Ebandeli 1
1 Na ebandeli, Nzambe akelaki Likolo mpe mokili.
Long, long ago God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Mokili ezalaki na lolenge te mpe ezalaki pamba. Molili ezalaki na likolo ya mozindo; mpe Molimo ya Nzambe azalaki kopepa na likolo ya mayi.
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 Mpe Nzambe alobaki: « Tika ete pole ezala! » Mpe pole ezalaki.
God said, “I want light to shine!” And light shone.
4 Nzambe amonaki ete pole ezali malamu, akabolaki pole na molili.
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 Nzambe abengaki pole « moyi, » mpe abengaki molili « butu. » Pokwa ezalaki mpe tongo ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo moko.
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 Bongo Nzambe alobaki: « Tika ete etando ezala kati na mayi mpo na kokabola yango! »
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 Nzambe akelaki etando; akabolaki mayi oyo ezalaki na se ya etando na mayi ya likolo. Yango esalemaki mpe bongo.
And that is what happened. God gave to the space the name ‘sky’.
8 Nzambe abengaki etando « likolo. » Pokwa ezalaki, tongo mpe ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo ya mibale.
Then there was another evening, which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the second day’.
9 Bongo Nzambe alobaki: « Tika ete mayi oyo ezali na se ya likolo esangana esika moko mpo ete mabele ya kokawuka ebima! » Yango esalemaki mpe bongo.
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 Nzambe abengaki mabele ya kokawuka « mokili, » mpe abengaki mayi oyo esanganaki esika moko « ebale monene. » Nzambe amonaki ete ezali malamu.
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 Nzambe alobaki: « Tika ete mokili ebimisa matiti, milona oyo ezali na nkona mpe banzete ya mbuma oyo ebotaka mbuma kolanda lolenge ya nzete moko na moko! » Yango esalemaki mpe bongo.
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 Mabele ebimisaki matiti, milona oyo ebotaka nkona kolanda lolenge ya molona moko na moko mpe banzete oyo ebotaka mbuma kolanda lolenge ya nzete moko na moko. Nzambe amonaki ete ezali malamu.
Then plants grew on the earth; each kind of plant began to produce its own kind of seed.
13 Pokwa ezalaki, tongo mpe ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo ya misato.
Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. God called that period of time ‘the third day’.
14 Bongo Nzambe alobaki: « Tika ete biloko oyo ebimisaka pole ezala na etando ya likolo mpo na kokabola moyi wuta na butu, mpo na kozala bilembo oyo ekolakisa bileko, mikolo mpe mibu,
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 mpe mpo na kongengisa mokili! » Yango esalemaki mpe bongo.
I want them also to be like lights in the sky that will shine on the earth.” And that is what happened.
16 Nzambe akelaki biloko mibale ya minene oyo ebimisaka pole: oyo eleki monene, mpo na kongenga na moyi; mpe oyo ya moke, mpo na kongenga na butu. Mpe akelaki lisusu minzoto.
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 Nzambe atiaki yango na etando ya likolo mpo ete engengisa mokili,
God set all of them in the sky to shine on the earth,
18 engenga na moyi mpe na butu, mpe ekabola pole na molili. Nzambe amonaki ete ezali malamu.
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 Pokwa ezalaki, tongo mpe ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo ya minei.
Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fourth day’.
20 Bongo Nzambe alobaki: « Tika ete bikelamu ya bomoi etonda kati na mayi, mpe bandeke epumbwa na mokili na etando ya likolo! »
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 Nzambe akelaki banyama minene ya mayi mpe bikelamu nyonso ya bomoi oyo etambolaka kati na mayi mpe etondi meke kati na mayi: ekelamu na ekelamu na lolenge na yango. Akelaki mpe bandeke nyonso ya mapapu: ndeke na ndeke na lolenge na yango. Nzambe amonaki ete ezali malamu.
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 Nzambe apambolaki yango mpe alobaki: « Bobotana, bokoma ebele, botondisa mayi ya bibale, mpe tika ete bandeke ekoma ebele kati na mokili. »
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 Pokwa ezalaki, tongo mpe ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo ya mitano.
Then there was another evening that was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fifth day’.
24 Bongo Nzambe alobaki: « Tika ete mokili ebimisa bikelamu ya bomoi kolanda lolenge na yango: bibwele, bikelamu oyo etambolaka na libumu, banyama ya mike-mike mpe banyama ya zamba! » Yango esalemaki mpe bongo.
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 Nzambe akelaki banyama ya zamba kolanda lolenge na yango: bibwele mpe bikelamu nyonso ya mike-mike. Nzambe amonaki ete ezali malamu.
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 Bongo Nzambe alobaki: « Tika ete tosala bato na elilingi na biso, na lolenge oyo biso tozali, mpo ete bakonza bambisi ya ebale, bandeke ya likolo, bibwele kati na mokili mobimba, bikelamu nyonso oyo etambolaka na libumu mpe banyama ya mike-mike! »
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 Nzambe akelaki bato na elilingi na Ye, akelaki bango na elilingi ya Nzambe; akelaki bango mobali mpe mwasi.
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 Nzambe apambolaki bango mpe alobaki na bango: « Bobotana, bokoma ebele, botondisa mokili mpe bobongola yango. Bokonza bambisi ya bibale, bandeke ya likolo, bikelamu oyo etambolaka na libumu mpe banyama nyonso ya mike-mike. »
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 Bongo Nzambe alobaki: « Tala, kati na mokili mobimba, napesi bino milona oyo ezali na nkona mpe banzete nyonso oyo ebotaka mbuma. Yango nde ekozala bilei na bino.
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 Napesi matiti nyonso ya mobesu lokola bilei epai ya banyama nyonso ya mokili, epai ya bandeke nyonso ya likolo, epai ya bikelamu nyonso oyo etambolaka na libumu, mpe epai ya bikelamu nyonso oyo ezali na bomoi. » Yango esalemaki mpe bongo.
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 Nzambe atalaki biloko nyonso oyo akelaki mpe amonaki ete ezali malamu koleka. Pokwa ezalaki, tongo mpe ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo ya motoba.
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’.
