Genesis 9

God Blesses Noah and His Sons

1 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fertile, increase in number, and fill the earth.2 All the wild animals and all the birds will fear you and be terrified of you. Every creature that crawls on the ground and all the fish in the sea have been put under your control.

3 Everything that lives and moves will be your food. I gave you green plants as food; I now give you everything else.
4 “But you are not to eat meat with blood in it. (Blood is life.)

5 In addition, I will demand your blood for your life. I will demand it from any animal or from any person. I will demand the life of any person who kills another person.
6 Whoever sheds human blood,by humans his blood will be shed,because in the image of God, God made humans.7 Be fertile, and increase in number. Spread over the earth, and increase.”

God’s Promise—The Sign of the Rainbow

8 God also said to Noah and his sons,9 “I am going to make my promiset to you, your descendants,10 and every living being that is with you—birds, domestic animals, and all the wild animals, all those that came out of the ship—every living thing on earth.

11 I am making my promise to you. Never again will all life be killed by floodwaters. Never again will there be a flood that destroys the earth.”
12 God said, “This is the sign of the promise I am giving to you and every living being that is with you for generations to come.13 I will put my rainbow in the clouds to be a sign of my promise to the earth.14 Whenever I form clouds over the earth, a rainbow will appear in the clouds.15 Then I will remember my promise to you and every living animal. Never again will water become a flood to destroy all life.

16 Whenever the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember my everlasting promise to every living animal on earth.”
17 So God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the promise I am making to all life on earth.”

Noah Curses Canaan but Blesses Shem and Japheth

18 Noah’s sons, who came out of the ship, were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

19 These were Noah’s three sons. From them the whole earth was populated. Ham was the father of Canaan.t
20 Noah, a farmer, was the first person to plant a vineyard.21 He drank some wine, got drunk, and lay naked inside his tent.

22 Ham, father of Canaan, saw his father naked. So he went outside and told his two brothers.
23 Shem and Japheth took a blanket and laid it over their shoulders. Then they walked in backwards and covered their father’s naked body. They turned their faces away so that they didn’t see their father naked.24 When Noah sobered up, he found out what his youngest son had done to him.

25 So he said,
“Canaan is cursed!He will be the lowest slave to his brothers.26 Praise the Lord, the God of Shem!Canaan will be his slave.27 May God expand the territory of Japheth.tMay he live in the tents of Shem.Canaan will be his slave.”28 Noah lived 350 years after the flood.

29 Noah lived a total of 950 years; then he died.

Genesis 9

God's promise to Noah

1 God said to Noah and his sons:t
I am giving you my blessing. Have a lot of children and grandchildren, so people will live everywhere on this earth. 2 All animals, birds, reptiles, and fish will be afraid of you. I have placed them under your control, 3 and I have given them to you for food. From now on, you may eat them, as well as the green plants that you have always eaten. 4 But life is in the blood, and you must not eat any meat that still has blood in it.t

5-6 I created humans to be like me, and I will punish any animal or person that takes a human life. If an animal kills someone, that animal must die. And if a person takes the life of another, that person must be put to death.t

7 I want you and your descendants to have many children, so people will live everywhere on earth.t

8 Again, God said to Noah and his sons:
9 I am going to make a solemn promise to you and to everyone who will live after you. 10 This includes the birds and the animals that came out of the boat.

11 I promise every living creature that the earth and those living on it will never again be destroyed by a flood.
12-13 The rainbow that I have put in the sky will be my sign to you and to every living creature on earth. It will remind you that I will keep this promise for ever. 14 When I send clouds over the earth, and a rainbow appears in the sky, 15 I will remember my promise to you and to all other living creatures. Never again will I let flood waters destroy all life. 16 When I see the rainbow in the sky, I will always remember the promise that I have made to every living creature.

17 The rainbow will be the sign of that solemn promise.

Noah and his family

19 All people on earth are descendants of Noah's three sons.
20 Noah farmed the land and was the first to plant a vineyard. 21 One day he got drunk and was lying naked in his tent. 22 Ham entered the tent and saw him naked, then went back outside and told his brothers.

23 Shem and Japheth put a robe over their shoulders and walked backwards into the tent. Without looking at their father, they placed it over his body.
24 When Noah woke up and learnt what his youngest son Ham had done,

25 he said,
“I now put a curse on Canaan!
He will be the lowest slave
of his brothers.

26 I ask the Lord my God
to bless Shem
and make Canaan his slave.

27 I pray that the Lord
will give Japheth
more and moret land
and let him take over
the territory of Shem.
May Canaan be his slave.”
28 Noah lived three hundred and fifty years after the flood 29 and died at the age of nine hundred and fifty.