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.
And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.
3 God said, “I want light to shine!” And light shone.
And God said: Be light made. And light was made.
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 he divided the light from the darkness.
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 darkness Night; and there was 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!”
And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And that is what happened. God gave to the space the name ‘sky’.
And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so.
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 the evening and morning were 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.
God also said: Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done.
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 the gathering together of the waters, he called 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 earth bring forth the green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done.
12 Then plants grew on the earth; each kind of plant began to produce its own kind of seed.
And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. 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 the evening and the morning were 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.
And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for 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.
To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth. And it was so done.
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 the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and 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 shine upon 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 the day and the night, and to divide the light and the 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 the evening and morning were 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.”
God also said: Let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over 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 whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its 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 upon the earth.
23 Then there was another evening that was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fifth day’.
And the evening and morning were 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.
And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so done.
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 beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after 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 have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon 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, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move 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 herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat:
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 to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done.
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 all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.
