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.
Genesis 1
1
1In the beginning God created the heauen and the earth. 2And the earth was without forme and void, and darkenesse was vpon the deepe, and the Spirit of God mooued vpon the waters. 3Then God said, Let there be light: And there was light. 4And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated the light from the darkenes. 5And God called the Light, Day, and the darkenes, he called Night. So the euening and the morning were the first day. 6Againe God said, Let there be a firmament in the mids of the waters: and let it separate the waters from the waters. 7Then God made the firmament, and separated the waters, which were vnder the firmament, from the waters which were aboue the firmament: and it was so. 8And God called the firmament Heauen. So the Euening and the morning were the second day. 9God said againe, Let the waters vnder the heauen be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appeare. and it was so. 10And God called the dry land, Earth, and he called the gathering together of the waters, Seas: and God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, Let the earth bud forth the bud of the herbe, that seedeth seed, the fruitfull tree, which beareth fruite according to his kinde, which hath his seede in it selfe vpon the earth: and it was so. 12And the earth brought foorth the bud of the herbe, that seedeth seede according to his kind, also the tree that beareth fruit, which hath his seed in it selfe according to his kinde: and God saw that it was good. 13So the euening and the morning were the third day. 14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heauen, to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signes, and for seasons, and for dayes and yeeres. 15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heauen to giue light vpon the earth: and it was so. 16God then made two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesse light to rule the night: he made also the starres. 17And God set them in the firmament of the heauen, to shine vpon the earth, 18And to rule in the day, and in the night, and to separate the light from the darkenesse: and God saw that it was good. 19So the euening and the morning were the fourth day. 20Afterward God said, Let the waters bring foorth in abundance euery creeping thing that hath life: and let the foule flie vpon the earth in the open firmament of the heauen. 21Then God created the great whales, and euery thing liuing and mouing, which the waters brought foorth in abundance according to their kinde, and euery fethered foule according to his kinde: and God sawe that it was good. 22Then God blessed them, saying, Bring foorth fruite and multiplie, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the foule multiplie in the earth. 23So the euening and the morning were the fifte day. 24Moreouer God said, Let the earth bring foorth the liuing thing according to his kinde, cattel, and that which creepeth, and the beast of the earth, according to his kinde. and it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth according to his kinde, and the cattell according to his kinde, and euery creeping thing of the earth according to his kind: and God saw that it was good. 26Furthermore God said, Let vs make man in our image according to our likenes, and let them rule ouer the fish of the sea, and ouer the foule of the heauen, and ouer the beastes, and ouer all the earth, and ouer euery thing that creepeth and moueth on the earth. 27Thus God created the man in his image: in the image of God created he him: he created them male and female. 28And God blessed them, and God said to them, Bring forth fruite and multiplie, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule ouer the fish of the sea, and ouer the foule of the heauen, and ouer euery beast that moueth vpon the earth. 29And God said, Beholde, I haue giuen vnto you euery herbe bearing seede, which is vpon al the earth, and euery tree, wherein is the fruite of a tree bearing seede: that shall be to you for meate. 30Likewise to euery beast of the earth, and to euery foule of the heauen, and to euery thing that moueth vpon the earth, which hath life in it selfe, euery greene herbe shall be for meate. and it was so. 31And God sawe all that he had made, and loe, it was very good. So the euening and the morning were the sixt day.
PUBLIC DOMAIN