Genesis 9

1-4God blessed Noah and his sons: He said, “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill the Earth! Every living creature—birds, animals, fish—will fall under your spell and be afraid of you. You’re responsible for them. All living creatures are yours for food; just as I gave you the plants, now I give you everything else. Except for meat with its lifeblood still in it—don’t eat that.

5“But your own lifeblood I will avenge; I will avenge it against both animals and other humans.

6-7Whoever sheds human blood,

by humans let his blood be shed,

Because God made humans in his image

reflecting God’s very nature.

You’re here to bear fruit, reproduce,

lavish life on the Earth, live bountifully!”

8-11Then God spoke to Noah and his sons: “I’m setting up my covenant with you including your children who will come after you, along with everything alive around you—birds, farm animals, wild animals—that came out of the ship with you. I’m setting up my covenant with you that never again will everything living be destroyed by floodwaters; no, never again will a flood destroy the Earth.”

12-16God continued, “This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and everything living around you and everyone living after you. I’m putting my rainbow in the clouds, a sign of the covenant between me and the Earth. From now on, when I form a cloud over the Earth and the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll remember my covenant between me and you and everything living, that never again will floodwaters destroy all life. When the rainbow appears in the cloud, I’ll see it and remember the eternal covenant between God and everything living, every last living creature on Earth.”

17And God said, “This is the sign of the covenant that I’ve set up between me and everything living on the Earth.”

18-19The sons of Noah who came out of the ship were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. These are the three sons of Noah; from these three the whole Earth was populated.

20-23Noah, a farmer, was the first to plant a vineyard. He drank from its wine, got drunk and passed out, naked in his tent. Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and told his two brothers who were outside the tent. Shem and Japheth took a cloak, held it between them from their shoulders, walked backward and covered their father’s nakedness, keeping their faces turned away so they did not see their father’s exposed body.

24-27When Noah woke up with his hangover, he learned what his youngest son had done. He said,

Cursed be Canaan! A slave of slaves,

a slave to his brothers!

Blessed be God, the God of Shem,

but Canaan shall be his slave.

God prosper Japheth,

living spaciously in the tents of Shem.

But Canaan shall be his slave.

28-29Noah lived another 350 years following the flood. He lived a total of 950 years. And he died.

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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The Message

Genesis 9

Genesis 9