Genesis 9

God's Covenant with Noah

1 # Gen 1.28 God blessed Noah and his sons and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth. 2All the animals, birds, and fish will live in fear of you. They are all placed under your power. 3Now you can eat them, as well as green plants; I give them all to you for food. 4#Lev 7.26–27; 17.10–14; 19.26; Deut 12.16, 23; 15.23The one thing you must not eat is meat with blood still in it; I forbid this because the life is in the blood. 5If anyone takes human life, he will be punished. I will punish with death any animal that takes a human life. 6#Gen 1.26; Ex 20.13Human beings were made like God, so whoever murders one of them will be killed by someone else.

7 # Gen 1.28 “You must have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth.”

8God said to Noah and his sons, 9“I am now making my covenant with you and with your descendants, 10and with all living beings — all birds and all animals — everything that came out of the boat with you. 11With these words I make my covenant with you: I promise that never again will all living beings be destroyed by a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth. 12As a sign of this everlasting covenant which I am making with you and with all living beings, 13I am putting my bow in the clouds. It will be the sign of my covenant with the world. 14Whenever I cover the sky with clouds and the rainbow appears, 15I will remember my promise to you and to all the animals that a flood will never again destroy all living beings. 16When the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between me and all living beings on earth. 17That is the sign of the promise which I am making to all living beings.”

Noah and his Sons

18The sons of Noah who went out of the boat were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19These three sons of Noah were the ancestors of all the people on earth.

20Noah, who was a farmer, was the first man to plant a vineyard. 21After he drank some of the wine, he became drunk, took off his clothes, and lay naked in his tent. 22When Ham, the father of Canaan, saw that his father was naked, he went out and told his two brothers. 23Then Shem and Japheth took a robe and held it behind them on their shoulders. They walked backwards into the tent and covered their father, keeping their faces turned away so as not to see him naked. 24When Noah was sober again and learnt what his youngest son had done to him, 25he said,

“A curse on Canaan!

He will be a slave to his brothers.

26Give praise to the LORD, the God of Shem!

Canaan will be the slave of Shem.

27May God cause Japheth#9.27 Japheth: This name sounds like the Hebrew for “increase”. to increase!

May his descendants live with the people of Shem!

Canaan will be the slave of Japheth.”

28After the flood Noah lived for 350 years 29and died at the age of 950.

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Genesis 9

1And God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, #ch. 1:22, 28; 8:17“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. 2#[Ps. 8:6-8; James 3:7]The fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth and upon every bird of the heavens, upon everything that creeps on the ground and all the fish of the sea. Into your hand they are delivered. 3#Deut. 12:15; 1 Tim. 4:3, 4 Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you. And #ch. 1:29as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything. 4But you shall not eat flesh with its #Lev. 17:10, 11, 14; Deut. 12:16, 23; 1 Sam. 14:33; Acts 15:20, 29life, that is, its blood. 5And for your lifeblood I will require a reckoning: #Ex. 21:28 from every beast I will require it and #ch. 4:10, 11from man. From his fellow man I will require a reckoning for the life of man.

6 # Ex. 21:12, 14; Lev. 24:17; Num. 35:31, 33; [Matt. 26:52; Rev. 13:10] “Whoever sheds the blood of man,

by man shall his blood be shed,

# ch. 1:27; 5:1; James 3:9 for God made man in his own image.

7And you,#9:7 In Hebrew you is plural be fruitful and multiply, increase greatly on the earth and multiply in it.”

8Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, 9“Behold, #ch. 6:18; 8:20-22I establish my covenant with you and your offspring after you, 10and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the livestock, and every beast of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark; it is for every beast of the earth. 11#Isa. 54:9, 10I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of the flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12And God said, #ch. 17:11“This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: 13I have set #Ezek. 1:28; [Rev. 4:3; 10:1]my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15#[Lev. 26:42, 45; 1 Kgs. 8:23; Ezek. 16:60]I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember #ch. 17:7, 13, 19the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and all flesh that is on the earth.”

Noah’s Descendants

18The sons of Noah who went forth from the ark were #ch. 5:32; 10:1Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) 19These three were the sons of Noah, and #ch. 10:32from these the people of the whole earth were dispersed.#9:19 Or from these the whole earth was populated

20Noah began to be a man of the soil, and he planted a vineyard.#9:20 Or Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard 21He drank 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. 23Then Shem and Japheth took a garment, laid it on both their shoulders, and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father. Their faces were turned backward, and they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24When Noah awoke from his wine #[Hab. 2:15]and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25he said,

# Deut. 27:16 “Cursed be Canaan;

# Josh. 9:23; Judg. 1:28; 1 Kgs. 9:20, 21 a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

26He also said,

“Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem;

and let Canaan be his servant.

27May God enlarge Japheth,#9:27 Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for enlarge

and let him dwell in the tents of Shem,

and let Canaan be his servant.”

28After the flood Noah lived 350 years. 29All the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

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