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God’s covenant with all life

God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fertile, multiply, and fill the earth. All of the animals on the earth will fear you and dread you—all the birds in the skies, everything crawling on the ground, and all of the sea’s fish. They are in your power. Everything that lives and moves will be your food. Just as I gave you the green grasses, I now give you everything. However, you must not eat meat with its life, its blood, in it.

I will surely demand your blood for a human life,
        from every living thing I will demand it.
From humans, from a man for his brother,
        I will demand something for a human life.
Whoever sheds human blood,
        by a human his blood will be shed;
for in the divine image
        God made human beings.

As for you, be fertile and multiply. Populate the earth and multiply in it.” God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “I am now setting up my covenant with you, with your descendants, 10 and with every living being with you—with the birds, with the large animals, and with all the animals of the earth, leaving the ark with you.[a] 11 I will set up my covenant with you so that never again will all life be cut off by floodwaters. There will never again be a flood to destroy the earth.”

12 God said, “This is the symbol of the covenant that I am drawing up between me and you and every living thing with you, on behalf of every future generation. 13 I have placed my bow in the clouds; it will be the symbol of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember the covenant between me and you and every living being among all the creatures. Floodwaters will never again destroy all creatures. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and upon seeing it I will remember the enduring covenant between God and every living being of all the earth’s creatures.” 17 God said to Noah, “This is the symbol of the covenant that I have set up between me and all creatures on earth.”

Shem’s blessing and Canaan’s curse

18 Noah’s sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth came out of the ark. Now Ham was Canaan’s father. 19 These were Noah’s three sons, and from them the whole earth was populated. 20 Noah, a farmer, made a new start and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank some of the wine, became drunk, and took off his clothes in his tent. 22 Ham, Canaan’s father, saw his father naked and told his two brothers who were outside. 23 Shem and Japheth took a robe, threw it over their shoulders, walked backward, and covered their naked father without looking at him because they turned away. 24 When Noah woke up from his wine, he discovered what his youngest son had done to him. 25 He said,

“Cursed be Canaan:
    the lowest servant
        he will be for his brothers.”
26 He also said,
“Bless the Lord,
    the God of Shem;
Canaan will be his servant.
27 May God give space[b] to Japheth;
    he will live in Shem’s tents,
        and Canaan will be his servant.”

28 After the flood, Noah lived 350 years. 29 In all, Noah lived 950 years; then he died.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 9:10 LXX; MT includes for all the animals of the earth.
  2. Genesis 9:27 Heb sounds like Japheth.

The Covenant with Noah

God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.(A) The fear and dread of you shall rest on every animal of the earth and on every bird of the air, on everything that creeps on the ground and on all the fish of the sea; into your hand they are delivered. Every moving thing that lives shall be food for you, and just as I gave you the green plants, I give you everything.(B) Only, you shall not eat flesh with its life, that is, its blood.(C) For your own lifeblood I will surely require a reckoning: from every animal I will require it and from human beings, each one for the blood of another, I will require a reckoning for human life.(D)

Whoever sheds the blood of a human,
    by a human shall that person’s blood be shed,
for in his own image
    God made humans.(E)

“And you, be fruitful and multiply, abound on the earth and have dominion over[a] it.”(F)

Then God said to Noah and to his sons with him, “As for me, I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you(G) 10 and with every living creature that is with you, the birds, the domestic animals, and every animal of the earth with you, as many as came out of the ark.[b](H) 11 I establish my covenant with you, that never again shall all flesh be cut off by the waters of a flood, and never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.”(I) 12 God said, “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:(J) 13 I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.(K) 14 When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, 15 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.(L) 16 When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth.”(M) 17 God 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 and His Sons

18 The sons of Noah who went out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.(N) 19 These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was peopled.(O)

20 Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. 21 He drank some of the wine and became drunk, and he lay uncovered in his tent. 22 And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father and told his two brothers outside. 23 Then 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 away, and they did not see their father’s nakedness.(P) 24 When Noah awoke from his wine and knew what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,

“Cursed be Canaan;
    lowest of slaves shall he be to his brothers.”(Q)

26 He also said,

“Blessed by the Lord my God be Shem,
    and let Canaan be his slave.(R)
27 May God make space for Japheth,[c]
    and let him live in the tents of Shem,
    and let Canaan be his slave.”(S)

28 After the flood Noah lived three hundred fifty years. 29 All the days of Noah were nine hundred fifty years, and he died.

Footnotes

  1. 9.7 Gk mss: Heb multiply in
  2. 9.10 Gk: Heb adds every animal of the earth
  3. 9.27 In Heb Japheth resembles the verb for make space