Genesis 9
9
God’s covenant with all life
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.
2011 Common English Bible. All rights reserved.
Genesis 9
9
The New Beginning
1God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Have many children. Fill the earth with your people. 2Every animal on earth, every bird in the air, every animal that crawls on the ground, and every fish in the sea will be afraid of you. All of them will be under your control. 3In the past, I gave you the green plants to eat. Now every animal will also be food for you. I give you everything on earth—it is yours. 4But I give you one command. You must not eat meat that still has its life (blood) in it. 5Also, I will demand your blood for your lives. That is, I will demand the life of any person or animal that takes a human life.
6“God made humans to be like himself.
So whoever kills a person must be killed by another person.
7“Have many children and fill the earth with your people.”
8Then God said to Noah and his sons, 9“I now make my promise to you and to your people who will live after you. 10I make my promise to all the birds, and to all the cattle, and to all the animals that came out of the boat with you. I make my promise to every living thing on earth. 11This is my promise to you: All life on the earth was destroyed by the flood. But that will never happen again. A flood will never again destroy all life on the earth.”
12And God said, “I will give you something to prove that I made this promise to you. It will continue forever to show that I have made an agreement with you and every living thing on earth. 13I am putting a rainbow in the clouds as proof of the agreement between me and the earth. 14When I bring clouds over the earth, you will see the rainbow in the clouds. 15When I see this rainbow, I will remember the agreement between me and you and every living thing on the earth. This agreement says that a flood will never again destroy all life on the earth. 16When I look and see the rainbow in the clouds, I will remember the agreement that continues forever. I will remember the agreement between me and every living thing on the earth.”
17So God said to Noah, “This rainbow is proof of the agreement that I made with all living things on earth.”
Problems Begin Again
18Noah’s sons came out of the boat with him. Their names were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19These three men were Noah’s sons. And all the people on earth came from these three sons.
20Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard. 21One day Noah made some wine. He got drunk, went into his tent, and took off all his clothes. 22Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked and told his brothers who were outside the tent. 23Shem and Japheth took a robe, put it across their shoulders, and walked backward into the tent. Then they covered their father without looking at him.
24Later, Noah woke up. (He was sleeping because of the wine.) When he learned what his youngest son Ham had done to him, 25he said,
“May there be a curse on Canaan#9:25 Canaan Ham’s son. The people of Canaan lived along the coast of Palestine, Lebanon, and Syria. Later, God gave this land to the Israelites.!
May he be a slave to his brothers.”
26Noah also said,
“May the Lord, the God of Shem, be praised!
May Canaan be Shem’s slave.
27May God give more land to Japheth.
May God live in Shem’s tents,
and may Canaan be their slave.”
28After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29He lived a total of 950 years; then he died.
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International