Genesis 1
1
The Story of Creation
1In the beginning, when God created the universe,#1.1 In the beginning… the universe; or In the beginning God created the universe; or When God began to create the universe. 2the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God#1.2 the Spirit of God; or the power of God; or a wind from God; or an awesome wind. was moving over the water. 3#2 Cor 4.6Then God commanded, “Let there be light” — and light appeared. 4God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness, 5and he named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night”. Evening passed and morning came — that was the first day.
6-7 # 2 Pet 3.5 Then God commanded, “Let there be a dome to divide the water and to keep it in two separate places” — and it was done. So God made a dome, and it separated the water under it from the water above it. 8He named the dome “Sky”. Evening passed and morning came — that was the second day.
9Then God commanded, “Let the water below the sky come together in one place, so that the land will appear” — and it was done. 10He named the land “Earth”, and the water which had come together he named “Sea”. And God was pleased with what he saw. 11Then he commanded, “Let the earth produce all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit” — and it was done. 12So the earth produced all kinds of plants, and God was pleased with what he saw. 13Evening passed and morning came — that was the third day.
14Then God commanded, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate day from night and to show the time when days, years, and religious festivals#1.14 religious festivals; or seasons. begin; 15they will shine in the sky to give light to the earth” — and it was done. 16So God made the two larger lights, the sun to rule over the day and the moon to rule over the night; he also made the stars. 17He placed the lights in the sky to shine on the earth, 18to rule over the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God was pleased with what he saw. 19Evening passed and morning came — that was the fourth day.
20Then God commanded, “Let the water be filled with many kinds of living beings, and let the air be filled with birds.” 21So God created the great sea monsters, all kinds of creatures that live in the water, and all kinds of birds. And God was pleased with what he saw. 22He blessed them all and told the creatures that live in the water to reproduce, and to fill the sea, and he told the birds to increase in number. 23Evening passed and morning came — that was the fifth day.
24Then God commanded, “Let the earth produce all kinds of animal life: domestic and wild, large and small” — and it was done. 25So God made them all, and he was pleased with what he saw.
26 # 1 Cor 11.7 Then God said, “And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild,#1.26 One ancient translation animals, domestic and wild; Hebrew domestic animals and all the earth. large and small.” 27#Mt 19.4; Mk 10.6 #Gen 5.1–2So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, 28blessed them, and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals. 29I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat; 30but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food” — and it was done. 31God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came — that was the sixth day.
Good News Bible with Deuterocanonicals/Apocrypha. Scripture taken from the Good News Bible (r) (Today's English Version Second Edition, UK/British Edition). Copyright © 1992 British & Foreign Bible Society. Used by permission.
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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