Genesis 9

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

⁸ Then 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, ¹⁰ and with every living creature that was with you—the birds, the livestock, and all the wild animals of the earth—all that came out of the ark with you, every living thing on the earth. ¹¹ I establish my covenant with you: never again will all life be cut off by the waters of a flood; never again will there be a flood to destroy the earth. ¹² Then our Father said, "This is the sign of the covenant I am making between me and you and every living creature with you, a covenant for all generations to come: ¹³ I have set my rainbow in the clouds, and it will be the sign of the covenant between me and the earth. ¹⁴ Whenever I bring clouds over the earth and the rainbow appears in the clouds, ¹⁵ I will remember my covenant between me and you and every living creature of every kind; never again will the waters become a flood to destroy all life. ¹⁶ Whenever 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 the earth.

¹⁷ So our Father said to Noah, "This is the sign of the covenant I have established between me and all life on the earth."

Shem and Japheth Cover Their Father

¹⁸ The sons of Noah who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. (Ham was the father of Canaan.) ¹⁹ These three were the sons of Noah, and from them the whole earth was populated.

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

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

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