Chapter 9

9:1    God blessed Noah and his sons and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth.

9:2    All the animals, birds, and fish will live in fear of you. They are all placed under you power.

9:3    Now you can eat them, as well as green plants; I give them all to you for food.

9:4    The one thing you must not eat is meat with blood still in it; I forbid this because the life is in the blood.

9:5    If anyone takes human life, he will be punished. I will punish with death any animal that takes a human life.

9:6    Human beings were made like God, so whoever murders one of them will be killed by someone else.

9:7    “You musthave many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth.”

9:8    God said to Noah and his sons,

9:9    “I am now making my covenant with you and with your descendants,

9:10    and with all living beings – all birds and all animals – everything that came out of the bird with you.

9:11    With these words I make my covenant with you: I promise that never again will all living beings be destroyed by a flood; never again will a flood destroy the earth.

9:12    As a sign of this everlasting covenant which I am making with you and with all living beings,

9:13    I am putting my bow in the clouds. It will be sign of my covenant with the world.

9:14    Whenever I cover the sky with clouds and the rainbow appears,

9:15    I will remember my promise to you and to all the animals that flood will never again destroy all living beings.

9:16    When the rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between Me and all living beings on earth.

9:17    Thatis the sign of the promise which I am making to all living beings.”