Mwanzo 1
1 Hapo mwanzo Mungu aliumba mbingu na nchi.
Long, long ago God created the heavens and the earth.
2 Nayo nchi haikuwa na umbo na ilikuwa tupu. Giza lilikuwa juu ya uso wa vilindi vya maji. Roho wa Mungu alikuwa akielea juu ya uso wa maji.
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 Mungu akasema, “na kuwe nuru,” na kulikuwa na nuru.
God said, “I want light to shine!” And light shone.
4 Mungu akaona nuru kuwa ni njema. Akaigawa nuru na giza.
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 Mungu akaiita nuru “mchana” na giza akaliita “usiku.” Ikawa jioni na asubuhi, siku ya kwanza.
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 Mungu akasema, “na kuwe na anga kati ya maji, na ligawe maji na maji.”
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 Mungu akafanya anga na kugawanya maji yaliyo kuwa chini ya anga na maji ambayo yalikuwa juu ya anga. Ikawa hivyo.
And that is what happened. God gave to the space the name ‘sky’.
8 Mungu akaita anga “mbingu.” Ikawa jioni na asubuhi siku ya pili.
Then there was another evening, which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the second day’.
9 Mungu akasema, “maji yaliyo chini ya mbingu yakusanyike pamoja mahali pamoja, na ardhi kavu ionekane.” Ikawa hivyo.
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 Mungu aliita ardhi kavu “nchi,” na maji yaliyo kusanyika akayaita “bahari.” Akaona kuwa ni vyema.
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 Mungu akasema, nchi ichipushe mimea: miche itoayo mbegu na miti ya matunda itoayo matunda ambayo mbegu yake imo ndani ya tunda, kila kitu kwa namna yake.” Ikawa hivyo.
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 Nchi ikatoa mimea, miche itoayo mbegu ya aina yake, na miti itoayo tunda ambalo mbegu yake imo ndani yake, kwa aina yake. Mungu akaona kuwa ni vyema.
Then plants grew on the earth; each kind of plant began to produce its own kind of seed.
13 Ikawa jioni na asubuhi, siku ya tatu.
Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. God called that period of time ‘the third day’.
14 Mungu akasema, “kuwe na mianga katika anga kutenganisha mchana na usiku. Na ziwe kama ishara, kwa majira, kwa siku na miaka.
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 Ziwe mianga katika anga ili kutoa mwanga juu ya nchi.” Ikawa hivyo.
I want them also to be like lights in the sky that will shine on the earth.” And that is what happened.
16 Mungu akafanya mianga mikuu miwili, mwanga mkuu zaidi kutawala mchana, na mwanga mdogo kutawala usiku. Akafanya nyota pia.
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 Mungu akazipanga katika anga kutoa mwanga juu nchi,
God set all of them in the sky to shine on the earth,
18 kutawala mchana na usiku, na kugawanya mwanga kutoka kwenye giza. Mungu akaona kuwa ni vyema.
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 Ikawa jioni na asubuhi, siku ya nne.
Then there was another evening which was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fourth day’.
20 Mungu akasema, “maji yajae idadi kubwa ya viumbe hai, na ndege waruke juu ya nchi katika anga la mbingu.”
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 Mungu akaumba viumbe wakubwa wa baharini, pamoja na kila kiumbe hai cha aina yake, viumbe waendao na wanaojaa kila mahali majini, na kila ndege mwenye mabawa kwa aina yake. Mungu akaona kuwa ni vyema.
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 Mungu akavibariki, akisema, “zaeni na muongezeke, na mjae majini katika bahari. Ndege waongezeke juu nchi.”
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 Ikawa jioni na asubuhi, siku ya tano.
Then there was another evening that was followed by another morning. He called that period of time ‘the fifth day’.
24 Mungu akasema, “nchi na itoe viumbe hai, kila kiumbe kwa aina yake, mnyama wa kufugwa, vitu vitambaavyo, na wanyama wa nchi, kila kitu kwa jinsi yake.” Ikawa hivyo.
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 Mungu akafanya wanyama wa nchi kwa aina yake, wanyama wa kufugwa kwa aina yake, na kila kitambaaho juu ya ardhi kwa aina yake. Akaona kuwani vyema.
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 Mung akasema, “na tumfanye mtu katika mfano wetu, wa kufanana na sisi. Wawe na mamlaka juu ya samaki wa bahari, juu ya ndege wa angani, juu ya wanyama wa kufuga, juu ya nchi yote, na juu ya kila kitu kitambaacho kinacho tambaa juu ya nchi.”
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 Mungu akamuumba mtu kwa mfano wake. Katika mfano wake alimuumba. Mwanaume na mwanamke aliwaumba.
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 Mungu akawabariki na akawaambia, “zaeni na kuongezeka. Jazeni nchi, na muitawale. Muwe na mamlaka juu ya samaki wa baharini, juu ya ndege wa angani, na juu ya kila kiumbe hai kiendacho juu ya nchi,”
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 Mungu akasema, “tazama, nimewapeni kila mmea uzaao mbegu ambao uko juu ya nchi, na kila mti wenye tunda ambalo lina mbegu ndani yake. Vitakuwa ni chakula kwenu.
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 Kwa kila mnyama wa nchi, kwa kila ndege wa angani, na kila kitambaacho juu ya nchi, na kila kiumbe ambacho kina pumzi ya uhai ni metoa kila mmea kwa ajili ya chakula.” ikawa hivyo.
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 Mungu akaona kila kitu alichokiumba. Tazama, kikawa chema sana. Ikawa jioni na asubuhi siku ya sita.
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’.
