天地萬物都造好了。 第七天,上帝完成了祂的創造之工,就在第七天歇了一切的工。 上帝賜福給第七天,將其定為聖日,因為祂在這一天歇了祂一切的創造之工。 這是有關創造天地的記載。

上帝造亞當和夏娃

耶和華上帝創造天地的時候, 地上還沒有草木菜蔬,因為耶和華上帝還沒有降雨在地上,土地也沒有人耕作, 但有水從地裡湧出,澆灌大地。 耶和華上帝用地上的塵土造了人,把生命的氣息吹進他的鼻孔裡,他就成了有生命的人。 耶和華上帝在東方的伊甸開闢了一個園子,把祂所造的人安置在裡面。 耶和華上帝使地面長出各種樹木,它們既好看又能結出可吃的果子。在園子的中間有生命樹和分別善惡的樹。

10 有一條河從伊甸流出來灌溉那園子,又從那裡分出四條支流。 11 第一條支流叫比遜河,它環繞著哈腓拉全境。那裡有金子, 12 且是上好的金子,還有珍珠和紅瑪瑙。 13 第二條支流是基訓河,它環繞著古實全境。 14 第三條支流名叫底格里斯河,它流經亞述的東邊。第四條支流是幼發拉底河。

15 耶和華上帝把那人安置在伊甸的園子裡,讓他在那裡耕種、看管園子。 16 耶和華上帝吩咐那人說:「你可以隨意吃園中所有樹上的果子, 17 只是不可吃那棵分別善惡樹的果子,因為你若吃了,當天必死。」

18 耶和華上帝說:「那人獨自一人不好,我要為他造一個相配的幫手。」 19 耶和華上帝用塵土造了各種田野的走獸和空中的飛鳥,把牠們帶到那人跟前,看他怎麼稱呼這些動物。他叫這些動物什麼,牠們的名字就是什麼。 20 那人給所有的牲畜及田野的走獸和空中的飛鳥都起了名字。可是他找不到一個跟自己相配的幫手。 21 耶和華上帝使那人沉睡,然後從他身上取出一根肋骨,再把肉合起來。 22 耶和華上帝用那根肋骨造成一個女人,帶到那人跟前。 23 那人說:

「這才是我的同類,
我骨中的骨,肉中的肉,
要稱她為女人,
因為她是從男人身上取出來的。」

24 因此,人要離開父母,與妻子結合,二人成為一體。 25 當時,他們夫婦二人都赤身露體,並不覺得羞恥。

And the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; because that in it he rested from all his work which God had created and made.

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Jehovah God made earth and heaven. And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Jehovah God had not caused it to rain upon the earth: and there was not a man to till the ground; but there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And Jehovah God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. And Jehovah God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made Jehovah God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the [a]onyx stone. 13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Cush. 14 And the name of the third river is [b]Hiddekel: that is it which goeth [c]in front of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 And Jehovah God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And Jehovah God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

18 And Jehovah God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help [d]meet for him. 19 And out of the ground Jehovah God formed every beast of the field, and every bird of the heavens; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them: and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the birds of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but for [e]man there was not found a help meet for him. 21 And Jehovah God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof: 22 and the rib, which Jehovah God had taken from the man, [f]made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called [g]Woman, because she was taken out of [h]Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 2:12 Or, beryl
  2. Genesis 2:14 That is, Tigris.
  3. Genesis 2:14 Or, toward the east of
  4. Genesis 2:18 Or, answering to
  5. Genesis 2:20 Or, Adam
  6. Genesis 2:22 Hebrew builded he into.
  7. Genesis 2:23 Hebrew Isshah.
  8. Genesis 2:23 Hebrew Ish.

Now at last the heavens and earth were successfully completed, with all that they contained. So on the seventh day, having finished his task, God ceased from this work he had been doing, and God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he ceased this work of creation.

Here is a summary of the events in the creation of the heavens and earth when the Lord God made them.

