Genesis 9

God’s Covenant with Noah

1 God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.  * 9:1 Gn 1:28; 8:17; 9:7; 35:112 The fear and terror of you will be in every living creature on the earth, every bird of the sky, every creature that crawls on the ground, and all the fish of the sea. They are placed under your authority. 3 Every creature that lives and moves will be food for you;  * 9:3 Dt 12:15; 1Tm 4:3–4 as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything.  * 9:1–3 Gn 1:28–304 However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it.  * 9:4 Lv 3:17; 7:20; 17:10–16; 19:26; Dt 12:16,23; 15:23; 1Sm 14:34; Ac 15:20,295 And I will require a penalty for your lifeblood;  * 9:5 Lit And your blood belonging to your life I will seek I will require it from any animal  * 9:5 Ex 21:28 and from any human; if someone murders a fellow human, I will require that person’s life.  * 9:5 Gn 4:2,8

6 Whoever sheds human blood,

by humans his blood will be shed,  * 9:6 Ex 21:12–14; Lv 24:17; Nm 35:33; Mt 26:52

for God made humans in his image.  * 9:6 Gn 1:26–27

7 But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it."  * 9:7 Gn 1:28

8 Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, 9 "Understand that I am establishing my covenant  * 9:9 Gn 6:18; 8:22; 17:2; Ex 6:4; 19:5; Lv 26:9 with you and your descendants after you, 10 and with every living creature that is with you — birds, livestock, and all wildlife of the earth that are with you — all the animals of the earth that came out of the ark. 11 I establish my covenant with you that never again will every creature be wiped out by floodwaters; there will never again be a flood to destroy the earth."  * 9:11 Is 54:9–10

12 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant  * 9:12 Gn 17:11 I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all future generations: 13 I have placed my bow in the clouds,  * 9:13 Ezk 1:28; Rv 4:3; 10:1 and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. 14 Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds, 15 I will remember my covenant  * 9:15 Lv 26:42,45; Dt 7:9; 1Kg 8:23; Ezk 16:60 between me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature. 16 The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the permanent covenant  * 9:16 Gn 17:13; 2Sm 23:5; 1Ch 16:17; Is 24:5 between God and all the living creatures on earth." 17 God said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and every creature on earth."

Prophecies about Noah’s Family

18 Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan. 19 These three were Noah’s sons, and from them the whole earth was populated.  * 9:19 Gn 9:1,7; 10:32; 1Ch 1:4

20 Noah, as a man of the soil, began by planting  * 9:20 Or Noah began to be a farmer and planted a vineyard. 21 He drank some of the wine, became drunk, and uncovered himself inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside.  * 9:22 Lm 4:21; Hab 2:1523 Then Shem and Japheth took a cloak and placed it over both their shoulders, and walking backward, they covered their father’s nakedness. Their faces were turned away, and they did not see their father naked.

24 When Noah awoke from his drinking and learned what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said:

Canaan is cursed.  * 9:25 Dt 27:16

He will be the lowest of slaves to his brothers.  * 9:25 Jos 9:23; Jdg 1:28; 1Kg 9:20–21

26 He also said:

Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem;

Let Canaan be  * 9:26 As a wish or prayer; others interpret the verbs in vv. 26–27 as prophecy: Canaan will be . . . Shem’s slave.

27 Let God extend Japheth;  * 9:27 In Hb, the name Japheth sounds like the word "extend."

let Japheth dwell in the tents of Shem;

let Canaan be Shem’s slave.

28 Now Noah lived 350 years after the flood. 29 So Noah’s life lasted 950 years; then he died.