20 Noah, a man of the soil, proceeded[a] to plant a vineyard. 21 When he drank some of its wine,(A) he became drunk and lay uncovered inside his tent. 22 Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father naked(B) and told his two brothers outside. 23 But Shem and Japheth took a garment and laid it across their shoulders; then they walked in backward and covered their father’s naked body. Their faces were turned the other way so that they would not see their father naked.

24 When Noah awoke from his wine and found out what his youngest son had done to him, 25 he said,

“Cursed(C) be Canaan!(D)
    The lowest of slaves
    will he be to his brothers.(E)

26 He also said,

“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Shem!(F)
    May Canaan be the slave(G) of Shem.
27 May God extend Japheth’s[b] territory;(H)
    may Japheth live in the tents of Shem,(I)
    and may Canaan be the slave of Japheth.”

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Footnotes

  1. Genesis 9:20 Or soil, was the first
  2. Genesis 9:27 Japheth sounds like the Hebrew for extend.

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