Japheth

9This is the story of Noah. Noah was a good and fair man. Among the people of his time, no one could find fault with him. Noah walked with God.

These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.

Note"Walked with God" does not mean going on a walk. It is a way of saying Noah stayed close to God every day.

10Noah had three sons. Their names were Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

And Noah begat three sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

13On that very same day Noah went into the ark. His sons Shem, Ham, and Japheth went in. Noah's wife and his three sons' wives went in with them.

In the selfsame day entered Noah, and Shem, and Ham, and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah’s wife, and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark;

14They went in, and every kind of wild animal. Every kind of farm animal went in. Every kind of crawling thing that moves on the ground went in. Every kind of bird went in, birds of every sort.

They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort.

NoteCrawling things means small animals that move low on the ground. Think of lizards, mice, and bugs.

15They came to Noah and went into the ark, two by two. Every kind of creature that breathes came.

And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life.

16The ones that went in were the male and the female of every kind, just as God had told Noah. Then the LORD shut him in.

And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the LORD shut him in.

NoteThis means God himself closed the big door of the boat.

18Noah's sons who came out of the boat were Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Ham was the father of Canaan.

And the sons of Noah, that went forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japheth: and Ham is the father of Canaan.

NoteCanaan was Ham's son. Later a whole land and its people were named after him, so his name comes up again and again.

19These were Noah's three sons. All the people of the earth came from them.

These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole earth overspread.

20Noah began to work the ground as a farmer. He planted a vineyard, a field of grape vines.

And Noah began to be an husbandman, and he planted a vineyard:

NoteA "husbandman" is an old word for a farmer. A vineyard is a field where grapes grow on vines.

21He drank some of the wine and got drunk. He lay with no clothes on inside his tent.

And he drank of the wine, and was drunken; and he was uncovered within his tent.

NoteWine is a strong drink made from grapes. Drinking too much made Noah drunk, so he could not think or act clearly.

22Ham, the father of Canaan, saw his father lying with no clothes on. He told his two brothers outside.

And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw the nakedness of his father, and told his two brethren without.

NoteBack then, seeing your father with no clothes on was shameful. A good son would look away and cover him, not go tell others.

23Shem and Japheth took a robe and laid it across both their shoulders. They walked in backward and covered their father. Their faces were turned away, so they did not see him.

And Shem and Japheth took a garment, and laid it upon both their shoulders, and went backward, and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father’s nakedness.

NoteThey held the robe behind them and walked in backward on purpose. That way they could cover their father without seeing him.

24Noah woke up from the wine. He found out what his younger son had done to him.

And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him.

25He said, "A curse is on Canaan. He will be the lowest servant to his brothers."

And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.

NoteA curse is words spoken to wish trouble on someone. "A servant of servants" is a way of saying the very lowest servant.

26He also said, "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem! And may Canaan be Shem's servant.

And he said, Blessed be the LORD God of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

NoteWhen you see LORD in capital letters, it stands for God's own special name. The Hebrew writers used it for God alone.

27May God give Japheth more room. May he live in the tents of Shem. And may Canaan be his servant."

God shall enlarge Japheth, and he shall dwell in the tents of Shem; and Canaan shall be his servant.

Note"Enlarge" here means to give more room and more land. Families back then lived in tents they could pack up and move.

1These are the family lines of Noah's sons, Shem, Ham, and Japheth. Sons were born to them after the flood.

Now these are the generations of the sons of Noah, Shem, Ham, and Japheth: and unto them were sons born after the flood.

NoteA family line is a list of who was born from whom. This chapter is a big list like that. The flood was the huge water that covered the earth in Noah's time. Noah and his family were kept safe in a big boat.

2The sons of Japheth were Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan, Tubal, Meshech, and Tiras.

The sons of Japheth; Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Javan, and Tubal, and Meshech, and Tiras.

NoteMost of these names are people who each started a whole family group. Later the group and the land were called by that man's name. So the list is really about peoples and places too.

3The sons of Gomer were Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah.

And the sons of Gomer; Ashkenaz, and Riphath, and Togarmah.

4The sons of Javan were Elishah, Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

And the sons of Javan; Elishah, and Tarshish, Kittim, and Dodanim.

NoteTarshish and Kittim were far away lands across the water. Boats had to sail a long way to reach them.

5From these men came the peoples by the sea, spread out in their own lands. Each group had its own language, its own families, and its own nation.

By these were the isles of the Gentiles divided in their lands; every one after his tongue, after their families, in their nations.

Note"The isles of the Gentiles" in the old words means lands by the sea. A nation is a big group of people with its own land. Each group here had its own way of talking.