天地万物都造好了。 第七天,上帝完成了祂的创造之工,就在第七天歇了一切的工。 上帝赐福给第七天,将其定为圣日,因为祂在这一天歇了祂一切的创造之工。 这是有关创造天地的记载。

上帝造亚当和夏娃

耶和华上帝创造天地的时候, 地上还没有草木菜蔬,因为耶和华上帝还没有降雨在地上,土地也没有人耕作, 但有水从地里涌出,浇灌大地。 耶和华上帝用地上的尘土造了人,把生命的气息吹进他的鼻孔里,他就成了有生命的人。 耶和华上帝在东方的伊甸开辟了一个园子,把祂所造的人安置在里面。 耶和华上帝使地面长出各种树木,它们既好看又能结出可吃的果子。在园子的中间有生命树和分别善恶的树。

10 有一条河从伊甸流出来灌溉那园子,又从那里分出四条支流。 11 第一条支流叫比逊河,它环绕着哈腓拉全境。那里有金子, 12 且是上好的金子,还有珍珠和红玛瑙。 13 第二条支流是基训河,它环绕着古实全境。 14 第三条支流名叫底格里斯河,它流经亚述的东边。第四条支流是幼发拉底河。

15 耶和华上帝把那人安置在伊甸的园子里,让他在那里耕种、看管园子。 16 耶和华上帝吩咐那人说:“你可以随意吃园中所有树上的果子, 17 只是不可吃那棵分别善恶树的果子,因为你若吃了,当天必死。”

18 耶和华上帝说:“那人独自一人不好,我要为他造一个相配的帮手。” 19 耶和华上帝用尘土造了各种田野的走兽和空中的飞鸟,把它们带到那人跟前,看他怎么称呼这些动物。他叫这些动物什么,它们的名字就是什么。 20 那人给所有的牲畜及田野的走兽和空中的飞鸟都起了名字。可是他找不到一个跟自己相配的帮手。 21 耶和华上帝使那人沉睡,然后从他身上取出一根肋骨,再把肉合起来。 22 耶和华上帝用那根肋骨造成一个女人,带到那人跟前。 23 那人说:

“这才是我的同类,
我骨中的骨,肉中的肉,
要称她为女人,
因为她是从男人身上取出来的。”

24 因此,人要离开父母,与妻子结合,二人成为一体。 25 当时,他们夫妇二人都赤身露体,并不觉得羞耻。

Heaven and Earth were finished,
    down to the last detail.

2-4 By the seventh day
    God had finished his work.
On the seventh day
    he rested from all his work.
God blessed the seventh day.
    He made it a Holy Day
Because on that day he rested from his work,
    all the creating God had done.

This is the story of how it all started,
    of Heaven and Earth when they were created.

Adam and Eve

5-7 At the time God made Earth and Heaven, before any grasses or shrubs had sprouted from the ground—God hadn’t yet sent rain on Earth, nor was there anyone around to work the ground (the whole Earth was watered by underground springs)—God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul!

8-9 Then God planted a garden in Eden, in the east. He put the Man he had just made in it. God made all kinds of trees grow from the ground, trees beautiful to look at and good to eat. The Tree-of-Life was in the middle of the garden, also the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil.

10-14 A river flows out of Eden to water the garden and from there divides into four rivers. The first is named Pishon; it flows through Havilah where there is gold. The gold of this land is good. The land is also known for a sweet-scented resin and the onyx stone. The second river is named Gihon; it flows through the land of Cush. The third river is named Hiddekel and flows east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.

16-17 God commanded the Man, “You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don’t eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you’re dead.”

18-20 God said, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion.” So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn’t find a suitable companion.

21-22 God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man.

23-25     The Man said,
“Finally! Bone of my bone,
    flesh of my flesh!
Name her Woman
    for she was made from Man.”
    Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh.
    The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they felt no shame.

The heavens, the earth, and all their vast array were finished. On the seventh day God finished his work which he had done; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done. God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work of creation which he had done.

This is the history of the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh[a] God made the earth and the heavens. No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground, but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground. Yahweh God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. Yahweh God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. Out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10 A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became the source of four rivers. 11 The name of the first is Pishon: it flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 and the gold of that land is good. Bdellium[b] and onyx stone are also there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon. It is the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is Hiddekel. This is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates. 15 Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it. 16 Yahweh God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but you shall not eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

18 Yahweh God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to[c] him.” 19 Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature became its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field; but for man there was not found a helper comparable to him. 21 Yahweh God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. As the man slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Yahweh God made a woman from the rib which he had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called ‘woman,’ because she was taken out of Man.” 24 Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh. 25 The man and his wife were both naked, and they were not ashamed.

Footnotes

  1. 2:4 “Yahweh” is God’s proper Name, sometimes rendered “LORD” (all caps) in other translations.
  2. 2:12 or, aromatic resin
  3. 2:18 or, suitable for, or appropriate for.