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 Covenant with Noah and Humankind

1And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2And fear of you and dread of you shall be upon every animal of the earth, and on every bird of heaven,#Or “the sky” and on everything that moves upon the ground, and on all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they shall be given. 3Every moving thing that lives shall be for you as food. As I gave the green plants to you, I have now given you everything. 4Only you shall not eat raw flesh with blood in it.#Literally “flesh with its life, its blood” 5And#Or “only”; the same word that occurs at the beginning of v. 4 your lifeblood#Literally “your blood belonging to your life” I will require; from every animal#Literally “from the hand of every animal” 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.

6“As for the one shedding the blood of humankind,

by humankind his blood shall be shed,

for God made humankind in his own image.

7“And you, be fruitful and multiply, swarm on the earth and multiply in it.” 8And God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9“As for me, behold, I am establishing my covenant with you and with your seed after you, 10and 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. 11I 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.” 12And 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. 13My bow I have set in the clouds, and it shall be for a sign of the covenant between me and between the earth. 14And when I make clouds appear over the earth the bow shall be seen in the clouds. 15Then#Or “And” 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#Literally “be to destroy” of all flesh. 16The 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.” 17And 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

18Now#Or “And” the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.#Literally “all the earth branched out” 20And Noah began to be a man of the ground, and he planted a vineyard. 21And he drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he exposed himself in the midst of his tent. 22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and he told his two brothers outside. 23Then#Or “And” 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#Or “and” they did not see the nakedness of their father. 24Then#Or “And” Noah awoke from his drunkenness,#Or “his wine” and he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25And he said,

“Cursed be Canaan,

a slave of slaves he shall be to his brothers.”

26Then#Or “And” he said,

“Blessed be Yahweh, the God of Shem,

and let Canaan be a slave to them.

27May God make space for Japheth,

and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,

and let Canaan be a slave for him.”

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

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Genesis 9

Genesis 9