The Covenant of the Rainbow

1And god blessed Noah, and his sonnes, & saide vnto them, be fruitfull and multiplie, and replenishe the earth. 2The feare of you, & the dread of you, shalbe vpon euery beast of the earth, and vpon euery foule of the ayre, vpon al that moueth vpon the earth, and vpon all the fishes of the sea, into your hande are they deliuered. 3Euery thyng that moueth it selfe, and that liueth, shall be meate for you, euen as the greene hearbe haue I geue you all thinges. 4But flesh in the life therof which is the blood therof, shall ye not eate. 5And surely your blood of your lyues wyl I require: at the hande of euery beast wyll I require it, and at the hand of man, at the hande of mans brother wyll I require the life of man.

6Who so sheddeth mans blood, by man shall his blood be shed, for in the image of God made he man.

7But be fruitefull, and multiplie you, breede in the earth, and increase therein.

8God spake also vnto Noah, & to his sonnes with hym, saying: 9Beholde, I, euen I establishe my couenaunt with you, and with your seede after you: 10And with euery liuing creature that is with you, in foule, in cattell, in euery beast of the earth whiche is with you, of all that go out of the arke, whatsoeuer liuing thyng of the earth it be. 11And my couenaunt I make with you, that from hencefoorth euery fleshe be not rooted out with the waters of a fludde, neither shall there be a fludde to destroy the earth any more. 12And God sayde: this is the token of the couenaut which I make betweene me and you, and euery lyuyng creature that is with you, for euer. 13I do set my bowe in the cloude, and it shall be for a token betweene me and the earth. 14And it shall come to passe, that when I bryng a cloude vpon the earth, the bowe also shalbe seene in ye same cloude. 15And I wyll thinke vpon my couenaunt whiche is betweene me and you, and euery liuing creature in all fleshe: and it shall no more come to passe, that waters make a fludde to destroy all fleshe. 16And the bowe shalbe in the cloude, and I wyll loke vpon it, that I may thinke vpon the euerlasting couenaunt, betweene god and euery liuing creature in all fleshe that is vpon the earth. 17And God sayd vnto Noah, This is the token of the couenaunt which I haue made betweene me and all fleshe that is vpon earth.

Noah’s Shame and Canaan’s Curse

18The sonnes of Noah goyng foorth of the arke, were Sem, Ham, & Iapheth: and Ham is the father of Chanaan. 19These are the three sonnes of Noah, & of them was the whole earth ouerspread.

20Noah also began to be an husbandman, and planted a vineyarde. 21And he drynkyng of the wyne, was dronken, and vncouered within his tent. 22And Ham the father of Chanaan, seeyng the nakednesse of his father, tolde his two brethren without. 23And Sem and Iapheth takyng a garment, layde it vpon their shoulders, and commyng backwarde, couered the nakednesse of their father, namely their faces beyng turned away, lest they should see their fathers nakednesse. 24And Noah awoke from his wine, and knewe what his younger sonne had done vnto him.

25And he sayde: cursed be Chanaan, a seruaunt of seruauntes shall he be vnto his brethren.

Shem’s Blessing and Noah’s Death

26He sayde moreouer: blessed be the Lord God of Sem, and Chanaan shalbe his seruaunt.

27God shall enlarge Iapheth: and he shall dwell in the tentes of Sem, and Chanaan shalbe his seruaunt.

28Noah liued after the fludde three hundred and fiftie yeres. 29And all the dayes of Noah, were nine hundred and fiftie yeres, and he dyed.