Ebandeli 1
1 Na ebandeli, Nzambe akelaki Likolo mpe mokili.
In the beginning, 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.
The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3 Mpe Nzambe alobaki: « Tika ete pole ezala! » Mpe pole ezalaki.
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 Nzambe amonaki ete pole ezali malamu, akabolaki pole na molili.
God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.
5 Nzambe abengaki pole « moyi, » mpe abengaki molili « butu. » Pokwa ezalaki mpe tongo ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo moko.
God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 Bongo Nzambe alobaki: « Tika ete etando ezala kati na mayi mpo na kokabola yango! »
God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
7 Nzambe akelaki etando; akabolaki mayi oyo ezalaki na se ya etando na mayi ya likolo. Yango esalemaki mpe bongo.
God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
8 Nzambe abengaki etando « likolo. » Pokwa ezalaki, tongo mpe ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo ya mibale.
God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a 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.
God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so.
10 Nzambe abengaki mabele ya kokawuka « mokili, » mpe abengaki mayi oyo esanganaki esika moko « ebale monene. » Nzambe amonaki ete ezali malamu.
God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. God saw that it was good.
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.
God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth;” and it was so.
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.
The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
13 Pokwa ezalaki, tongo mpe ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo ya misato.
There was evening and there was morning, a 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,
God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years;
15 mpe mpo na kongengisa mokili! » Yango esalemaki mpe bongo.
and let them be for lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth;” and it was so.
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 the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars.
17 Nzambe atiaki yango na etando ya likolo mpo ete engengisa mokili,
God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth,
18 engenga na moyi mpe na butu, mpe ekabola pole na molili. Nzambe amonaki ete ezali malamu.
and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
19 Pokwa ezalaki, tongo mpe ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo ya minei.
There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 Bongo Nzambe alobaki: « Tika ete bikelamu ya bomoi etonda kati na mayi, mpe bandeke epumbwa na mokili na etando ya likolo! »
God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”
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.
God created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good.
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, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 Pokwa ezalaki, tongo mpe ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo ya mitano.
There was evening and there was morning, a 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.
God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;” and it was so.
25 Nzambe akelaki banyama ya zamba kolanda lolenge na yango: bibwele mpe bikelamu nyonso ya mike-mike. Nzambe amonaki ete ezali malamu.
God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.
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! »
God said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27 Nzambe akelaki bato na elilingi na Ye, akelaki bango na elilingi ya Nzambe; akelaki bango mobali mpe mwasi.
God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.
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. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
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, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.
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.
To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so.
31 Nzambe atalaki biloko nyonso oyo akelaki mpe amonaki ete ezali malamu koleka. Pokwa ezalaki, tongo mpe ezalaki. Yango ezalaki mokolo ya motoba.
God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
