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.
Njalo umhlaba wawungelasimo ungelalutho, lobumnyama babuphezu kokujula; loMoya kaNkulunkulu wayendiza phezu kwamanzi.
3 God said, “I want light to shine!” And light shone.
UNkulunkulu wasesithi: Kakube khona ukukhanya; kwasekusiba khona 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 wasebona ukukhanya ukuthi kuhle; uNkulunkulu wasesehlukanisa phakathi kokukhanya 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 wasebiza ukukhanya ngokuthi yimini, lobumnyama wabubiza ngokuthi yibusuku. Kwasekusiba yikuhlwa, njalo kwaba yikusa, usuku lokuqala.
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!”
UNkulunkulu wasesithi: Kakube khona umkhathi phakathi kwamanzi; kawehlukanise phakathi kwamanzi lamanzi.
7 And that is what happened. God gave to the space the name ‘sky’.
UNkulunkulu wasesenza umkhathi, wasesehlukanisa phakathi kwamanzi angaphansi komkhathi lamanzi aphezu komkhathi; kwasekusiba njalo.
8 Then there was another evening, which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the second day’.
UNkulunkulu wasebiza umkhathi ngokuthi ngamazulu. Kwasekusiba yikuhlwa, njalo kwaba yikusa, 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.
UNkulunkulu wasesithi: Kakuqoqelwe amanzi avela ngaphansi kwamazulu ndawonye, njalo kakubonakale umhlabathi owomileyo; kwasekusiba njalo.
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 wasebiza umhlabathi owomileyo ngokuthi ngumhlaba, lenhlangano yamanzi wayibiza ngokuthi zinlwandle. UNkulunkulu wasebona ukuthi kuhle.
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: Umhlaba kawumilise utshani, imibhida ethela inhlanyelo, isihlahla sesithelo sisenza isithelo ngohlobo lwaso, onhlanyelo yaso ikuso phezu komhlaba. Kwasekusiba njalo.
12 Then plants grew on the earth; each kind of plant began to produce its own kind of seed.
Umhlaba wasuveza utshani, imibhida ethela inhlanyelo ngohlobo lwayo, lesihlahla sisenza isithelo, esinhlanyelo yaso ikuso ngohlobo lwaso. UNkulunkulu wasebona ukuthi kuhle.
13 Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. God called that period of time ‘the third day’.
Kwasekusiba yikuhlwa, njalo kwaba yikusa, 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: Kakube khona izikhanyiso emkhathini wamazulu, ukuze zehlukanise phakathi kwemini lobusuku; njalo zibe yizibonakaliso lezikhathi ezimisiweyo, lensuku 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 yizikhanyiso emkhathini wamazulu, ukuze zikhanyise emhlabeni. Kwasekusiba njalo.
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 wasesenza izikhanyiso ezimbili ezinkulu: Isikhanyiso esikhulu ukuze sibuse imini, lesikhanyiso esincinyane ukuze sibuse ubusuku, kanye lezinkanyezi.
17 God set all of them in the sky to shine on the earth,
UNkulunkulu wasezimisa emkhathini wamazulu, ukuthi zikhanyise 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.
lokuthi zibuse emini lebusuku, lokwehlukanisa phakathi kokukhanya lobumnyama. UNkulunkulu wasebona ukuthi kuhle.
19 Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fourth day’.
Kwasekusiba yikuhlwa, njalo kwaba yikusa, 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.”
UNkulunkulu wasesithi: Amanzi kawagcwale ukunyakazela kwemiphefumulo ephilayo, njalo kakuphaphe inyoni phezu komhlaba emkhathini wamazulu.
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.
UNkulunkulu wasedala oququmadevu bolwandle abakhulu, laso sonke isidalwa esiphilayo esibhinqikayo, amanzi agcwele sona, ngohlobo lwaso, layo yonke inyoni elempiko, ngohlobo lwayo. UNkulunkulu wasebona ukuthi kuhle.
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 wasekubusisa, esithi: Zalani, lande, njalo ligcwalise amanzi enlwandle, lezinyoni kazande emhlabeni.
23 Then there was another evening that was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fifth day’.
Kwasekusiba yikuhlwa, njalo kwaba yikusa, 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 wasesithi: Umhlaba kawuveze izidalwa eziphilayo ngohlobo lwazo, izifuyo lokuhuquzelayo lenyamazana zomhlaba ngenhlobo zazo. Kwasekusiba njalo.
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 wasesenza izinyamazana zomhlaba ngenhlobo zazo, lezifuyo ngenhlobo zazo, lakho konke okuhuquzelayo komhlaba ngenhlobo zakho. UNkulunkulu wasebona ukuthi kuhle.
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 abantu ngomfanekiso wethu, ngesimo sethu, njalo babuse phezu kwenhlanzi zolwandle, laphezu kwenyoni zamazulu, laphezu kwezifuyo, laphezu komhlaba wonke, laphezu kwakho konke okuhuquzelayo lokho okuhuquzela emhlabeni.
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.
UNkulunkulu wasemdala umuntu ngomfanekiso wakhe; wamdala ngomfanekiso kaNkulunkulu; owesilisa lowesifazana wabadala.
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 wasebabusisa, uNkulunkulu wasesithi kibo: Zalani lande, ligcwalise umhlaba njalo liwehlisele phansi; libuse phezu kwenhlanzi zolwandle, laphezu kwenyoni zamazulu, laphezu kwakho konke okuphilayo okuhuquzela emhlabeni.
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: Khangelani, ngilinike yonke imibhida ethela inhlanyelo, esebusweni bomhlaba wonke, laso sonke isihlahla, okukuso isithelo sesihlahla esithela inhlanyelo; kini singesokudla.
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 kuyo yonke inyamazana yomhlaba, lakuyo yonke inyoni yamazulu, lakukho konke okuhuquzela emhlabeni, okukukho umoya ophilayo, lonke uhlaza ngolokudla. Kwasekusiba njalo.
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 wasebona konke akwenzileyo; khangela-ke kwakukuhle kakhulu. Kwasekusiba yikuhlwa, njalo kwaba yikusa, usuku lwesithupha.
