Genesis 9

Covenant of the Rainbow

1And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. 2The fear and the terror of you shall be [instinctive] in every animal of the land and in every bird of the air; and together with everything that moves on the ground, and with all the fish of the sea; they are given into your hand. 3Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; I give you everything, as I gave you the green plants and vegetables. 4But you shall not eat meat along with its life, that is, its blood. 5For your lifeblood I will most certainly require an accounting; from every animal [that kills a person] I will require it. And from man, from every man’s brother [that is, anyone who murders] I will require the life of man.

6Whoever sheds man’s blood [unlawfully],

By man (judicial government) shall his blood be shed,

For in the image of God

He made man.

7As for you, be fruitful and multiply;

Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

8Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9“Now behold, I am establishing My covenant (binding agreement, solemn promise) with you and with your descendants after you 10and with every living creature that is with you—the birds, the livestock, and the wild animals of the earth along with you, of everything that comes out of the ark—every living creature of the earth. 11I will establish My covenant with you: Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the water of a flood, nor shall there ever again be a flood to destroy and ruin the earth.” 12And God said, “This is the token (visible symbol, memorial) of the [solemn] covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations; 13I set My rainbow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14It shall come about, when I bring clouds over the earth, that the rainbow shall be seen in the clouds, 15and I will [compassionately] remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and never again will the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16When the rainbow is in the clouds and I look at it, I will [solemnly] remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17And God said to Noah, “This [rainbow] is the sign of the covenant (solemn pledge, binding agreement) which I have established between Me and all living things on the earth.”

18The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem and Ham and Japheth. Ham would become the father of Canaan. 19These are the three sons of Noah, and from these [men] the whole earth was populated and scattered with inhabitants.

20And Noah began to farm and cultivate the ground and he planted a vineyard. 21He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he was uncovered and lay exposed inside his tent. 22Ham, the father of Canaan, saw [by accident] the nakedness of his father, and [to his father’s shame] told his two brothers outside. 23So Shem and Japheth took a robe and put it on both their shoulders, and walked backwards and covered the nakedness of their father; their faces were turned away so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24When Noah awoke from his wine [induced stupor], he knew what his younger son [Ham] had done to him. 25So he said,

“Cursed be Canaan [the son of Ham];

# The words of Noah are prophetic. God later found the disobedience of the Canaanites to be repulsive and replaced them with the descendants of Shem. A servant of servants

He shall be to his brothers.”

26He also said,

“Blessed be the Lord,

The God of #The Jewish people are the descendants of Shem. Through Shem’s lineage came the Messiah and salvation.Shem;

And let Canaan be his servant.

27May God enlarge [the land of] Japheth,

And #Note that “let” in this verse represents a command, as in “Let there be light” (1:3).let #The antecedent of the word “him” could be Japheth, but it could also be “God,” thus making Him (the Messiah) dwell in the tents of Shem indicating the incarnation in the Semitic line.him dwell in the tents of Shem;

And let Canaan be his servant.”

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

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Genesis 9

1¶ And God blessed Noah and his sons and said unto them, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

2And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every animal of the earth and upon every fowl of the heavens, upon all that moves upon the earth and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand they are delivered.

3Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you; even as the green grass I have given you all things.

4But flesh with the soul (or life) thereof, which is its blood, ye shall not eat.

5For surely your blood which is your souls I will require; at the hand of every animal I will require it and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man’s brother I will require the soul (or life) of man.

6Whoever sheds man’s blood in man, his blood shall be shed; for in the image of God is man made.

7And you, be ye fruitful and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth and multiply therein.

8¶ And God spoke unto Noah and to his sons with him, saying,

9Behold that I establish my covenant with you and with your seed after you

10and with every living soul that is with you, of the fowl, of the animals, and of every beast of the earth with you, from all that go out of the ark to every animal of the earth,

11that I will establish my covenant with you, that all flesh shall not be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

12¶ And God said, This is the sign of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living soul that is with you, for perpetual ages:

13I set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be for a sign of a covenant between me and the earth.

14And it shall come to pass when I bring clouds over the earth, that the bow shall appear in the clouds;

15and I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living soul of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16And the bow shall be in the clouds, and I will look upon it that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living soul of all flesh that is upon the earth.

17And God said unto Noah, This shall be the sign of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

18¶ And the sons of Noah, that went forth from the ark, were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and Ham is the father of Canaan.

19These are the three sons of Noah; and of them was the whole earth overspread.

20And Noah began to till the ground, and he planted a vineyard;

21and he drank of the wine and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brethren outside.

23Then Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it upon both their shoulders and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.

24¶ And Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

25And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a slave of slaves shall he be unto his brethren.

26And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his slave.

27God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his slave.

28¶ And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

29And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and he died.

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