Genesis 1
1
The Creation
1In the beginning God created heaven and earth.
2The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep water. The Spirit of God was hovering over the water.
3Then God said, “Let there be light!” So there was light. 4God saw the light was good. So God separated the light from the darkness. 5God named the light day, and the darkness he named night. There was evening, then morning—the first day.
6Then God said, “Let there be a horizon in the middle of the water in order to separate the water.” 7So God made the horizon and separated the water above and below the horizon. And so it was. 8God named ⌞what was above⌟ the horizon sky. There was evening, then morning—a second day.
9Then God said, “Let the water under the sky come together in one area, and let the dry land appear.” And so it was. 10God named the dry land earth. The water which came together he named sea. God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: plants bearing seeds, each according to its own type, and fruit trees bearing fruit with seeds, each according to its own type.” And so it was. 12The earth produced vegetation: plants bearing seeds, each according to its own type, and trees bearing fruit with seeds, each according to its own type. God saw that they were good. 13There was evening, then morning—a third day.
14Then God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs and will mark religious festivals, days, and years. 15They will be lights in the sky to shine on the earth.” And so it was. 16God made the two bright lights: the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17God put them in the sky to give light to the earth, 18to dominate the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good. 19There was evening, then morning—a fourth day.
20Then God said, “Let the water swarm with swimming creatures, and let birds fly through the sky over the earth.” 21So God created the large sea creatures, every type of creature that swims around in the water and every type of flying bird. God saw that they were good. 22God blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the sea, and let there be many birds on the earth.” 23There was evening, then morning—a fifth day.
24Then God said, “Let the earth produce every type of living creature: every type of domestic animal, crawling animal, and wild animal.” And so it was. 25God made every type of wild animal, every type of domestic animal, and every type of creature that crawls on the ground. God saw that they were good.
26Then God said, “Let us make humans in our image, in our likeness. Let them rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the domestic animals all over the earth, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.”
27So God created humans in his image.
In the image of God he created them.
He created them male and female.
28God blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.”
29God said, “I have given you every plant with seeds on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seeds. This will be your food. 30I have given all green plants as food to every land animal, every bird in the sky, and every animal that crawls on the earth—every living, breathing animal.” And so it was.
31And God saw everything that he had made and that it was very good. There was evening, then morning—the sixth day.
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Genesis 1
1
The Creation of the World
1In the #Job 38:4-7; Ps. 33:6; 136:5; Isa. 42:5; 45:18; John 1:1-3; Acts 14:15; 17:24; Col. 1:16, 17; Heb. 1:10; 11:3; Rev. 4:11beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was #Jer. 4:23without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.
3And God said, #2 Cor. 4:6“Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God 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. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6And God said, #Job 37:18; Ps. 136:5; Jer. 10:12; 51:15“Let there be an expanse#1:6 Or a canopy; also verses 7, 8, 14, 15, 17, 20 in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7And God made#1:7 Or fashioned; also verse 16 the expanse and #Prov. 8:27-29 separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were #Ps. 148:4above the expanse. And it was so. 8And God called the expanse Heaven.#1:8 Or Sky; also verses 9, 14, 15, 17, 20, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.
9And God said, #Job 38:8-11; Ps. 33:7; 136:6; Jer. 5:22; 2 Pet. 3:5“Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth,#1:10 Or Land; also verses 11, 12, 22, 24, 25, 26, 28, 30; 2:1 and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11And God said, #Ps. 104:14“Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants#1:11 Or small plants; also verses 12, 29 yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. 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 expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for #Jer. 10:2; Ezek. 32:7, 8; Joel 2:30, 31; 3:15; Matt. 24:29; Luke 21:25 signs and for #Ps. 104:19seasons,#1:14 Or appointed times and for days and years, 15and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16And God #Deut. 4:19; Ps. 136:7-9made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. 17And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18to #Jer. 31:35rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, the fourth day.
20And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds#1:20 Or flying things; see Leviticus 11:19–20 fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21So #Ps. 104:25, 26God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, #ch. 8:17; 9:1“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day.
24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26Then God said, #ch. 3:22; 11:7; Isa. 6:8 “Let us make man#1:26 The Hebrew word for man (adam) is the generic term for mankind and becomes the proper name Adam in our image, #ch. 5:1; 9:6; 1 Cor. 11:7; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10; James 3:9 after our likeness. And #ch. 9:2; Ps. 8:6-8; James 3:7let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
# ch. 2:18, 21-23; 5:2; Mal. 2:15; Matt. 19:4; Mark 10:6 male and female he created them.
28And God blessed them. And God said to them, #ch. 9:1, 7“Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. #ch. 9:3; Ps. 104:14, 15; 145:15, 16You shall have them for food. 30And #Ps. 147:9to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31#Eccles. 7:29; 1 Tim. 4:4And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Sign up to receive news and updates about the ESV: