Die frühe Geschichte der Menschheit (Kapitel 1–11)

Gott erschafft die Welt

Am Anfang schuf Gott Himmel und Erde. Noch war die Erde leer und ungestaltet, von tiefen Fluten bedeckt. Finsternis herrschte, aber über dem Wasser schwebte der Geist Gottes.

Da sprach Gott: »Licht soll entstehen!«, und sogleich strahlte Licht auf. Gott sah, dass es gut war. Er trennte das Licht von der Dunkelheit und nannte das Licht »Tag« und die Dunkelheit »Nacht«. Es wurde Abend und wieder Morgen: Der erste Tag war vergangen.

Und Gott befahl: »Im Wasser soll sich ein Gewölbe bilden, das die Wassermassen voneinander trennt!« So geschah es: Er machte ein Gewölbe und trennte damit das Wasser darüber von dem Wasser, das die Erde bedeckte. Das Gewölbe nannte er »Himmel«. Es wurde Abend und wieder Morgen: Der zweite Tag war vergangen.

Dann sprach Gott: »Die Wassermassen auf der Erde sollen zusammenfließen, damit das Land zum Vorschein kommt!« So geschah es. 10 Gott nannte das trockene Land »Erde« und das Wasser »Meer«. Was er sah, gefiel ihm, denn es war gut. 11 Und Gott sprach: »Auf der Erde soll es grünen und blühen: Alle Arten von Pflanzen und Bäumen sollen wachsen und ihre Samen und Früchte tragen!« So geschah es. 12 Die Erde brachte Pflanzen und Bäume in ihrer ganzen Vielfalt hervor. Wieder sah er sich an, was er geschaffen hatte: Es war gut. 13 Es wurde Abend und wieder Morgen: Der dritte Tag war vergangen.

14 Da befahl Gott: »Am Himmel sollen Lichter entstehen, die den Tag und die Nacht voneinander trennen und nach denen man die Jahreszeiten und auch die Tage und Jahre bestimmen kann! 15 Sie sollen die Erde erhellen.« Und so geschah es. 16 Gott schuf zwei große Lichter, die Sonne für den Tag und den Mond für die Nacht, dazu alle Sterne. 17 Er setzte diese Lichter an den Himmel, um die Erde zu erhellen, 18 Tag und Nacht zu bestimmen und Licht und Finsternis zu unterscheiden. Und Gott sah, dass es gut war. 19 Wieder wurde es Abend und Morgen: Der vierte Tag war vergangen.

20 Dann sprach Gott: »Im Wasser soll es von Leben wimmeln, und Vogelschwärme sollen am Himmel fliegen!« 21 Er schuf die gewaltigen Seetiere und alle anderen Lebewesen, die sich im Wasser tummeln, dazu die vielen verschiedenen Arten von Vögeln. Gott sah, dass es gut war. 22 Er segnete sie und sagte: »Vermehrt euch und füllt die Meere, und auch ihr Vögel, vermehrt euch auf der Erde!« 23 Es wurde Abend und wieder Morgen: Der fünfte Tag war vergangen.

24 Darauf befahl er: »Die Erde soll vielfältiges Leben hervorbringen: Vieh, wilde Tiere und Kriechtiere!« So geschah es. 25 Gott schuf alle Arten von Vieh, wilden Tieren und Kriechtieren. Wieder sah er sich alles an, und es war gut.

26 Dann sagte Gott: »Jetzt wollen wir den Menschen machen, unser Ebenbild, das uns ähnlich ist. Er soll über die ganze Erde verfügen: über die Tiere im Meer, am Himmel und auf der Erde.« 27 So schuf Gott den Menschen als sein Abbild, ja, als Gottes Ebenbild; und er schuf sie als Mann und Frau. 28 Er segnete sie und sprach: »Vermehrt euch, bevölkert die Erde und nehmt sie in Besitz! Ihr sollt Macht haben über alle Tiere: über die Fische, die Vögel und alle anderen Tiere auf der Erde!« 29 Dann sagte er: »Seht, als Nahrung gebe ich euch alle Pflanzen, die Samen tragen, und die Früchte, die überall an den Bäumen wachsen; 30 aber die Vögel und Landtiere sollen Gras und Blätter fressen.« Und so geschah es. 31 Schließlich betrachtete Gott alles, was er geschaffen hatte, und es war sehr gut! Es wurde Abend und wieder Morgen: Der sechste Tag war vergangen.

A criação do céu e da terra e de tudo o que neles se contém

No princípio, criou Deus os céus e a terra. E a terra era sem forma e vazia; e havia trevas sobre a face do abismo; e o Espírito de Deus se movia sobre a face das águas.

E disse Deus: Haja luz. E houve luz. E viu Deus que era boa a luz; e fez Deus separação entre a luz e as trevas. E Deus chamou à luz Dia; e às trevas chamou Noite. E foi a tarde e a manhã: o dia primeiro.

E disse Deus: Haja uma expansão no meio das águas, e haja separação entre águas e águas. E fez Deus a expansão e fez separação entre as águas que estavam debaixo da expansão e as águas que estavam sobre a expansão. E assim foi. E chamou Deus à expansão Céus; e foi a tarde e a manhã: o dia segundo.

E disse Deus: Ajuntem-se as águas debaixo dos céus num lugar; e apareça a porção seca. E assim foi. 10 E chamou Deus à porção seca Terra; e ao ajuntamento das águas chamou Mares. E viu Deus que era bom. 11 E disse Deus: Produza a terra erva verde, erva que dê semente, árvore frutífera que dê fruto segundo a sua espécie, cuja semente esteja nela sobre a terra. E assim foi. 12 E a terra produziu erva, erva dando semente conforme a sua espécie e árvore frutífera, cuja semente está nela conforme a sua espécie. E viu Deus que era bom. 13 E foi a tarde e a manhã: o dia terceiro.

