Genesis 1
1 In principio creavit Deus caelum, et terram.
Long, long ago God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Terra autem erat inanis et vacua, et tenebrae erant super faciem abyssi: et Spiritus Domini ferebatur super aquas.
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.
3 Dixitque Deus: Fiat lux. Et facta est lux.
God said, “I want light to shine!” And light shone.
4 Et vidit Deus lucem quod esset bona: et divisit lucem a tenebris.
God was pleased with the light. Then he made the light to shine in some places, and in other places there was still darkness.
5 Appellavitque lucem Diem, et tenebras Noctem: factumque est vespere et mane, dies unus.
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’.
6 Dixit quoque Deus: Fiat firmamentum in medio aquarum: et dividat aquas ab aquis.
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!”
7 Et fecit Deus firmamentum, divisitque aquas, quae erant sub firmamento, ab his, quae erant super firmamentum. Et factum est ita.
And that is what happened. God gave to the space the name ‘sky’.
8 Vocavitque Deus firmamentum, Caelum: et factum est vespere et mane, dies secundus.
Then there was another evening, which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the second day’.
9 Dixit vero Deus: Congregentur aquae, quae sub caelo sunt, in locum unum: et appareat arida. Et factum est ita.
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.
10 Et vocavit Deus aridam, Terram, congregationesque aquarum appellavit Maria. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
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.
11 Et ait: Germinet terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen, et lignum pomiferum faciens fructum iuxta genus suum, cuius semen in semetipso sit super terram. Et factum est ita.
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.”
12 Et protulit terra herbam virentem, et facientem semen iuxta genus suum, lignumque faciens fructum, et habens unumquodque sementem secundum speciem suam. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
Then plants grew on the earth; each kind of plant began to produce its own kind of seed.
13 Et factum est vespere et mane, dies tertius.
Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. God called that period of time ‘the third day’.
14 Dixit autem Deus: Fiant luminaria in firmamento caeli, et dividant diem ac noctem, et sint in signa et tempora, et dies et annos:
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.
15 ut luceant in firmamento caeli, et illuminent terram. Et factum est ita.
I want them also to be like lights in the sky that will shine on the earth.” And that is what happened.
16 Fecitque Deus duo luminaria magna: luminare maius, ut praeesset diei: et luminare minus, ut praeesset nocti: et stellas.
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.
17 Et posuit eas in firmamento caeli, ut lucerent super terram,
God set all of them in the sky to shine on the earth,
18 et praeessent diei ac nocti, et dividerent lucem ac tenebras. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
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.
19 Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quartus.
Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fourth day’.
20 Dixit etiam Deus: Producant aquae reptile animae viventis, et volatile super terram sub firmamento caeli.
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.”
21 Creavitque Deus Cete grandia, et omnem animam viventem atque motabilem, quam produxerant aquae in species suas, et omne volatile secundum genus suum. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum.
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.
22 Benedixitque eis, dicens: Crescite, et multiplicamini, et replete aquas maris: avesque multiplicentur super terram.
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.
23 Et factum est vespere et mane, dies quintus.
Then there was another evening that was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fifth day’.
24 Dixit quoque Deus: Producat terra animam viventem in genere suo, iumenta, et reptilia, et bestias terrae secundum species suas. Factumque est ita.
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.
25 Et fecit Deus bestias terrae iuxta species suas, et iumenta, et omne reptile terrae in genere suo. Et vidit Deus quod esset bonum,
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.
26 et ait: Faciamus Hominem ad imaginem, et similitudinem nostram: et praesit piscibus maris, et volatilibus caeli, et bestiis, universaeque terrae, omnique reptili, quod movetur in terra.
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.”
27 Et creavit Deus hominem ad imaginem et similitudinem suam: ad imaginem Dei creavit illum, masculum et feminam creavit eos.
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.
28 Benedixitque illis Deus, et ait: Crescite et multiplicamini, et replete terram, et subiicite eam, et dominamini piscibus maris, et volatilibus caeli, et universis animantibus, quae moventur super terram.
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.”
29 Dixitque Deus: Ecce dedi vobis omnem herbam afferentem semen super terram, et universa ligna quae habent in semetipsis sementem generis sui, ut sint vobis in escam:
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.
30 et cunctis animantibus terrae, omnique volucri caeli, et universis quae moventur in terra, et in quibus est anima vivens, ut habeant ad vescendum. Et factum est ita.
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.
31 Viditque Deus cuncta quae fecerat: et erant valde bona. Et factum est vespere et mane, dies sextus.
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’.
