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 Noahic Covenant
1#Ge 1:28; 8:17; 9:7Then God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2#Jas 3:7Every beast of the earth and every bird of the sky and all that moves on the earth and all the fish of the sea will fear you and be terrified of you. They are given into your hand. 3#Dt 12:15; Ro 14:14Every moving thing that lives will be food for you. I give you everything, just as I gave you the green plant.
4#Dt 12:16; 12:23“Only you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood. 5#Ex 21:28–29; Ge 4:9–10But for your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning; from every animal will I require it; of man, too, will I require a reckoning for human life, of every man for that of his fellow man.
6#Ge 1:26–27; Lev 24:17 Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed;
for God made man
in His own image.
7#Ge 9:1And as for you, be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly in the earth and multiply in it.”
8Again God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, 9#Ge 6:18“As for Me, I establish My covenant with you, and with your descendants after you; 10and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, every beast of the earth. 11#Isa 54:9; Ge 8:21–22I establish My covenant with you. Never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood. Never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”
12#Ge 17:11Then God said, “This is the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations. 13#Eze 1:28; Rev 4:3I have set My rainbow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14When I bring a cloud over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the cloud; 15#Eze 16:60; Dt 7:9then I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh, and the waters will never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16#Ge 17:13; 17:19The rainbow will appear in the cloud, and I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”
17So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between Me and all flesh that is on the earth.”
The Sons of Noah
18#Ge 10:1; 10:6The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. 19These were the three sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.
20Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard. 21#Pr 20:1Then he drank some of the wine and became drunk, and lay uncovered in his tent. 22And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23So Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon 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.
24When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his younger son had done to him, 25#Jos 9:23; Dt 27:16he said,
“Canaan be cursed!
He will be a servant of servants
to his brothers.”
26He also said,
“Blessed be the Lord God of Shem,
and let Canaan be his servant.
27May God enlarge Japheth,
and may he dwell in the tents of Shem,
and may Canaan be his servant.”
28Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years. 29All the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years, and then he died.
Military Bible Association