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 super faciem abyssi et spiritus Dei 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 ac tenebras
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 factumque 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 semet ipso 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 adferentem 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 factumque 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 ut 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 inluminent 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 magna luminaria 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 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 subicite 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 adferentem semen super terram et universa ligna quae habent in semet ipsis 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 fecit 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’.
