UGenesisi 1
1 Ekuqaleni uNkulunkulu wadala amazulu lomhlaba.
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Umhlaba wawungelasimo njalo ungelalutho, ubumnyama babengame phezulu kolwandle njalo uMoya kaNkulunkulu wayehambahamba phezu kwamanzi.
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 Ngakho uNkulunkulu wasesithi, “Akubekhona ukukhanya,” lakanye kwabakhona ukukhanya.
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 UNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi ukukhanya kwakukuhle, wasesehlukanisa ukukhanya lobumnyama.
God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.
5 UNkulunkulu wabiza ukukhanya ngokuthi “yimini,” ubumnyama wabubiza ngokuthi “yibusuku.” Ngakho kwabakhona ukuhlwa lokusa, kwaba lusuku lwakuqala.
God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 Njalo uNkulunkulu wathi, “Kakube lomkhandlu phakathi kwamanzi ukwehlukanisa amanzi kwamanye amanzi.”
God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
7 Ngakho uNkulunkulu wehlukanisa amanzi angaphansi komkhandlu kulawo amanzi angaphezulu kwawo. Kwabanjalo.
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 UNkulunkulu wabiza umkhandlu lo ngokuthi “ngumkhathi.” Njalo kwabakhona ukuhlwa, kwabakhona njalo ukusa, usuku lwesibili.
God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 Njalo uNkulunkulu wathi, “Kakuthi amanzi angaphansi komkhathi abuthane ndawonye njalo kakuvele umhlabathi owomileyo.” Ngakho kwabanjalo.
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 UNkulunkulu wabiza umhlaba owomileyo ngokuthi “ngumhlabathi,” lamanzi abutheneyo wathi “lulwandle.” Njalo uNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi kwakukuhle.
God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. God saw that it was good.
11 UNkulunkulu wasesithi, “Umhlabathi kawuthele izimila: imlimela ethela intanga lezihlahla emhlabathini ezithela izithelo ezilentanga phakathi, kusiya ngemihlobo yazo ehlukeneyo.” Kwabanjalo.
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 Umhlaba wathela izimila: izihlahla ezilentanga kusiya ngemihlobo yazo, lezihlahla ezithela izithelo ezilentanga phakathi kwazo kusiya ngemihlobo yazo. Njalo uNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi kwakukuhle.
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 Kwabakhona njalo ukuhlwa lokusa, usuku lwesithathu.
There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 UNkulunkulu wasesithi, “Akube lezibane emkhandlwini womkhathi ukwehlukanisa imini lobusuku, njalo zibe luphawu lokubonisa izigaba zomnyaka, lezinsuku leminyaka,
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 njalo zibe yizibane emkhandlwini womkhathi ukuletha ukukhanya emhlabeni.” Kwabanjalo.
and let them be for lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth;” and it was so.
16 UNkulunkulu wenza izibane ezimbili ezinkulu, isibane esikhulu ukubusa emini lesibane esincinyane ukubusa ebusuku. Wenza futhi lezinkanyezi.
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 UNkulunkulu wazibeka emkhandlwini womkhathi ukuletha ukukhanya emhlabeni,
God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth,
18 ukubusa imini lobusuku, kanye lokwahlukanisa ukukhanya lobumnyama. Njalo uNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi kwakukuhle.
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 Njalo kwabakhona ukuhlwa lokusa, usuku lwesine.
There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 Njalo uNkulunkulu wathi, “Akube lezidalwa eziphilayo emanzini, njalo akuthi izinyoni ziphaphe ngaphezulu komhlaba zidabule emkhandlwini womkhathi.”
God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”
21 Yikho uNkulunkulu wadala izidalwa ezinkulu zolwandle layo yonke into ephilayo lehambayo lenyakazelayo emanzini, kusiya ngemihlobo yazo, lezinyoni zonke ezilamaphiko, ngemihlobo yazo. Njalo uNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi kwakukuhle.
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 UNkulunkulu wazibusisa wathi, “Zalanani lande ngobunengi ligcwalise amanzi olwandle, njalo akuthi lezinyoni lazo zande emhlabeni.”
God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 Kwabakhona ukuhlwa, kwabakhona njalo lokusa, usuku lwesihlanu.
There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 UNkulunkulu wabuya wathi, “Akuthi umhlaba uveze izidalwa eziphilayo kusiya ngemihlobo yazo: izinanakazana ezihuquzela emhlabathini, kanye lezinyamazana zeganga, yilezo kusiya ngemihlobo yazo.” Lakanye kwabanjalo.
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 UNkulunkulu wenza izinyamazana zeganga kusiya ngemihlobo yazo, izifuyo kusiya ngemihlobo yazo, njalo zonke izinanakazana ezihuquzela emhlabathini kusiya ngemihlobo yazo. Njalo uNkulunkulu wabona ukuthi kwakukuhle.
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 UNkulunkulu wasesithi, “Asenze umuntu ngesimo sethu langomfanekiso wethu ukuze abuse phezu kwenhlanzi zolwandle lezinyoni zemkhathini, phezu kwezifuyo, phezu kwawo wonke umhlaba laphezu kwazo zonke izinanakazana ezihuquzela emhlabathini.”
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 Ngakho uNkulunkulu wadala umuntu ngomfanekiso wakhe, ngomfanekiso kaNkulunkulu wabadala, owesilisa lowesifazane.
God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.
28 UNkulunkulu wababusisa wathi kubo, “Zalanani lande ngobunengi; liwugcwalise umhlaba, liwubuse. Busani phezu kwenhlanzi zolwandle lezinyoni zemkhathini laphezu kwezidalwa zonke ezihambayo emhlabathini.”
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 UNkulunkulu wasesithi, “Ngilinika zonke izihlahla ezithela intanga ezisemhlabeni wonke lazozonke izihlahla ezilezithelo ezilentanga phakathi. Zingezenu ukuba lizidle.
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 Njalo nginika zonke izihlahla eziluhlaza kuzozonke izinyamazana zomhlaba lakuzo zonke izinyoni zemkhathini lakuzo zonke izidalwa ezihambayo emhlabathini, yonke into ephefumula impilo phakathi kwayo ukuba zibe yikudla kwazo.” Kwabanjalo.
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 UNkulunkulu wakubona konke lokho ayesekwenzile, njalo kwakukuhle kakhulu. Kwabakhona ukuhlwa lokusa, usuku lwesithupha.
God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
