Genesis 1
Expanded Bible
The Beginning of the World
1 ·In the beginning [or In the beginning when] God created [C this Hebrew verb is used only when God is the one creating] the ·sky [heavens] and the earth. 2 ·The [or…the] earth ·had no form and was empty [or was a formless void]. Darkness covered the ·ocean [deep], and ·God’s Spirit [or a mighty wind] was ·moving [hovering] over the water.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, so he ·divided [separated] the light from the darkness. 5 God ·named [called] the light “day” and the darkness “night.” ·Evening passed, and morning came [L There was evening and there was morning; C in the OT a day begins at nightfall]. This was the first day.
6 Then God said, “Let there be ·something to divide the water in two [L a firmament/dome/expanse in the midst of the waters to separate/divide the waters from the waters].” 7 So God made the ·air [L firmament; dome; expanse; C rain clouds] and placed some of the water above the ·air [L firmament; dome; expanse] and some below it [C referring to the rain and the oceans, lakes, and rivers]. 8 God ·named [called] the ·air [L firmament/dome/expanse] “·sky [heaven].” Evening passed, and morning came [1:5]. This was the second day.
9 Then God said, “Let the water under the ·sky [heavens] be gathered together so the dry land will appear.” And it happened. 10 God ·named [called] the dry land “earth” and [L he called] the water that was gathered together “seas.” God saw that this was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the earth produce ·plants [vegetation]—some to make grain for seeds and ·others to make fruits with seeds in them. Every seed will produce more of its own kind of plant [L fruit trees on earth bearing fruit according to its own kind/species that has seed in them].” And it happened. 12 The earth ·produced [brought forth] plants with grain for seeds and trees that made fruits with seeds in them. ·Each seed grew its own kind of plant [L …according to its kind/species]. God saw that all this was good. 13 Evening passed, and morning came [1:5]. This was the third day.
14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the ·sky [L firmament/dome/expanse of the heavens] to ·separate [divide] day from night. ·These lights will be used for [L They will be] signs, seasons, days, and years. 15 They will be in the ·sky [L firmament/dome/expanse] to give light to the earth.” And it happened.
16 So God made the two ·large [great] lights. He made the ·brighter [L greater] light to rule the day and made the ·smaller [lesser] light to rule the night. ·He also made the stars [L …and the stars]. 17 God put all these in the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to ·separate [divide] the light from the darkness. God saw that all these things were good. 19 Evening passed, and morning came [1:5]. This was the fourth day.
20 Then God said, “Let the water ·be filled with living things [L swarm with living creatures], and let birds fly in the ·air [L firmament/dome/expanse] above the earth.”
21 So God created [1:1] the large sea ·animals [or monsters] and every living thing that ·moves [L swarms] in the sea. The sea is filled with these living things, with each one ·producing more of its own kind [L according to its kind/species]. He also ·made [or created; 1:1] every bird that flies, and each bird ·produced more of its own kind [L according to its kind/species]. God saw that this was good. 22 God blessed them and said, “·Have many young ones so that you may grow in number [T Be fruitful and multiply]. ·Fill […and fill] the water of the seas, and let the birds ·grow in number [multiply] on the earth.” 23 Evening passed, and morning came [1:5]. This was the fifth day.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth be filled with ·animals [living creatures], ·each producing more of its own kind [L according to their kind/species]. Let there be ·tame animals [beasts; livestock] and small crawling animals and wild animals, ·and let each produce more of its kind [L according to their kind/species].” And it happened.
25 So God made the wild animals, the ·tame animals [beasts; livestock], and all the small crawling animals ·to produce more of their own kind [L according to their kind/species]. God saw that this was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image and likeness. And let them ·rule [T have dominion] over the fish in the sea and the birds in the ·sky [heavens], over the ·tame animals [beasts; livestock], over all the earth, and over all the small crawling animals on the earth.”
27 So God created [1:1] ·human beings [T man; C the Hebrew adam can mean human beings, humankind, person, man, or the proper name Adam] in his image [C reflecting God’s nature/character and representing him in the world]. In the image of God he created them. He created them male and female. 28 God blessed them and said [L to them], “·Have many children and grow in number [T Be fruitful and multiply]. ·Fill […and fill] the earth and ·be its master [subdue it]. ·Rule [T Have dominion] over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the ·sky [heavens] and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
29 God said, “Look, I have given you all the plants that have grain for seeds [L on the face of the earth] and all the trees whose fruits have seeds in them. They will be food for you. 30 I have given all the green plants as food for every wild animal, every bird of the ·air [sky; heavens], and every small ·crawling [creeping] animal.” And it happened. 31 God looked at everything he had made, and it was ·very [exceedingly] good. Evening passed, and morning came [1:5]. This was the sixth day.
Genesis 1
Complete Jewish Bible
Parashah 1: B’resheet (In the beginning) 1:1–6:8
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was unformed and void, darkness was on the face of the deep, and the Spirit of God hovered over the surface of the water. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 God saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. So there was evening, and there was morning, one day.
6 God said, “Let there be a dome in the middle of the water; let it divide the water from the water.” 7 God made the dome and divided the water under the dome from the water above the dome; that is how it was, 8 and God called the dome Sky. So there was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
9 God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered together into one place, and let dry land appear,” and that is how it was. 10 God called the dry land Earth, the gathering together of the water he called Seas, and God saw that it was good.
11 God said, “Let the earth put forth grass, seed-producing plants, and fruit trees, each yielding its own kind of seed-bearing fruit, on the earth”; and that is how it was. 12 The earth brought forth grass, plants each yielding its own kind of seed, and trees each producing its own kind of seed-bearing fruit; and God saw that it was good. 13 So there was evening, and there was morning, a third day.
(A: ii) 14 God said, “Let there be lights in the dome of the sky to divide the day from the night; let them be for signs, seasons, days and years; 15 and let them be for lights in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth”; and that is how it was. 16 God made the two great lights — the larger light to rule the day and the smaller light to rule the night — and the stars. 17 God put them in the dome of the sky to give light to the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 So there was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open dome of the sky.” 21 God created the great sea creatures and every living thing that creeps, so that the water swarmed with all kinds of them, and there was every kind of winged bird; and God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, multiply and fill the water of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 So there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
(A: iii) 24 God said, “Let the earth bring forth each kind of living creature — each kind of livestock, crawling animal and wild beast”; and that is how it was. 25 God made each kind of wild beast, each kind of livestock and every kind of animal that crawls along the ground; and God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, in the likeness of ourselves; and let them rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the animals, and over all the earth, and over every crawling creature that crawls on the earth.”
27 So God created humankind in his own image;
in the image of God he created him:
male and female he created them.
28 God blessed them: God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the air and every living creature that crawls on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Here! Throughout the whole earth I am giving you as food every seed-bearing plant and every tree with seed-bearing fruit. 30 And to every wild animal, bird in the air and creature crawling on the earth, in which there is a living soul, I am giving as food every kind of green plant.” And that is how it was. 31 God saw everything that he had made, and indeed it was very good. So there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.
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