Genesis 1
1 Long, long ago God created the heavens and the earth.
Ekuqaleni uNkulunkulu wadala amazulu lomhlaba.
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.
Umhlaba wawungelasimo njalo ungelalutho, ubumnyama babengame phezulu kolwandle njalo uMoya kaNkulunkulu wayehambahamba phezu kwamanzi.
3 God said, “I want light to shine!” And light shone.
Ngakho uNkulunkulu wasesithi, “Akubekhona ukukhanya,” lakanye kwabakhona ukukhanya.
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.
UNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi ukukhanya kwakukuhle, wasesehlukanisa ukukhanya lobumnyama.
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’.
UNkulunkulu wabiza ukukhanya ngokuthi “yimini,” ubumnyama wabubiza ngokuthi “yibusuku.” Ngakho kwabakhona ukuhlwa lokusa, kwaba lusuku lwakuqala.
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!”
Njalo uNkulunkulu wathi, “Kakube lomkhandlu phakathi kwamanzi ukwehlukanisa amanzi kwamanye amanzi.”
7 And that is what happened. God gave to the space the name ‘sky’.
Ngakho uNkulunkulu wehlukanisa amanzi angaphansi komkhandlu kulawo amanzi angaphezulu kwawo. Kwabanjalo.
8 Then there was another evening, which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the second day’.
UNkulunkulu wabiza umkhandlu lo ngokuthi “ngumkhathi.” Njalo kwabakhona ukuhlwa, kwabakhona njalo ukusa, usuku lwesibili.
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.
Njalo uNkulunkulu wathi, “Kakuthi amanzi angaphansi komkhathi abuthane ndawonye njalo kakuvele umhlabathi owomileyo.” Ngakho kwabanjalo.
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.
UNkulunkulu wabiza umhlaba owomileyo ngokuthi “ngumhlabathi,” lamanzi abutheneyo wathi “lulwandle.” Njalo uNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi kwakukuhle.
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.”
UNkulunkulu wasesithi, “Umhlabathi kawuthele izimila: imlimela ethela intanga lezihlahla emhlabathini ezithela izithelo ezilentanga phakathi, kusiya ngemihlobo yazo ehlukeneyo.” Kwabanjalo.
12 Then plants grew on the earth; each kind of plant began to produce its own kind of seed.
Umhlaba wathela izimila: izihlahla ezilentanga kusiya ngemihlobo yazo, lezihlahla ezithela izithelo ezilentanga phakathi kwazo kusiya ngemihlobo yazo. Njalo uNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi kwakukuhle.
13 Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. God called that period of time ‘the third day’.
Kwabakhona njalo ukuhlwa lokusa, usuku lwesithathu.
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.
UNkulunkulu wasesithi, “Akube lezibane emkhandlwini womkhathi ukwehlukanisa imini lobusuku, njalo zibe luphawu lokubonisa izigaba zomnyaka, lezinsuku leminyaka,
15 I want them also to be like lights in the sky that will shine on the earth.” And that is what happened.
njalo zibe yizibane emkhandlwini womkhathi ukuletha ukukhanya emhlabeni.” Kwabanjalo.
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.
UNkulunkulu wenza izibane ezimbili ezinkulu, isibane esikhulu ukubusa emini lesibane esincinyane ukubusa ebusuku. Wenza futhi lezinkanyezi.
17 God set all of them in the sky to shine on the earth,
UNkulunkulu wazibeka emkhandlwini womkhathi ukuletha ukukhanya emhlabeni,
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.
ukubusa imini lobusuku, kanye lokwahlukanisa ukukhanya lobumnyama. Njalo uNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi kwakukuhle.
19 Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fourth day’.
Njalo kwabakhona ukuhlwa lokusa, usuku lwesine.
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.”
Njalo uNkulunkulu wathi, “Akube lezidalwa eziphilayo emanzini, njalo akuthi izinyoni ziphaphe ngaphezulu komhlaba zidabule emkhandlwini womkhathi.”
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.
Yikho uNkulunkulu wadala izidalwa ezinkulu zolwandle layo yonke into ephilayo lehambayo lenyakazelayo emanzini, kusiya ngemihlobo yazo, lezinyoni zonke ezilamaphiko, ngemihlobo yazo. Njalo uNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi kwakukuhle.
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.
UNkulunkulu wazibusisa wathi, “Zalanani lande ngobunengi ligcwalise amanzi olwandle, njalo akuthi lezinyoni lazo zande emhlabeni.”
23 Then there was another evening that was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fifth day’.
Kwabakhona ukuhlwa, kwabakhona njalo lokusa, usuku lwesihlanu.
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.
UNkulunkulu wabuya wathi, “Akuthi umhlaba uveze izidalwa eziphilayo kusiya ngemihlobo yazo: izinanakazana ezihuquzela emhlabathini, kanye lezinyamazana zeganga, yilezo kusiya ngemihlobo yazo.” Lakanye kwabanjalo.
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.
UNkulunkulu wenza izinyamazana zeganga kusiya ngemihlobo yazo, izifuyo kusiya ngemihlobo yazo, njalo zonke izinanakazana ezihuquzela emhlabathini kusiya ngemihlobo yazo. Njalo uNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi kwakukuhle.
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.”
UNkulunkulu wasesithi, “Asenze umuntu ngesimo sethu langomfanekiso wethu ukuze abuse phezu kwenhlanzi zolwandle lezinyoni zemkhathini, phezu kwezifuyo, phezu kwawo wonke umhlaba laphezu kwazo zonke izinanakazana ezihuquzela emhlabathini.”
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.
Ngakho uNkulunkulu wadala umuntu ngomfanekiso wakhe, ngomfanekiso kaNkulunkulu wabadala, owesilisa lowesifazane.
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.”
UNkulunkulu wababusisa wathi kubo, “Zalanani lande ngobunengi; liwugcwalise umhlaba, liwubuse. Busani phezu kwenhlanzi zolwandle lezinyoni zemkhathini laphezu kwezidalwa zonke ezihambayo emhlabathini.”
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.
UNkulunkulu wasesithi, “Ngilinika zonke izihlahla ezithela intanga ezisemhlabeni wonke lazozonke izihlahla ezilezithelo ezilentanga phakathi. Zingezenu ukuba lizidle.
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.
Njalo nginika zonke izihlahla eziluhlaza kuzozonke izinyamazana zomhlaba lakuzo zonke izinyoni zemkhathini lakuzo zonke izidalwa ezihambayo emhlabathini, yonke into ephefumula impilo phakathi kwayo ukuba zibe yikudla kwazo.” Kwabanjalo.
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’.
UNkulunkulu wakubona konke lokho ayesekwenzile, njalo kwakukuhle kakhulu. Kwabakhona ukuhlwa lokusa, usuku lwesithupha.