There were no plants or grain sprouting up across the earth at first, for the Lord God hadn’t sent any rain; nor was there anyone to farm the soil. (However, water welled up from the ground at certain places and flowed across the land.)

The time came when the Lord God formed a man’s body from the dust of the ground[a] and breathed into it the breath of life. And man became a living person.

Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, to the east, and placed in the garden the man he had formed. The Lord God planted all sorts of beautiful trees there in the garden, trees producing the choicest of fruit. At the center of the garden he placed the Tree of Life, and also the Tree of Conscience, giving knowledge of Good and Bad. 10 A river from the land of Eden flowed through the garden to water it; afterwards the river divided into four branches. 11-12 One of these was named the Pishon; it winds across the entire length of the land of Havilah,[b] where nuggets of pure gold are found, also beautiful bdellium and even lapis lazuli. 13 The second branch is called the Gihon, crossing the entire length of the land of Cush. 14 The third branch is the Tigris, which flows to the east of the city of Asher. And the fourth is the Euphrates.

15 The Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden as its gardener, to tend and care for it. 16-17 But the Lord God gave the man this warning: “You may eat any fruit in the garden except fruit from the Tree of Conscience—for its fruit will open your eyes to make you aware of right and wrong, good and bad. If you eat its fruit, you will be doomed to die.”

18 And the Lord God said, “It isn’t good for man to be alone; I will make a companion for him, a helper suited to his needs.” 19-20 So the Lord God formed from the soil every kind of animal and bird, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever he called them, that was their name. But still there was no proper helper for the man. 21 Then the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and took one of his ribs and closed up the place from which he had removed it, 22 and made the rib into a woman, and brought her to the man.

23 “This is it!” Adam exclaimed. “She is part of my own bone and flesh! Her name is ‘woman’ because she was taken out of a man.” 24 This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife in such a way that the two become one person.[c] 25 Now although the man and his wife were both naked, neither of them was embarrassed or ashamed.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 2:7 from the dust of the ground, or “from a lump of soil,” or “from clods in the soil,” or “from a clod of clay.”
  2. Genesis 2:11 the land of Havilah, located along the border of Babylonia.
  3. Genesis 2:24 become one person, literally, “become one flesh.”

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.(A)

By the seventh day(B) God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.(C) Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,(D) because on it he rested(E) from all the work of creating(F) that he had done.

Adam and Eve

This is the account(G) of the heavens and the earth when they were created,(H) when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth[a] and no plant had yet sprung up,(I) for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth(J) and there was no one to work the ground, but streams[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed(K) a man[c](L) from the dust(M) of the ground(N) and breathed into his nostrils the breath(O) of life,(P) and the man became a living being.(Q)

Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden;(R) and there he put the man he had formed. The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees(S) that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life(T) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.(U)

10 A river(V) watering the garden flowed from Eden;(W) from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah,(X) where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin[d](Y) and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.[e] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris;(Z) it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.(AA)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden(AB) to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;(AC) 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,(AD) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”(AE)

18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”(AF)

19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals(AG) and all the birds in the sky.(AH) He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called(AI) each living creature,(AJ) that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam[f] no suitable helper(AK) was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep;(AL) and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[h](AM) he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

23 The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
    and flesh of my flesh;(AN)
she shall be called(AO) ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.(AP)

24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united(AQ) to his wife, and they become one flesh.(AR)

25 Adam and his wife were both naked,(AS) and they felt no shame.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 2:5 Or land; also in verse 6
  2. Genesis 2:6 Or mist
  3. Genesis 2:7 The Hebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah); it is also the name Adam (see verse 20).
  4. Genesis 2:12 Or good; pearls
  5. Genesis 2:13 Possibly southeast Mesopotamia
  6. Genesis 2:20 Or the man
  7. Genesis 2:21 Or took part of the man’s side
  8. Genesis 2:22 Or part