He did so, and obeyed the Lord, stood forth upon the strand, as the Voice bade him, and with great joy led 1495 out of the ship the survivors of these perils.

Then Noe began to institute a sacrifice to our Preserver, and immediately took a part of all his possessions which the Lord had given to him for his comfort, and then, 1500 zealous for the offering, even to God Himself, King of the Angels, the clear-souled man proffered the sacrifice.  Certainly our Saviour let it be known, when he blessed 1505 Noe and his sons too, that [the patriarch] had given Him this offering acceptably and in his youth had merited by his good deeds that Almighty God, Glorious in Splendor, should be gracious to him with all blessings. 1510 Then again the Lord, Ruler of Glory, spoke a word to Noe: 

“Increase now and multiply, enjoy your honor, with the gladness of peace:  fill the earth, make all things teem.  Into your possession is given a noble heritage, the produce 1515 of the sea, the fowls of heaven, and the wild beasts,—­ the verdant earth and every treasure.  You shall never dishonorably procure your food through bloodshed, 1520 sinfully stricken in its life-blood.  Each one first of all injures himself in the riches of the spirit, who with the edge of the sword takes the life of another:  nor shall he dare to rejoice in thought over the spoils, for I will avenge a man’s death all the more severely upon the 1525 slayer and upon the fratricide, in proportion as blood-shed, the slaughter of a man with weapons, or murder by [violent] hands, seems to succeed.  Man was first created in the likeness of God:  every man has the form of the 1530 Lord and of the Angels, whose virtues follow my holy will.  Increase and multiply, enjoy riches and honor on earth.  Fill the countries of the world with people, your offspring, sons and daughters.  I will set up for you this 1535 my pledge, that I will never again let loose the floods upon the earth, the waters over the broad lands:  you may see this witness frequently upon the clouds, when 1540 I show my rainbow, [as proof] that I will certainly keep this bond with men, while the world lasts.”

Thus was the prudent son of Lamech, the keeper of the heritage, disembarked from his ship after the flood 1545 with his three sons; and their four wives were named Percoba, Olla, Olliva, and Ollivani,[20] saved from the waters by the true God.  The stout-minded heroes, 1550 the sons of Noe, were called Sem and Cham, and the third Iafeth:  from these warriors the nations sprang and all this earth was filled with the children of men.

XIX.

Then for the second time Noe began to establish his 1555 home, with his kinsfolk, and to till the earth for food; he struggled and toiled, planted a vineyard, sowed many seeds and tended them carefully, so that the green 1560 earth, with its fertile boon, brought him fair harvests.