Genesis 1

The Creation

1In the beginning#Ps 90:2; 102:12; Is 40:21; Jn 1:1–3; Eph 3:21 God created the heavens and the earth.#1:1 Or created the universe#Neh 9:6; Is 40:12–14; 43:7; Jr 10:12–16; Am 4:13; Rm 1:25; 1Co 11:9; Col 1:16; Rv 4:11

2Now the earth was formless and empty,#Jr 4:23 darkness covered the surface of the watery depths, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.#Jb 26:13; 33:4; Ps 33:6; 104:30 3Then God said, “Let there be light,”#2Co 4:6 and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was an evening, and there was a morning: one day.

6Then God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters, separating water from water.”#Is 44:24; Jr 10:12 7So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above the expanse.#Ps 148:4 And it was so. 8God called the expanse “sky.”#1:8 Or “heavens.” Evening came and then morning: the second day.

9Then God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered into one place,#Jb 38:8–11; Ps 33:7; 136:6; Jr 5:22; 2Pt 3:5 and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of the water he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.”#Ps 65:9–13; 104:14 And it was so. 12The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13Evening came and then morning: the third day.

14Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night. They will serve as signs#Jr 10:2 for seasons#1:14 Or for the appointed times and for days and years.#Ps 104:19 15They will be lights in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth.” And it was so. 16God made the two great lights — the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night — as well as the stars.#Dt 4:19; Ps 136:7–9; Is 40:26 17God placed them in the expanse of the sky to provide light on the earth, 18to rule the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness.#Jr 31:35 And God saw that it was good. 19Evening came and then morning: the fourth day.

20Then God said, “Let the water swarm with#1:20 Lit with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.” 21So God created the large sea-creatures and every living creature that moves and swarms in the water,#Ps 104:25–28 according to their kinds. He also created every winged creature according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them: “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters of the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”#Gn 8:17; 9:1 23Evening came and then morning: the fifth day.

24Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that crawl, and the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25So God made the wildlife of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that crawl on the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let us#Gn 3:22; 11:7 make man#1:26 Or human beings; Hb ’adam, also in v. 27 in#1:26 Or as our image, according to our likeness.#Gn 5:1,3; 9:6; Rm 8:29; 1Co 11:7; 15:49; 2Co 3:18; 4:4; Eph 4:24; Col 1:15; Jms 3:9 They will rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, the livestock, the whole earth, and the creatures that crawl#1:26 Or scurry on the earth.”#Gn 9:2; Ps 8:6–8; Jms 3:7

27So God created man

in his own image;

he created him in the image of God;

he created them male and female.#Gn 5:2; Mt 19:4; Mk 10:6

28God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth,#Gn 9:1,7 and subdue it. Rule the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and every creature that crawls on the earth.” 29God also said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the surface of the entire earth and every tree whose fruit contains seed. This will be food for you,#Gn 9:3; Ps 104:14–15; 136:25; 145:15–16 30for all the wildlife of the earth, for every bird of the sky, and for every creature that crawls on the earth — everything having the breath of life in it — I have given#1:30 I have given added for clarity every green plant for food.”#Ps 147:9 And it was so. 31God saw all that he had made, and it was very good indeed.#1Tm 4:4 Evening came and then morning: the sixth day.

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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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