Yahweh Makes a Covenant with Mankind and All Other Living Things

8:20-9:17

20 Then Noah made an altar out of large stones to offer sacrifices to Yahweh. Next he chose some of every kind of animal and bird that is acceptable to sacrifice, and he killed them and burned their bodies on the altar as an offering to Yahweh to worship him. 21 Yahweh smelled the aroma of the offerings and was pleased, and he thought to himself, “Never again will I curse the ground because of mankind’s sins, even though everything they desire and think about is evil from the time they are children. And never again will I destroy all living creatures the way I just did.

22 As long as the earth still exists,

each year there will always be a season to plant seeds and a season to harvest crops,

as well as cold weather and hot weather,

summer and winter,

and day and night.”

9 Then God caused Noah and his sons to prosper by saying to them, “Have many children so that you and your descendants will become numerous and live all over the earth. 2 Every living creature on the earth will be afraid and terrified of you, including every bird that flies in the sky, along with every creature that moves on land, and all the fish in the ocean. I have put them all under your authority. 3 From now on every creature that is alive and moves is yours to eat as food. In the same way that I provided you green plants for food, now I provide you everything for food. 4 However, you must never eat meat that still has its blood in it, which made it live. 5 Also, I definitely require that anyone who murders someone must die. In fact, if any animal kills a human being, I require that it must die. That is also true for human beings: If anyone murders another person, I require that he must die.

6 That’s right, you must put to death

anyone who murders a human being,

because God made human beings

to be like himself.

7 “Now as for you, have many children so that you and your descendants will become numerous. Spread out all over the earth and become numerous everywhere.”

8 Then God said to Noah and his sons, 9 “Listen carefully to me: I am making my agreement with you and your descendants. 10 It is also with all the living creatures that are with you, including the birds, the livestock, and all the other living creatures on the earth that are with you. That includes all those that came out of the ark and all the living creatures that will ever live on the earth. 11 My agreement that I’m establishing with you is that never again will all living things die from a flood. “That’s right, never again will I use a flood to destroy everything on the earth.”

12 Then God continued, “This is how I will show everyone that I have made this agreement with you and with all the living creatures that are with you, as well as with all the people and animals that will ever live: 13 I will put my rainbow among the clouds in the sky to remind everyone that I have made this agreement with every creature that lives on the earth. 14 So whenever I cause clouds to form in the sky above the earth and a rainbow appears in the clouds, 15 then I will not forget to keep my agreement that I have established with you and all living creatures of every kind. I promise that I will never again use a flood to destroy all living creatures. 16 Yes, whenever a rainbow appears in the clouds, I will see it and keep my permanent agreement which I have established with all people and all animals that live on the earth.”

17 Then God concluded by saying to Noah, “A rainbow is what I will use to remind everyone that I have made this agreement with all the people and animals that live on the earth.”