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Genesis 1:1-5
Contemporary English Version
Genesis 1:1-5
Contemporary English Version
The Story of Creation
1 In the beginning God
created the heavens
and the earth.[a]
2 The earth was barren,
with no form of life;[b]
it was under a roaring ocean
covered with darkness.
But the Spirit of God[c]
was moving over the water.
The First Day
3 (A) God said, “I command light to shine!” And light started shining. 4 God looked at the light and saw that it was good. He separated light from darkness 5 and named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” Evening came, then morning—that was the first day.[d]
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 1.1 the heavens and the earth: “The heavens and the earth” stood for the universe.
- 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.”
- 1.2 the Spirit of God: Or “a mighty wind.”
- 1.5 the first day: A day was measured from evening to evening.
Contemporary English Version (CEV) 
Copyright © 1995 by American Bible Society For more information about CEV, visit www.bibles.com and www.cev.bible.
