The Flood Subsides

But (A)God remembered Noah and all the animals and all the livestock that were with him in the ark; and (B)God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the water subsided. Also (C)the fountains of the deep and the [a]floodgates of the sky were closed, and (D)the rain from the sky was restrained; and the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end (E)of 150 days the water decreased. Then in the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, (F)the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat. And the water decreased steadily until the tenth month; in the tenth month, on the first day of the month, the tops of the mountains became visible.

Then it came about at the end of forty days, that Noah opened the (G)window of the ark which he had made; and he sent out a raven, and it [b]flew here and there until the water was dried up [c]from the earth. Then he sent out a [d]dove, to see if the water was low on the [e]surface of the land; but the dove found no resting place for the sole of its foot, so it returned to him in the ark, for the water was on the [f]surface of all the earth. Then he put out his hand and took it, and brought it into the ark to himself. 10 So he waited another seven days longer; and again he sent out the dove from the ark. 11 And the dove came to him in [g]the evening, and behold, in its [h]beak was a fresh olive leaf. So Noah knew that the water was low on the earth. 12 Then he waited another seven days longer, and sent out (H)the dove; but it did not return to him again.

13 Now it came about in the (I)six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, that the water was dried up [i]from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the [j]surface of the ground had dried up. 14 And in the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry. 15 Then God spoke to Noah, saying, 16 “Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons’ wives with you. 17 Bring out with you every living thing of all flesh that is with you, birds and animals and every crawling thing that crawls on the earth, that they may [k](J)breed abundantly on the earth, and (K)be fruitful and multiply on the earth.” 18 So Noah went out, and his sons and his wife, and his sons’ wives with him. 19 Every animal, every crawling thing, and every bird, everything that moves on the earth, went out [l]by their families from the ark.

20 Then Noah built (L)an altar to the Lord, and took some of every kind of (M)clean animal and some of every clean bird and offered (N)burnt offerings on the altar. 21 The Lord (O)smelled the soothing aroma, and the Lord said [m]to Himself, “I will never again (P)curse the ground on account of man, for (Q)the [n]intent of man’s heart is evil from his youth; (R)and I will never again [o]destroy every living thing, as I have done.

22 While the earth remains,
Seedtime and harvest,
Cold and heat,
(S)Summer and winter,
And (T)day and night
Shall not cease.”

Covenant of the Rainbow

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “(U)Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth. The fear of you and the terror of you will be on every animal of the earth and on every bird of the sky; on everything that crawls on the ground, and on all the fish of the sea. They are handed over to you. Every moving thing that is alive shall be food for you; I have given everything to you, (V)as I gave the green plant. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, (W)its blood. I certainly will require [p](X)your lifeblood; [q](Y)from every animal I will require it. And [r]from every person, [s]from every man as his brother I will require the life of a person.

(Z)Whoever sheds human blood,
By man his blood shall be shed,
For (AA)in the image of God
He made mankind.
As for you, (AB)be fruitful and multiply;
[t]Populate the earth abundantly and multiply in it.”

Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “Now behold, (AC)I Myself am establishing My covenant with you, and with your [u]descendants after you; 10 and with every living creature that is with you: the birds, the livestock, and every animal of the earth with you; of all that comes out of the ark, every animal of the earth. 11 I establish My covenant with you; and all flesh shall (AD)never again be eliminated by the waters of a flood, (AE)nor shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is (AF)the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for [v]all future generations; 13 I have set My (AG)rainbow in the cloud, and it shall [w]serve as a sign of a covenant between Me and the earth. 14 It shall come about, when I make a cloud appear over the earth, that the rainbow will be seen in the cloud, 15 and (AH)I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and (AI)never again shall the water become a flood to destroy all flesh. 16 When the rainbow is in the cloud, then I will look at it, to remember the (AJ)everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.” 17 And 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.”

18 Now the sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and (AK)Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and (AL)from these the whole earth was [x]populated.

20 Then Noah began [y]farming and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank some of the wine and (AM)became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, (AN)saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it on both their shoulders and walked backward and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were [z]turned away, so that they did not see their father’s nakedness. 24 When Noah awoke from his wine, he knew what his youngest son had done to him. 25 So he said,

(AO)Cursed be Canaan;
[aa](AP)A servant of servants
He shall be to his brothers.”

26 He also said,

(AQ)Blessed be the Lord,
The God of Shem;
And may Canaan be [ab]his servant.
27 (AR)May God enlarge Japheth,
And may he live in the tents of Shem;
And may Canaan be [ac]his servant.”

