Genesis 1
1 Long, long ago God created the heavens and the earth.
In the beginning, God created heaven and earth.
2 When he began to create the earth, it was shapeless and completely desolate/chaotic. Darkness covered the deep water that surrounded the earth. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the water.
But the earth was empty and unoccupied, and darknesses were over the face of the abyss; and so the Spirit of God was brought over the waters.
3 God said, “I want light to shine!” And light shone.
And God said, “Let there be light.” And light became.
4 God was pleased with the light. Then he made the light to shine in some places, and in other places there was still darkness.
And God saw the light, that it was good; and so he divided the light from the darknesses.
5 He gave to the light the name ‘day’, and he gave to the darkness the name ‘night’. After that, there was an evening which was followed by a morning. He called that whole period of time ‘the first day’.
And he called the light, ‘Day,’ and the darknesses, ‘Night.’ And it became evening and morning, one day.
6 Then God said, “I command that there be an empty space like a huge dome to separate the water that is above it from the water on the earth that is below it!”
God also said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide waters from waters.”
7 And that is what happened. God gave to the space the name ‘sky’.
And God made a firmament, and he divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament. And so it became.
8 Then there was another evening, which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the second day’.
And God called the firmament ‘Heaven.’ And it became evening and morning, the second day.
9 Then God said, “I want the water that is below the sky to come together, and dry ground to appear and rise above the water.” And that is what happened.
Truly God said: “Let the waters that are under heaven be gathered together into one place; and let the dry land appear.” And so it became.
10 God gave to the ground the name ‘earth’, and he gave to the water that came together the name ‘oceans’. God was pleased with the earth and the oceans.
And God called the dry land, ‘Earth,’ and he called the gathering of the waters, ‘Seas.’ And God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “I want the earth to produce plants, including plants that will produce seeds and trees that will produce fruit. Each kind of tree will bear its own kind of fruit.”
And he said, “Let the land spring forth green plants, both those producing seed, and fruit-bearing trees, producing fruit according to their kind, whose seed is within itself, over all the earth.” And so it became.
12 Then plants grew on the earth; each kind of plant began to produce its own kind of seed.
And the land brought forth green plants, both those producing seed, according to their kind, and trees producing fruit, with each having its own way of sowing, according to its species. And God saw that it was good.
13 Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. God called that period of time ‘the third day’.
And it became evening and the morning, the third day.
14 Then God said, “I want a sun, a moon, and many stars to shine in the sky. The sun will shine in the daytime and the moon and stars will shine during the nighttime. By the changes in their appearance they will indicate the various seasons (OR, the times for special celebrations), and will enable people to know when days and years begin.
Then God said: “Let there be lights in the firmament of heaven. And let them divide day from night, and let them become signs, both of the seasons, and of the days and years.
15 I want them also to be like lights in the sky that will shine on the earth.” And that is what happened.
Let them shine in the firmament of heaven and illuminate the earth.” And so it became.
16 God made two of them that were like big lights. The bigger one, the sun, shines during the day and the smaller one, the moon, shines during the night. He also made the stars.
And God made two great lights: a greater light, to rule over the day, and a lesser light, to rule over the night, along with the stars.
17 God set all of them in the sky to shine on the earth,
And he set them in the firmament of heaven, to give light over all the earth,
18 to rule the day and the night, and to separate the light of the daytime from the darkness of the nighttime. God was pleased with these things he had made.
and to rule over the day as well as the night, and to divide light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fourth day’.
And it became evening and morning, the fourth day.
20 Then God said, “I want many creatures to live in all the oceans, and I also want birds to fly in the sky above the earth.”
And then God said, “Let the waters produce animals with a living soul, and flying creatures above the earth, under the firmament of heaven.”
21 So God created huge sea creatures and every other kind of creature that moves in the water, and caused them to live in all the oceans. He also created many kinds of birds. God was pleased with all those creatures.
And God created the great sea creatures, and everything with a living soul and the ability to move that the waters produced, according to their species, and all the flying creatures, according to their kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 God blessed them. He said, “Produce offspring and become very numerous. I want the creatures in the water to live in all the oceans, and birds also to become very numerous.” And that is what happened.
And he blessed them, saying: “Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea. And let the birds be multiplied above the land.”
23 Then there was another evening that was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fifth day’.
And it became evening and morning, the fifth day.
24 Then God said, “I want various kinds of creatures to appear on the earth. There will be many kinds of (livestock/domestic animals), creatures that scurry across the ground, and large wild animals.” And that is what happened.
God also said, “Let the land produce living souls in their kind: cattle, and animals, and wild beasts of the earth, according to their species.” And so it became.
25 God made all kinds of wild animals and (livestock/domestic animals) and all kinds of creatures that scurry across the ground. God was pleased with all these creatures.
And God made the wild beasts of the earth according to their species, and the cattle, and every animal on the land, according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Now we will make human beings that will be like us in many ways. I want them to rule over the fish in the sea, over the birds, over all the (livestock/domestic animals), and over all the other creatures that scurry across the ground.”
And he said: “Let us make Man to our image and likeness. And let him rule over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and the wild beasts, and the entire earth, and every animal that moves on the earth.”
27 So God created human beings that were like him in many ways. He made them to be like himself. He created some to be male and some to be female.
And God created man to his own image; to the image of God he created him; male and female, he created them.
28 God blessed them, saying, “Produce many children, who will live all over the earth and rule over it. I want them to rule over the fish and the birds and over all creatures that scurry across the ground.”
And God blessed them, and he said, “Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the flying creatures of the air, and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.”
29 God said to the humans, “Listen! I have given you all the plants that produce seeds, all over the earth, and all the trees that have seeds in their fruit. All these things are for you to eat.
And God said: “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant upon the earth, and all the trees that have in themselves the ability to sow their own kind, to be food for you,
30 I have given all the green plants to all the wild animals and to the birds and to all the creatures that scurry across the ground, to everything that breathes, for them to eat.” And that is what happened.
and for all the animals of the land, and for all the flying things of the air, and for everything that moves upon the earth and in which there is a living soul, so that they may have these on which to feed.” And so it became.
31 God was pleased with everything that he had made. Truly, it was all very good. Then there was another evening, that was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the sixth day’.
And God saw everything that he had made. And they were very good. And it became evening and morning, the sixth day.
