Genesis 8:20–9:9

²⁰Then Noah built an altar to the Lord. He took some of every kind of clean animal and every kind of clean bird and offered burnt offerings on the altar. ²¹When the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma,ⁱ he said to himself, “I will never again curse the ground^j because of human beings, even though the inclination of the human heart is evil from youth onward.^k And I will never again strike down every living thing as I have done.^l

²²As long as the earth endures,

seedtime and harvest, cold and heat,

summer and winter, and day and night

will not cease.”^a

GOD’S COVENANT WITH NOAH

9God blessed Noah and his sons and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.^{b 2}The 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;^c as I gave the green plants, I have given you everything.^{d 4}However, you must not eat meat with its lifeblood in it.^{e 5}And I will require a penalty for your lifeblood;^A I will require it from any animal^f and from any human; if someone murders a fellow human, I will require that person’s life.^g

⁶Whoever sheds human blood,

by humans his blood will be shed,^h

for God made humans in his image.ⁱ

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

⁸Then God said to Noah and his sons with him, ⁹“Understand that I am establishing my covenant^k with you and your descendants after you,