; Gal. 6:1But Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and went backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

24So Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done to him. 25Then he said:

#Deut. 27:16; Josh. 9:23, 27“Cursed be Canaan;

A #Josh. 9:23; 1 Kin. 9:20, 21servant of servants

He shall be to his brethren.”

26And he said:

#Gen. 14:20; 24:27; Ps. 144:15; Heb. 11:16“Blessed be the Lord,

The God of Shem,

And may Canaan be his servant.

27May God #Gen. 10:2–5; 39:3; Is. 66:19enlarge Japheth,

#Luke 3:36; John 1:14; Eph. 2:13, 14; 3:6And may he dwell in the tents of Shem;

And may Canaan be his servant.”

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

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Genesis 9

Genesis 9