Genesis 9:1-19

1God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.

2The 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.

3Every creature that lives and moves will be food for you; as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything.

4However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it.

5And I will require a penalty for your lifeblood; I will require it from any animal and from any human; if someone murders a fellow human, I will require that person’s life.

6Whoever sheds human blood, by humans his blood will be shed, for God made humans in his image.

7But you, be fruitful and multiply; spread out over the earth and multiply on it.”

8Then God said to Noah and his sons with him,

9“Understand that I am establishing my covenant with you and your descendants after you,

10and 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.

11I 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.”

12And God 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 future generations:

13I have placed my bow in the clouds, and it will be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.

14Whenever I form clouds over the earth and the bow appears in the clouds,

15I will remember my covenant between me and you and all the living creatures: water will never again become a flood to destroy every creature.

16The bow will be in the clouds, and I will look at it and remember the permanent covenant between God and all the living creatures on earth.”

17God said to Noah, “This is the sign of the covenant that I have established between me and every creature on earth.”

18Noah’s sons who came out of the ark were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.

19These three were Noah’s sons, and from them the whole earth was populated.