Genesis 1
1
The Story of Creation
1In the beginning God
created the heavens
and the earth.#1.1 the heavens and the earth: “The heavens and the earth” stood for the universe.
2The earth was barren,
with no form of life;#1.1,2 In … life: Or “When God began to create the heavens and the earth, the earth was barren with no form of life.”
it was under a roaring ocean
covered with darkness.
But the Spirit of God#1.2 the Spirit of God: Or “a mighty wind.”
was moving over the water.
The First Day
3 #
2 Macc 7.28; 2 Co 4.6. God said, “I command light to shine!” And light started shining. 4God looked at the light and saw that it was good. He separated light from darkness 5and named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” Evening came, then morning—that was the first day.#1.5 the first day: A day was measured from evening to evening.
The Second Day
6 #
2 P 3.5. God said, “I command a dome to separate the water above it from the water below it.” 7And that's what happened. God made the dome 8and named it “Sky.” Evening came, then morning—that was the second day.
The Third Day
9God said, “I command the water under the sky to come together in one place, so there will be dry ground.” And that's what happened. 10God named the dry ground “Land,” and he named the water “Ocean.” God looked at what he had done and saw that it was good.
11God said, “I command the earth to produce all kinds of plants, including fruit trees and grain.” And that's what happened. 12The earth produced all kinds of vegetation. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. 13Evening came, then morning—that was the third day.
The Fourth Day
14God said, “I command lights to appear in the sky and to separate day from night and to show the time for seasons, special days, and years. 15I command them to shine on the earth.” And that's what happened. 16God made two powerful lights, the brighter one to rule the day and the other#1.16 the brighter … the other: The sun and the moon. But they are not called by their names, because in Old Testament times some people worshiped the sun and the moon as though they were gods. to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17Then God put these lights in the sky to shine on the earth, 18to rule day and night, and to separate light from darkness. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. 19Evening came, then morning—that was the fourth day.
The Fifth Day
20God said, “I command the ocean to be full of living creatures, and I command birds to fly above the earth.” 21So God made the giant sea monsters and all the living creatures that swim in the ocean. He also made every kind of bird. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. 22Then he gave the living creatures his blessing—he told the ocean creatures to increase and live everywhere in the ocean and the birds to increase everywhere on earth. 23Evening came, then morning—that was the fifth day.
The Sixth Day
24God said, “I command the earth to give life to all kinds of tame animals, wild animals, and reptiles.” And that's what happened. 25God made every one of them. Then he looked at what he had done, and it was good.
26 #
Ws 2.23; Si 17.3,4; 1 Co 11.7. God said, “Now we will make humans, and they will be like us. We will let them rule the fish, the birds, and all other living creatures.”
27 #
Gn 5.1,2. #Mt 19.4; Mk 10.6. So God created humans to be like himself; he made men and women. 28God gave them his blessing and said:
Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.
29I have provided all kinds of fruit and grain for you to eat. 30And I have given the green plants as food for everything else that breathes, including animals, both wild and tame, and birds. And so it was.
31God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Evening came, then morning—that was the sixth day.
Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Genesis 1
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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