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.
Mark 4:10-13
Contemporary English Version
Why Jesus Used Stories
(Matthew 13.10-17; Luke 8.9,10)
10 When Jesus was alone with the twelve apostles and some others, they asked him about these stories. 11 He answered:
I have explained the secret about God's kingdom to you, but for others I can use only stories. 12 (A) The reason is,
“These people will look
and look, but never see.
They will listen and listen,
but never understand.
If they did,
they would turn to God
and be forgiven.”
Jesus Explains the Story about the Farmer
(Matthew 13.18-23; Luke 8.11-15)
13 Jesus then told them:
If you don't understand this story, you won't understand any others.
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