The Covenant of the Rainbow
(Genesis 6:13-22)
1And GodblessedNoahand his sons,and saidunto them, Be fruitful,and multiply,and replenishthe earth.2And the fear of youand the dread of youshall be upon every beastof the earth,and upon every fowlof the air,upon all that moveth[upon] the earth,and upon all the fishesof the sea;into your handare they delivered.3Every moving thingthat livethshall be meatfor you; even as the greenherbhave I givenyou all things.4Butfleshwith the lifethereof, [which is] the bloodthereof, shall ye not eat.5And surelyyour bloodof your liveswill I require;at the handof every beastwill I require it,and at the handof man;at the handof every man'sbrotherwill I requirethe lifeof man.
6Whoso sheddethman'sblood,by manshall his bloodbe shed:for in the imageof Godmadehe man.
7And you, be ye fruitful,and multiply;bring forth abundantlyin the earth,and multiplytherein.
8And Godspakeunto Noah,and to his sonswith him, saying,9And I, behold, I establishmy covenantwith you, and with your seedafter you;10And with every livingcreaturethat [is] with you, of the fowl,of the cattle,and of every beastof the earthwith you; from all that go outof the ark,to every beastof the earth.11And I will establishmy covenantwith you; neither shall all fleshbe cut offany more by the watersof a flood;neither shall there any more be a floodto destroythe earth.12And Godsaid,This [is] the tokenof the covenantwhich Imakebetween me and you and every livingcreaturethat [is] with you, for perpetualgenerations:13I do setmy bowin the cloud,and it shall be for a tokenof a covenantbetween me and the earth.14And it shall come to pass, when I bringa cloudover the earth,that the bowshall be seenin the cloud:15And I will remembermy covenant,which [is] between me and you and every livingcreatureof all flesh;and the watersshall no morebecome a floodto destroyall flesh.16And the bowshall be in the cloud;and I will look upon it,that I may rememberthe everlastingcovenantbetweenGodandevery livingcreatureof all fleshthat [is] upon the earth.17And Godsaidunto Noah,This [is] the tokenof the covenant,which I have establishedbetween me and all fleshthat [is] upon the earth.
Noah's Sons
18And the sonsof Noah,that went forthof the ark,were Shem,and Ham,and Japheth:and Ham[is] the fatherof Canaan.19These [are] the threesonsof Noah:and of them was the whole earthoverspread.
Noah's Shame and Canaan's Curse
20And Noahbegan[to be] an husbandman,and he planteda vineyard:21And he drankof the wine,and was drunken;and he was uncoveredwithinhis tent.22And Ham,the fatherof Canaan,sawthe nakednessof his father,and toldhis twobrethrenwithout.23And Shemand Japhethtooka garment,and laid[it] upon boththeir shoulders,and wentbackward,and coveredthe nakednessof their father;and their faces[were] backward,and they sawnot their father'snakedness.24And Noahawokefrom his wine,and knewwhat his youngersonhad doneunto him.
25And he said,Cursed[be] Canaan;a servantof servantsshall he be unto his brethren.
Shem's Blessing and Noah's Death
26And he said,Blessed[be] the LORDGodof Shem;and Canaanshall behis servant.
27Godshall enlargeJapheth,and he shall dwellin the tentsof Shem;and Canaanshall be his servant.
28And Noahlivedafterthe floodthreehundredand fiftyyears.29And all the daysof Noahwere ninehundredand fiftyyears:and he died.
