The Creation

1 ^(A)In the beginning ^(B)God ^(C)created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was ^[a](D)formless and void, and ^(E)darkness was over the ^[b]surface of the deep, and ^(F)the Spirit of God ^(G)was ^[c]moving over the ^[d]surface of the waters. ³ Then ^(H)God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. ⁴ God saw that the light was ^(I)good; and God ^(J)separated the light from the darkness. ^5 (K)God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And ^(L)there was evening and there was morning, one day.

⁶ Then God said, “Let there be ^[e]an ^(M)expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” ⁷ God made the ^[f]expanse, and separated ^(N)the waters which were below the ^[g]expanse from the waters ^(O)which were above the ^[h]expanse; and it was so. ⁸ God called the ^[i]expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

⁹ Then God said, “^(P)Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let ^(Q)the dry land appear”; and it was so. ¹⁰ God called the dry land earth, and the ^(R)gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. ¹¹ Then God said, “Let the earth sprout ^[j](S)vegetation, ^[k]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after ^[l]their kind ^[m]with seed in them”; and it was so. ¹² The earth brought forth ^[n]vegetation, ^[o]plants yielding seed after ^[p]their kind, and trees bearing fruit ^[q]with seed in them, after ^[r]their kind; and God saw that it was good. ¹³ There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

¹⁴ Then God said, “Let there be ^[s](T)lights in the ^[t](U)expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for ^(V)signs and for ^(W)seasons and for days and years; ¹⁵ and let them be for ^[u]lights in the ^[v]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. ¹⁶ God made the two ^[w]great lights, the ^(X)greater ^[x]light ^[y]to govern the day, and the lesser ^[z]light ^[aa]to govern the night; He made ^(Y)the stars also. ^17 (Z)God placed them in the ^[ab]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, ¹⁸ and ^[ac]to ^(AA)govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. ¹⁹ There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

²⁰ Then God said, “Let the waters ^[ad]teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth ^[ae]in the open ^[af]expanse of the heavens.” ²¹ God created ^(AB)the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. ²² God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” ²³ There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

^24 (AC)Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after ^[ag]their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after ^[ah]their kind”; and it was so. ²⁵ God made the ^(AD)beasts of the earth after ^[ai]their kind, and the cattle after ^[aj]their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Then God said, “Let ^(AE)Us make ^(AF)man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them ^(AG)rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the ^[ak]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” ²⁷ God created man ^(AH)in His own image, in the image of God He created him; ^(AI)male and female He created them. ²⁸ God blessed them; and God said to them, “^(AJ)Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the ^[al]sky and over every living thing that ^[am]moves on the earth.” ²⁹ Then God said, “Behold, ^(AK)I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the ^[an]surface of all the earth, and every tree ^[ao]which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; ³⁰ and ^(AL)to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the ^[ap]sky and to every thing that ^[aq]moves on the earth ^[ar]which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. ³¹ God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very ^(AM)good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

The Fall of Man

3 Now ^(A)the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from ^[a]any tree of the garden’?” ² The woman said to the serpent, “^(B)From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” ^4 (C)The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and ^(D)you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ^6 (E)When the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they ^(F)knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves ^[b]loin coverings.

⁸ They heard the sound of ^(G)the Lord God walking in the garden in the ^[c]cool of the day, ^(H)and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “^(I)Where are you?” ¹⁰ He said, “^(J)I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” ¹¹ And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ^12 (K)The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “^(L)The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” ¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent,

¹⁷ Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;

²⁰ Now the man called his wife’s name ^[h](W)Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. ²¹ The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of ^(X)Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from ^(Y)the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So ^(Z)He drove the man out; and at the ^(AA)east of the garden of Eden He stationed the ^(AB)cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to ^(AC)the tree of life.

Results of Justification

5 ^(A)Therefore, having been justified by faith, ^[a](B)we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom also we have ^(C)obtained our introduction by faith into this grace ^(D)in which we stand; and ^[b]we exult in hope of the glory of God. ^3 (E)And not only this, but ^[c]we also ^(F)exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about ^(G)perseverance; ⁴ and ^(H)perseverance, ^(I)proven character; and proven character, hope; ⁵ and hope ^(J)does not disappoint, because the love of God has been ^(K)poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

⁶ For while we were still ^(L)helpless, ^(M)at the right time ^(N)Christ died for the ungodly. ⁷ For one will hardly die for a righteous man; ^[d]though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. ⁸ But God ^(O)demonstrates ^(P)His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, ^(Q)Christ died for us. ⁹ Much more then, having now been justified ^[e](R)by His blood, we shall be saved ^(S)from the wrath of God through Him. ¹⁰ For if while we were ^(T)enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved ^[f](U)by His life. ^11 (V)And not only this, ^[g]but we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received ^(W)the reconciliation.

¹² Therefore, just as through ^(X)one man sin entered into the world, and ^(Y)death through sin, and ^(Z)so death spread to all men, because all sinned— ¹³ for ^[h]until the Law sin was in the world, but ^(AA)sin is not imputed when there is no law. ¹⁴ Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned ^(AB)in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a ^[i](AC)type of Him who was to come.

¹⁵ But ^[j]the free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of ^(AD)the one ^(AE)the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by ^(AF)the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. ¹⁶ The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand ^(AG)the judgment arose from one transgression ^[k]resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the free gift arose from many transgressions ^[l]resulting in justification. ¹⁷ For if by the transgression of the one, death reigned ^(AH)through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will ^(AI)reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.

¹⁸ So then as through ^(AJ)one transgression ^[m]there resulted condemnation to all men, even so through one ^(AK)act of righteousness ^[n]there resulted ^(AL)justification of life to all men. ¹⁹ For as through the one man’s disobedience ^(AM)the many ^(AN)were made sinners, even so through ^(AO)the obedience of the One ^(AP)the many will be made righteous. ^20 [o](AQ)The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, ^(AR)grace abounded all the more, ²¹ so that, as ^(AS)sin reigned in death, even so ^(AT)grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

¹³ But according to His ^(A)promise we are looking for ^(B)new heavens and a new earth, ^(C)in which righteousness dwells.

The New Heaven and Earth

21 Then I saw ^(A)a new heaven and a new earth; for ^(B)the first heaven and the first earth passed away, and there is no longer any sea.