14 E disse Deus: Haja luminares na expansão dos céus, para haver separação entre o dia e a noite; e sejam eles para sinais e para tempos determinados e para dias e anos. 15 E sejam para luminares na expansão dos céus, para alumiar a terra. E assim foi. 16 E fez Deus os dois grandes luminares: o luminar maior para governar o dia, e o luminar menor para governar a noite; e fez as estrelas. 17 E Deus os pôs na expansão dos céus para alumiar a terra, 18 e para governar o dia e a noite, e para fazer separação entre a luz e as trevas. E viu Deus que era bom. 19 E foi a tarde e a manhã: o dia quarto.

20 E disse Deus: Produzam as águas abundantemente répteis de alma vivente; e voem as aves sobre a face da expansão dos céus. 21 E Deus criou as grandes baleias, e todo réptil de alma vivente que as águas abundantemente produziram conforme as suas espécies, e toda ave de asas conforme a sua espécie. E viu Deus que era bom. 22 E Deus os abençoou, dizendo: Frutificai, e multiplicai-vos, e enchei as águas nos mares; e as aves se multipliquem na terra. 23 E foi a tarde e a manhã: o dia quinto.

A criação dos seres viventes

24 E disse Deus: Produza a terra alma vivente conforme a sua espécie; gado, e répteis, e bestas-feras da terra conforme a sua espécie. E assim foi. 25 E fez Deus as bestas-feras da terra conforme a sua espécie, e o gado conforme a sua espécie, e todo o réptil da terra conforme a sua espécie. E viu Deus que era bom.

26 E disse Deus: Façamos o homem à nossa imagem, conforme a nossa semelhança; e domine sobre os peixes do mar, e sobre as aves dos céus, e sobre o gado, e sobre toda a terra, e sobre todo réptil que se move sobre a terra. 27 E criou Deus o homem à sua imagem; à imagem de Deus o criou; macho e fêmea os criou. 28 E Deus os abençoou e Deus lhes disse: Frutificai, e multiplicai-vos, e enchei a terra, e sujeitai-a; e dominai sobre os peixes do mar, e sobre as aves dos céus, e sobre todo o animal que se move sobre a terra. 29 E disse Deus: Eis que vos tenho dado toda erva que dá semente e que está sobre a face de toda a terra e toda árvore em que há fruto de árvore que dá semente; ser-vos-ão para mantimento. 30 E a todo animal da terra, e a toda ave dos céus, e a todo réptil da terra, em que há alma vivente, toda a erva verde lhes será para mantimento. E assim foi. 31 E viu Deus tudo quanto tinha feito, e eis que era muito bom; e foi a tarde e a manhã: o dia sexto.

The Beginning

In the beginning(A) God created(B) the heavens(C) and the earth.(D) Now the earth was formless(E) and empty,(F) darkness was over the surface of the deep,(G) and the Spirit of God(H) was hovering(I) over the waters.

And God said,(J) “Let there be light,” and there was light.(K) God saw that the light was good,(L) and he separated the light from the darkness.(M) God called(N) the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.”(O) And there was evening, and there was morning(P)—the first day.

And God said,(Q) “Let there be a vault(R) between the waters(S) to separate water from water.” So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it.(T) And it was so.(U) God called(V) the vault “sky.”(W) And there was evening, and there was morning(X)—the second day.

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place,(Y) and let dry ground(Z) appear.” And it was so.(AA) 10 God called(AB) the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters(AC) he called “seas.”(AD) And God saw that it was good.(AE)

11 Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation:(AF) seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.(AG)” And it was so.(AH) 12 The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds(AI) and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.(AJ) 13 And there was evening, and there was morning(AK)—the third day.

14 And God said, “Let there be lights(AL) in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night,(AM) and let them serve as signs(AN) to mark sacred times,(AO) and days and years,(AP) 15 and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.(AQ) 16 God made two great lights—the greater light(AR) to govern(AS) the day and the lesser light to govern(AT) the night.(AU) He also made the stars.(AV) 17 God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18 to govern the day and the night,(AW) and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.(AX) 19 And there was evening, and there was morning(AY)—the fourth day.

20 And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures,(AZ) and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”(BA) 21 So God created(BB) the great creatures of the sea(BC) and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it,(BD) according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind.(BE) And God saw that it was good.(BF) 22 God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.”(BG) 23 And there was evening, and there was morning(BH)—the fifth day.

24 And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures(BI) according to their kinds:(BJ) the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so.(BK) 25 God made the wild animals(BL) according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds.(BM) And God saw that it was good.(BN)

26 Then God said, “Let us(BO) make mankind(BP) in our image,(BQ) in our likeness,(BR) so that they may rule(BS) over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky,(BT) over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27 So God created(BU) mankind(BV) in his own image,(BW)
    in the image of God(BX) he created them;
    male and female(BY) he created them.(BZ)

28 God blessed them and said to them,(CA) “Be fruitful and increase in number;(CB) fill the earth(CC) and subdue it. Rule over(CD) the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.(CE)

29 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.(CF) 30 And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life(CG) in it—I give every green plant for food.(CH)” And it was so.

31 God saw all that he had made,(CI) and it was very good.(CJ) And there was evening, and there was morning(CK)—the sixth day.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 1:26 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Syriac); Masoretic Text the earth