Genesis 1
1
CHAPTER 1
1In the beginning God made of nought heaven and earth.
2Forsooth the earth was idle and void, and darknesses were on the face of depth; and the Spirit of the Lord was borne on the waters [or the Spirit of God was borne upon the waters].
3And God said, Light be made, and the light was made.
4And God saw the light, that it was good, and he parted the light from darknesses;
5and he called the light, day, and the darknesses, night. And the eventide and the morrowtide was made, one day.
6And God said, The firmament be made in the midst of waters, and part waters from waters.
7And God made the firmament, and parted the waters that were under the firmament, from the waters that were on the firmament [or that were above the firmament]; and it was done so.
8And God called the firmament, heaven. And the eventide and the morrowtide was made, the second day.
9Forsooth God said, The waters, that be under heaven, be gathered into one place, and a dry place appear; and it was done so.
10And God called the dry place, earth; and he called the gatherings together of waters, the seas. And God saw that it was good;
11and said, The earth bring forth green herb, and making seed, and an apple tree making fruit by his kind, whose seed be in itself, on [the] earth; and it was done so.
12And the earth brought forth green herb and making seed by his kind, and a tree making fruit, and each having seed by his kind. And God saw that it was good.
13And the eventide and the morrowtide was made, the third day.
14Forsooth God said, Lights be made in the firmament of heaven, and part they the day and night; and be they into signs, and times, and days, and years;
15and shine those in the firmament of heaven, and lighten they the earth; and it was done so.
16And God made two great lights, the greater light that it should be before to the day, and the lesser light that it should be before to the night; and God made stars;
17and setted them in the firmament of heaven, that they should shine on [the] earth,
18and that they should be before to the day and [to the] night, and should part light and darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19And the eventide and the morrow-tide was made, the fourth day.
20Also God said, The waters bring forth a reptile, either a creeping beast, of living soul, and a volatile, either a bird flying above [the] earth, under the firmament of heaven.
21And God made of nought great whales, and each living soul and movable, which the waters have brought forth in their kinds; and God made of nought each volatile by his kind. And God saw that it was good;
22and blessed them, and said, Wax ye, and be ye multiplied, and fill ye the waters of the sea, and [the] birds be multiplied on [the] earth.
23And the eventide and the morrowtide was made, the fifth day.
24And God said, The earth bring forth a living soul in his kind, work beasts, and reptiles, either creeping beasts, and unreasonable beasts of [the] earth, by their kinds; and it was done so.
25And God made unreasonable beasts of the earth by their kinds, and work beasts, and each creeping beast of the earth in his kind. And God saw that it was good;
26and said, Make we man to our image and likeness, and be he sovereign to the fishes of the sea, and to the volatiles of heaven, and to [the] unreasonable beasts of [the] earth, and to each creature, and to each creeping beast or each reptile, which is moved in [the] earth.
27And God made of nought a man to his image and likeness; God made of nought a man, to the image of God; God made of nought them, male and female.
28And God blessed them, and said, Increase ye, and be ye multiplied, and fill ye the earth, and make ye it subject; and be ye lords to the fishes of the sea, and to [the] volatiles of heaven, and to all living beasts that be moved on [the] earth.
29And God said, Lo! I have given to you each herb bearing seed on [the] earth, and all trees that have in themselves the seed of their kind, that they be into meat to you;
30and to all living beasts of [the] earth, and to each bird of heaven, and to all things that be moved in [the] earth, and in which is a living soul, that they have to eat; and it was done so.
31And God saw all things which he made, and they were full good. And the eventide and the morrowtide was made, the sixth day.
Wycliffe’s Bible with Modern Spelling ©2017
Wycliffe’s Apocrypha ©2013, 2015
Wycliffe’s Bible © 2012, 2015
Wycliffe’s New Testament ©2001, 2011
Wycliffe’s Old Testament ©2001, 2010
Genesis 1
1
Heaven and Earth
1-2First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.
3-5God spoke: “Light!”
And light appeared.
God saw that light was good
and separated light from dark.
God named the light Day,
he named the dark Night.
It was evening, it was morning—
Day One.
6-8God spoke: “Sky! In the middle of the waters;
separate water from water!”
God made sky.
He separated the water under sky
from the water above sky.
And there it was:
he named sky the Heavens;
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Two.
9-10God spoke: “Separate!
Water-beneath-Heaven, gather into one place;
Land, appear!”
And there it was.
God named the land Earth.
He named the pooled water Ocean.
God saw that it was good.
11-13God spoke: “Earth, green up! Grow all varieties
of seed-bearing plants,
Every sort of fruit-bearing tree.”
And there it was.
Earth produced green seed-bearing plants,
all varieties,
And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts.
God saw that it was good.
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Three.
14-15God spoke: “Lights! Come out!
Shine in Heaven’s sky!
Separate Day from Night.
Mark seasons and days and years,
Lights in Heaven’s sky to give light to Earth.”
And there it was.
16-19God made two big lights, the larger
to take charge of Day,
The smaller to be in charge of Night;
and he made the stars.
God placed them in the heavenly sky
to light up Earth
And oversee Day and Night,
to separate light and dark.
God saw that it was good.
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Four.
20-23God spoke: “Swarm, Ocean, with fish and all sea life!
Birds, fly through the sky over Earth!”
God created the huge whales,
all the swarm of life in the waters,
And every kind and species of flying birds.
God saw that it was good.
God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Ocean!
Birds, reproduce on Earth!”
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Five.
24-25God spoke: “Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind:
cattle and reptiles and wild animals—all kinds.”
And there it was:
wild animals of every kind,
Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug.
God saw that it was good.
26-28God spoke: “Let us make human beings in our image, make them
reflecting our nature
So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea,
the birds in the air, the cattle,
And, yes, Earth itself,
and every animal that moves on the face of Earth.”
God created human beings;
he created them godlike,
Reflecting God’s nature.
He created them male and female.
God blessed them:
“Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge!
Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air,
for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth.”
29-30Then God said, “I’ve given you
every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth
And every kind of fruit-bearing tree,
given them to you for food.
To all animals and all birds,
everything that moves and breathes,
I give whatever grows out of the ground for food.”
And there it was.
31God looked over everything he had made;
it was so good, so very good!
It was evening, it was morning—
Day Six.
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.