Covenant of the Rainbow

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, and said to them, “(A)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, (B)as I gave the green plant. But you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, (C)its blood. I certainly will require [a](D)your lifeblood; [b](E)from every animal I will require it. And [c]from every person, [d]from every man as his brother I will require the life of a person.

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

Then God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying, “Now behold, (I)I Myself am establishing My covenant with you, and with your [f]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 (J)never again be eliminated by the waters of a flood, (K)nor shall there again be a flood to destroy the earth.” 12 God said, “This is (L)the sign of the covenant which I am making between Me and you and every living creature that is with you, for [g]all future generations; 13 I have set My (M)rainbow in the cloud, and it shall [h]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 (N)I will remember My covenant, which is between Me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and (O)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 (P)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 (Q)Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and (R)from these the whole earth was [i]populated.

20 Then Noah began [j]farming and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank some of the wine and (S)became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, (T)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 [k]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,

(U)Cursed be Canaan;
[l](V)A servant of servants
He shall be to his brothers.”

26 He also said,

(W)Blessed be the Lord,
The God of Shem;
And may Canaan be [m]his servant.
27 (X)May God enlarge Japheth,
And may he live in the tents of Shem;
And may Canaan be [n]his servant.”

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

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 9:5 Lit your blood of your lives
  2. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  3. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  4. Genesis 9:5 Lit from the hand of
  5. Genesis 9:7 Lit Swarm in the earth
  6. Genesis 9:9 Lit seed
  7. Genesis 9:12 Or everlasting generations
  8. Genesis 9:13 Lit be for
  9. Genesis 9:19 Lit scattered
  10. Genesis 9:20 Lit to be a farmer
  11. Genesis 9:23 Lit backward
  12. Genesis 9:25 I.e., The lowest of servants
  13. Genesis 9:26 Or their
  14. Genesis 9:27 Or their

And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth.

And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered.

Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as the green herb have I given you all things.

But flesh with the life thereof, which is the blood thereof, shall ye not eat.

And surely your blood of your lives will I require; at the hand of every beast will I require it, and at the hand of man; at the hand of every man's brother will I require the life of man.

Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

And you, be ye fruitful, and multiply; bring forth abundantly in the earth, and multiply therein.

And God spake unto Noah, and to his sons with him, saying,

And I, behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you;

10 And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth.

11 And I will establish my covenant with you, neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth.

12 And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:

13 I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.

14 And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:

15 And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.

16 And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is upon the earth.

17 And God said unto Noah, This is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh that is upon the earth.

18 And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.

19 These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

20 And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

21 And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

23 And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness.

24 And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

25 And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

26 And he said, Blessed be the Lord God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

27 God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

28 And Noah lived after the flood three hundred and fifty years.

29 And all the days of Noah were nine hundred and fifty years: and he died.

God blessed Noah and his sons and told them to have many children and to repopulate the earth.

2-3 “All wild animals and birds and fish will be afraid of you,” God told him; “for I have placed them in your power, and they are yours to use for food, in addition to grain and vegetables. But never eat animals unless their life-blood has been drained off. 5-6 And murder is forbidden. Man-killing animals must die, and any man who murders shall be killed; for to kill a man is to kill one made like God. Yes, have many children and repopulate the earth and subdue it.”

Then God told Noah and his sons, 9-11 “I solemnly promise you and your children[a] and the animals you brought with you—all these birds and cattle and wild animals—that I will never again send another flood to destroy the earth. 12 And I seal this promise with this sign: 13 I have placed my rainbow in the clouds as a sign of my promise until the end of time, to you and to all the earth. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, the rainbow will be seen in the clouds, 15 and I will remember my promise to you and to every being, that never again will the floods come and destroy all life. 16-17 For I will see the rainbow in the cloud and remember my eternal promise to every living being on the earth.”

18 The names of Noah’s three sons were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham is the ancestor of the Canaanites.)[b] 19 From these three sons of Noah came all the nations of the earth.

20-21 Noah became a farmer and planted a vineyard, and he made wine. One day as he was drunk and lay naked in his tent, 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father’s nakedness and went outside and told his two brothers. 23 Then Shem and Japheth took a robe and held it over their shoulders and, walking backwards into the tent, let it fall across their father to cover his nakedness as they looked the other way. 24-25 When Noah awoke from his drunken stupor, and learned what had happened and what Ham, his younger son, had done, he cursed Ham’s descendants:[c]

“A curse upon the Canaanites,” he swore.

“May they be the lowest of slaves

To the descendants of Shem and Japheth.”

26-27 Then he said,

“God bless Shem,

And may Canaan be his slave.[d]

God bless Japheth,

And let him share the prosperity of Shem,

And let Canaan be his slave.”

28 Noah lived another 350 years after the flood 29 and was 950 years old at his death.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 9:9 you and your children, literally, “your seed.”
  2. Genesis 9:18 Ham is the ancestor of the Canaanites. Ham was not the ancestor of the Negro, as was once erroneously supposed.
  3. Genesis 9:24 he cursed Ham’s descendants, literally, “cursed be Canaan.” The Canaanites were Ham’s descendants.
  4. Genesis 9:26 God bless Shem, and may Canaan be his slave, or “Blessed be Jehovah, the God of Shem, and may the Canaanites be Shem’s slaves.”