28 Noah lived 350 years after the flood. 29 So all the days of Noah were 950 years, and he died.

Descendants of Noah

10 Now these are the records of the generations of the sons of Noah: Shem, Ham, and Japheth; and sons were born to them after the flood.

(AS)The sons of Japheth were (AT)Gomer, Magog, (AU)Madai, (AV)Javan, Tubal, (AW)Meshech, and Tiras. The sons of Gomer were (AX)Ashkenaz, [ad]Riphath, and (AY)Togarmah. The sons of Javan were Elishah, (AZ)Tarshish, Kittim, and [ae]Dodanim. From these the people of the coastlands of the nations [af]were separated into their lands, every one according to his language, according to their families, into their nations.

(BA)The sons of Ham were Cush, Mizraim, Put, and Canaan. The sons of Cush were (BB)Seba, Havilah, Sabtah, (BC)Raamah, and Sabteca; and the sons of Raamah were (BD)Sheba and (BE)Dedan. Now Cush fathered Nimrod; he [ag]became a mighty one on the earth. He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said, “Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord.” 10 And the beginning of his kingdom was [ah](BF)Babel, Erech, Accad, and Calneh, in the land of (BG)Shinar. 11 From that land he went (BH)to Assyria, and built Nineveh, Rehoboth-Ir, Calah, 12 and Resen between Nineveh and Calah; that is the great city. 13 Mizraim fathered (BI)Ludim, Anamim, Lehabim, Naphtuhim, 14 (BJ)Pathrusim, Casluhim (from whom came the Philistines), and Caphtorim.

15 Canaan fathered (BK)Sidon, his firstborn, and (BL)Heth, 16 (BM)the Jebusite, the Amorite, the Girgashite, 17 the Hivite, the Arkite, the Sinite, 18 the Arvadite, the Zemarite, and the Hamathite; and afterward the families of the Canaanite were spread abroad. 19 (BN)The territory of the Canaanite [ai]extended from Sidon [aj]going toward Gerar, as far as Gaza; and [ak]going toward (BO)Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah, and Zeboiim, as far as Lasha. 20 These are the sons of Ham, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and by their nations.

21 Also to Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, and the older brother of Japheth, children were born. 22 (BP)The sons of Shem were (BQ)Elam, Asshur, (BR)Arpachshad, (BS)Lud, and Aram. 23 The sons of Aram were (BT)Uz, Hul, Gether, and Mash. 24 Arpachshad fathered (BU)Shelah; and Shelah fathered Eber. 25 (BV)Two sons were born to Eber; the name of the one was [al]Peleg, for in his days the earth was divided; and his brother’s name was Joktan. 26 Joktan fathered Almodad, Sheleph, Hazarmaveth, Jerah, 27 Hadoram, Uzal, Diklah, 28 [am]Obal, Abimael, Sheba, 29 Ophir, Havilah, and Jobab; all of these were the sons of Joktan. 30 Now their [an]settlement [ao]extended from Mesha [ap]going toward Sephar, the hill country of the east. 31 These are the sons of Shem, according to their families, according to their languages, by their lands, and according to their nations.

32 These are the families of the sons of Noah, according to their descendants, by their nations; and (BW)out of these the nations were separated on the earth after the flood.

The Tower of Babel

11 Now all the earth [aq]used the same language and [ar]the same words. And it came about, as they journeyed [as]east, that they found a plain in the land (BX)of Shinar and [at]settled there. Then they said to one another, “Come, let’s make bricks and [au]fire them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used (BY)tar for mortar. And they said, “Come, let’s build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top (BZ)will reach into heaven, and let’s make (CA)a name for ourselves; otherwise we (CB)will be scattered abroad over the face of all the earth.” Now (CC)the Lord came down to see the city and the tower which the [av]men had built. And the Lord said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have [aw](CD)the same language. And this is what they have started to do, and now nothing which they plan to do will be [ax]impossible for them. Come, [ay](CE)let Us go down and there (CF)confuse their [az]language, so that they will not understand one another’s [ba]speech.” So the Lord (CG)scattered them abroad from there over the face of all the earth; and they stopped building the city. Therefore it was named [bb](CH)Babel, because there the Lord confused the [bc]language of all the earth; and from there the Lord scattered them abroad over the face of all the earth.

