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.

Learn More About Good News Bible (Anglicised)

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.

Learn More About New King James Version