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

 神賜福挪亞,與他立約

 神賜福給挪亞和他的兒子,對他們說:“你們要繁衍增多,充滿大地。 地上各樣的走獸,空中各樣的飛鳥,甚至地上各樣爬行的動物,和海裡各樣的魚類,都要對你們驚恐懼怕;這一切都已經交在你們手裡了。 所有活著的動物都可以作你們的食物,我把這一切都賜給你們,好像我把青菜賜給了你們一樣。 唯獨帶著生命的肉,就是帶著血的肉,你們卻不可吃。 流你們的血、害你們生命的,我必向他們追償;無論是走獸或人類,甚至各人自己的兄弟,我必要他償命。

流人血的,

人也必流他的血;

因為 神造人,

是按著他自己的形象。

你們要繁衍增多;

要在地上滋生、增多。”

 神告訴挪亞和與他在一起的兒子說: “看哪,我現在與你們和你們的後裔立約, 10 並且與所有跟你們在一起有生命的活物立約,包括飛鳥、牲畜和所有地上的走獸,就是與從方舟裡出來的立約。 11 我要與你們立約:凡有生命的必不再被洪水除滅,再沒有洪水來毀滅大地了。” 12  神說:“這就是我與你們,與一切跟你們同在有生命的活物所立之約的記號,直到萬代; 13 我把彩虹放在雲彩中,作我與大地立約的記號。 14 我使雲彩遮蓋大地時,彩虹出現雲彩中, 15 我就記念我與你們和一切有生命的活物所立的約:

水不再成為洪水,

來毀滅凡有生命的。

16 彩虹在雲彩中出現,

我看見了就記念

我與地上一切有生命的活物,所立的永約。”

17  神對挪亞說:“這就是我與地上凡有生命的立約的記號。”

挪亞的兒子

18 挪亞的兒子,從方舟裡出來的,就是閃、含、雅弗;含是迦南的父親。 19 這三個人是挪亞的兒子,全地的人都是從這些人播散開來的。

挪亞的過失

20 挪亞作起農夫來,栽種葡萄園。 21 他喝酒,喝醉了,就在帳棚裡光著身子。 22 迦南的父親含看見了自己父親的下體,就去告訴在外面的兩個兄弟。 23 於是,閃和雅弗二人拿了件外衣,搭在自己的肩膀上,倒退著進去,蓋上他們父親的下體;因為他們背著臉,所以沒有看見他們父親的下體。

挪亞對兒子的咒詛與祝福

24 挪亞酒醒以後,知道小兒子對他所作的事, 25 就說:

“迦南應當受咒詛,

他必給自己的兄弟,

作奴僕的奴僕。”

26 又說:

“耶和華,閃的 神,

是應當稱頌的;願迦南作他的奴僕。

27 願 神使雅弗擴展,

使雅弗住在閃的帳棚裡;

願迦南作他的奴僕。”

挪亞逝世

28 洪水以後,挪亞又活了三百

五十年。 29 挪亞共活了九百五十歲,就死了。