Descendants of Shem

10 (CI)These are the records of the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old when he fathered Arpachshad, two years after the flood; 11 and Shem lived five hundred years after he fathered Arpachshad, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

12 Arpachshad lived thirty-five years, and fathered Shelah; 13 and Arpachshad lived 403 years after he fathered Shelah, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

14 Shelah lived thirty years, and fathered Eber; 15 and Shelah lived 403 years after he fathered Eber, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

16 Eber lived thirty-four years, and fathered Peleg; 17 and Eber lived 430 years after he fathered Peleg, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

18 Peleg lived thirty years, and fathered Reu; 19 and Peleg lived 209 years after he fathered Reu, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

20 Reu lived thirty-two years, and fathered Serug; 21 and Reu lived 207 years after he fathered Serug, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

22 Serug lived thirty years, and fathered Nahor; 23 and Serug lived two hundred years after he fathered Nahor, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

24 Nahor lived twenty-nine years, and fathered (CJ)Terah; 25 and Nahor lived 119 years after he fathered Terah, and he fathered other sons and daughters.

26 Terah lived seventy years, and (CK)fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran.

27 Now these are the records of the generations of Terah. Terah fathered Abram, Nahor, and Haran; and (CL)Haran fathered (CM)Lot. 28 Haran died [bd]during the lifetime of his father Terah in the land of his birth, in (CN)Ur of the Chaldeans. 29 Abram and (CO)Nahor took wives for themselves. The name of Abram’s wife was (CP)Sarai, and the name of Nahor’s wife was (CQ)Milcah, the daughter of Haran, the father of Milcah [be]and Iscah. 30 (CR)Sarai was unable to conceive; she did not have a child.

31 Now Terah took his son Abram, and Lot the son of Haran, his grandson, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, his son Abram’s wife, and they departed [bf]together from (CS)Ur of the Chaldeans to go to the land of Canaan; and they went as far as Haran and [bg]settled there. 32 The days of Terah were 205 years; and Terah died in Haran.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 8:2 Or windows of the heavens
  2. Genesis 8:7 Lit went out, going and returning
  3. Genesis 8:7 Lit from upon
  4. Genesis 8:8 Lit dove from him
  5. Genesis 8:8 Lit face
  6. Genesis 8:9 Lit face
  7. Genesis 8:11 Lit the time of evening
  8. Genesis 8:11 Lit mouth
  9. Genesis 8:13 Lit from upon
  10. Genesis 8:13 Lit face
  11. Genesis 8:17 Or swarm
  12. Genesis 8:19 Or according to their kind
  13. Genesis 8:21 Lit to His heart
  14. Genesis 8:21 Or inclination
  15. Genesis 8:21 Lit strike
  16. Genesis 9:5 Lit your blood of your lives
  17. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  18. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  19. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  20. Genesis 9:7 Lit Swarm in the earth
  21. Genesis 9:9 Lit seed
  22. Genesis 9:12 Or everlasting generations
  23. Genesis 9:13 Lit be for
  24. Genesis 9:19 Lit scattered
  25. Genesis 9:20 Lit to be a farmer
  26. Genesis 9:23 Lit backward
  27. Genesis 9:25 I.e., The lowest of servants
  28. Genesis 9:26 Or their
  29. Genesis 9:27 Or their
  30. Genesis 10:3 In 1 Chr 1:6, Diphath
  31. Genesis 10:4 In 1 Chr 1:7, Rodanim
  32. Genesis 10:5 Or separated themselves
  33. Genesis 10:8 Lit began to be
  34. Genesis 10:10 Or Babylon
  35. Genesis 10:19 Lit was
  36. Genesis 10:19 Lit as you go
  37. Genesis 10:19 Lit as you go
  38. Genesis 10:25 I.e., division
  39. Genesis 10:28 In 1 Chr 1:22, Ebal
  40. Genesis 10:30 Lit dwelling
  41. Genesis 10:30 Lit was
  42. Genesis 10:30 Lit as you go
  43. Genesis 11:1 Lit was one lip
  44. Genesis 11:1 Or few or one set of words
  45. Genesis 11:2 Or from the east
  46. Genesis 11:2 Lit dwelt
  47. Genesis 11:3 I.e., in a kiln to harden them
  48. Genesis 11:5 Lit sons of mankind
  49. Genesis 11:6 Lit one lip
  50. Genesis 11:6 Lit inaccessible to
  51. Genesis 11:7 I.e., indicating united action, not a request
  52. Genesis 11:7 Lit lip
  53. Genesis 11:7 Lit lip
  54. Genesis 11:9 Or Babylon; cf. Heb balal, confuse
  55. Genesis 11:9 Lit lip
  56. Genesis 11:28 Lit before the face of
  57. Genesis 11:29 Lit and the father of
  58. Genesis 11:31 Lit with them
  59. Genesis 11:31 Lit dwelt

Bible Gateway Recommends