Genesis 1

The Beginning

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

6And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

11Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,#1:26 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Syriac); Masoretic Text the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

29Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

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Genesis 1

The History of Creation

1In the #Ps. 102:25; Is. 40:21; (John 1:1–3; Heb. 1:10)beginning #Gen. 2:4; (Ps. 8:3; 89:11; 90:2); Is. 44:24; Acts 17:24; Rom. 1:20; (Heb. 1:2; 11:3); Rev. 4:11God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was #Jer. 4:23without form, and void; and darkness was on the face of the deep. #(Gen. 6:3); Job 26:13; Ps. 33:6; 104:30; Is. 40:13, 14And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3#Ps. 33:6, 9Then God said, #2 Cor. 4:6“Let there be #(Heb. 11:3)light”; and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good; and God divided the light from the darkness. 5God called the light Day, and the #Job 37:18; Ps. 19:2; 33:6; 74:16; 104:20; 136:5; Jer. 10:12darkness He called Night. So the evening and the morning were the first day.

6Then God said, #Job 37:18; Jer. 10:12; 2 Pet. 3:5“Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7Thus God made the firmament, #Job 38:8–11; Prov. 8:27–29and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were #Ps. 148:4above the firmament; and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

9Then God said, #Job 26:10; Ps. 104:6–9; Prov. 8:29; Jer. 5:22; 2 Pet. 3:5“Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and #Ps. 24:1, 2; 33:7; 95:5let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10And God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering together of the waters He called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11Then God said, “Let the earth #Ps. 65:9–13; 104:14; Heb. 6:7bring forth grass, the herb that yields seed, and the #2 Sam. 16:1; Luke 6:44fruit tree that yields fruit according to its kind, whose seed is in itself, on the earth”; and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth grass, the herb that yields seed according to its kind, and the tree that yields fruit, whose seed is in itself according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13So the evening and the morning were the third day.

14Then God said, “Let there be #Deut. 4:19; Ps. 74:16; 136:5–9lights in the firmament of the heavens to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs and #Ps. 104:19seasons, and for days and years; 15and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16Then God made two great lights: the #Ps. 136:8greater light to rule the day, and the #Deut. 17:3; Ps. 8:3lesser light to rule the night. He made #Deut. 4:19; Job 38:7; Is. 40:26the stars also. 17God set them in the firmament of the #Gen. 15:5; Jer. 33:20, 25heavens to give light on the earth, 18and to #Jer. 31:35rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20Then God said, “Let the waters abound with an abundance of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21So #Ps. 104:25–28God created great sea creatures and every living thing that moves, with which the waters abounded, according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, #Gen. 8:17“Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living creature according to its kind: cattle and creeping thing and beast of the earth, each according to its kind”; and it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, cattle according to its kind, and everything that creeps on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, #Gen. 9:6; Ps. 100:3; Eccl. 7:29; (Eph. 4:24); James 3:9“Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; #Gen. 9:2; Ps. 8:6–8let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27So God created man #Gen. 5:2; 1 Cor. 11:7in His own image; in the image of God He created him; #Matt. 19:4; (Mark 10:6–8)male and female He created them. 28Then God blessed them, and God said to them, #Gen. 9:1, 7; Lev. 26:9“Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and #1 Cor. 9:27subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

29And God said, “See, I have given you every herb that yields seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit yields seed; #Gen. 9:3; Ps. 104:14, 15to you it shall be for food. 30Also, to #Ps. 145:15every beast of the earth, to every #Job 38:41bird of the air, 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. 31Then #(Ps. 104:24; 1 Tim. 4:4)God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

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