Genesis 9

9 ¹Then our Father blessed Noah and his sons, saying, "Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth. ²Every animal of the earth, every bird of the sky, everything that crawls on the ground, and every fish of the sea will fear and dread you; they are given into your hand. ³Every living, moving thing will be your food. As I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything. ⁴But you must not eat meat that still has its lifeblood in it. ⁵I will surely demand an accounting for your blood: from every animal I will demand it, and from every person—each for his brother's life—I will demand a human life. ⁶Whoever sheds human blood, by humans will their blood be shed; for in the image of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, humanity was made. ⁷As for you, be fruitful and multiply; swarm across the earth and multiply on it."

⁸Then our Father said to Noah and to his sons with him:

⁹"As for me, I am now establishing my covenant with you and with your descendants after you, ¹⁰and every living creature with you—birds, livestock, every wild animal of the earth—all that came out of the ark with you, every living thing of the earth. ¹¹I set my covenant with you: never again will all flesh be cut off by floodwaters; never again a flood to destroy the earth." ¹²Then our Father said, "This is the sign of the covenant I'm making between me and you and every living creature with you, for all generations to come: ¹³I have put my rainbow in the clouds as the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵I will remember my covenant between me and you and every living creature of every kind: never again will floodwaters destroy all life. ¹⁶When the rainbow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between me and every living creature of every kind on earth." ¹⁷So our Father told Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I've established between me and all life on earth."

Shem and Japheth Cover Their Father

¹⁸Noah's sons who left the ark: Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was Canaan's father.). ¹⁹These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.

²⁰Noah, a man of the soil, was the first to plant a vineyard. ²¹When he drank some of its wine, he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. ²²Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked and told his two brothers outside. ²³Shem and Japheth took a cloak, laid it on both their shoulders, walked in backward, and covered their father's nakedness; their faces were backward, so they did not see their father's nakedness. ²⁴When Noah awoke from his wine and learned what his youngest son had done to him, ²⁵he said, "Cursed be Canaan! He will be the lowest of servants to his brothers."

²⁶He also said, "Blessed be the Father of Shem; may Canaan be Shem's servant. ²⁷May our Father extend Japheth's territory; may Japheth dwell in the tents of Shem, and may Canaan be Shem's servant."

²⁸After the flood Noah lived 350 years. ²⁹Noah lived a total of 950 years, and then he died.