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.

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

By the seventh day(CM) God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.(CN) Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy,(CO) because on it he rested(CP) from all the work of creating(CQ) that he had done.

Adam and Eve

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

Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth[b] and no plant had yet sprung up,(CT) for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth(CU) and there was no one to work the ground, but streams[c] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. Then the Lord God formed(CV) a man[d](CW) from the dust(CX) of the ground(CY) and breathed into his nostrils the breath(CZ) of life,(DA) and the man became a living being.(DB)

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

10 A river(DG) watering the garden flowed from Eden;(DH) 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,(DI) where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin[e](DJ) and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.[f] 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris;(DK) it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.(DL)

15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden(DM) 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;(DN) 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,(DO) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”(DP)

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

19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals(DR) and all the birds in the sky.(DS) He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called(DT) each living creature,(DU) 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[g] no suitable helper(DV) was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep;(DW) and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[h] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[i](DX) 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;(DY)
she shall be called(DZ) ‘woman,’
    for she was taken out of man.(EA)

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

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

The Fall

Now the serpent(EE) was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?(EF)

The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,(EG) but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”(EH)

“You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.(EI) “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,(EJ) knowing good and evil.”

When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable(EK) for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband,(EL) who was with her, and he ate it.(EM) Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked;(EN) so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.(EO)

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking(EP) in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid(EQ) from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”(ER)

10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid(ES) because I was naked;(ET) so I hid.”

11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?(EU) Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?(EV)

12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me(EW)—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me,(EX) and I ate.”

14 So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed(EY) are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust(EZ)
    all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring[j](FA) and hers;(FB)
he will crush[k] your head,(FC)
    and you will strike his heel.”

16 To the woman he said,

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
    with painful labor you will give birth to children.(FD)
Your desire will be for your husband,
    and he will rule over you.(FE)

17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’(FF)

“Cursed(FG) is the ground(FH) because of you;
    through painful toil(FI) you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life.(FJ)
18 It will produce thorns and thistles(FK) for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.(FL)
19 By the sweat of your brow(FM)
    you will eat your food(FN)
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.”(FO)

20 Adam[l] named his wife Eve,[m](FP) because she would become the mother of all the living.

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.(FQ) 22 And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us,(FR) knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life(FS) and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden(FT) to work the ground(FU) from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side[n] of the Garden of Eden(FV) cherubim(FW) and a flaming sword(FX) flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.(FY)

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 1:26 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Syriac); Masoretic Text the earth
  2. Genesis 2:5 Or land; also in verse 6
  3. Genesis 2:6 Or mist
  4. 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).
  5. Genesis 2:12 Or good; pearls
  6. Genesis 2:13 Possibly southeast Mesopotamia
  7. Genesis 2:20 Or the man
  8. Genesis 2:21 Or took part of the man’s side
  9. Genesis 2:22 Or part
  10. Genesis 3:15 Or seed
  11. Genesis 3:15 Or strike
  12. Genesis 3:20 Or The man
  13. Genesis 3:20 Eve probably means living.
  14. Genesis 3:24 Or placed in front

You made them rulers(A) over the works of your hands;(B)
    you put everything under their[a] feet:(C)

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 8:6 Or made him ruler . . . ; / . . . his

Psalm 19[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

The heavens(A) declare(B) the glory of God;(C)
    the skies(D) proclaim the work of his hands.(E)
Day after day they pour forth speech;
    night after night they reveal knowledge.(F)
They have no speech, they use no words;
    no sound is heard from them.
Yet their voice[b] goes out into all the earth,
    their words to the ends of the world.(G)
In the heavens God has pitched a tent(H) for the sun.(I)
    It is like a bridegroom(J) coming out of his chamber,(K)
    like a champion(L) rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens(M)
    and makes its circuit to the other;(N)
    nothing is deprived of its warmth.

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Footnotes

  1. Psalm 19:1 In Hebrew texts 19:1-14 is numbered 19:2-15.
  2. Psalm 19:4 Septuagint, Jerome and Syriac; Hebrew measuring line

Psalm 24

Of David. A psalm.

The earth is the Lord’s,(A) and everything in it,
    the world, and all who live in it;(B)
for he founded it on the seas
    and established it on the waters.(C)

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11 The heavens are yours,(A) and yours also the earth;(B)
    you founded the world and all that is in it.(C)

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The sea is his, for he made it,
    and his hands formed the dry land.(A)

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Psalm 104

Praise the Lord, my soul.(A)

Lord my God, you are very great;
    you are clothed with splendor and majesty.(B)

The Lord wraps(C) himself in light(D) as with a garment;
    he stretches(E) out the heavens(F) like a tent(G)
    and lays the beams(H) of his upper chambers on their waters.(I)
He makes the clouds(J) his chariot(K)
    and rides on the wings of the wind.(L)
He makes winds his messengers,[a](M)
    flames of fire(N) his servants.

He set the earth(O) on its foundations;(P)
    it can never be moved.
You covered it(Q) with the watery depths(R) as with a garment;
    the waters stood(S) above the mountains.
But at your rebuke(T) the waters fled,
    at the sound of your thunder(U) they took to flight;
they flowed over the mountains,
    they went down into the valleys,
    to the place you assigned(V) for them.
You set a boundary(W) they cannot cross;
    never again will they cover the earth.

10 He makes springs(X) pour water into the ravines;
    it flows between the mountains.
11 They give water(Y) to all the beasts of the field;
    the wild donkeys(Z) quench their thirst.
12 The birds of the sky(AA) nest by the waters;
    they sing among the branches.(AB)
13 He waters the mountains(AC) from his upper chambers;(AD)
    the land is satisfied by the fruit of his work.(AE)
14 He makes grass grow(AF) for the cattle,
    and plants for people to cultivate—
    bringing forth food(AG) from the earth:
15 wine(AH) that gladdens human hearts,
    oil(AI) to make their faces shine,
    and bread that sustains(AJ) their hearts.
16 The trees of the Lord(AK) are well watered,
    the cedars of Lebanon(AL) that he planted.
17 There the birds(AM) make their nests;
    the stork has its home in the junipers.
18 The high mountains belong to the wild goats;(AN)
    the crags are a refuge for the hyrax.(AO)

19 He made the moon to mark the seasons,(AP)
    and the sun(AQ) knows when to go down.
20 You bring darkness,(AR) it becomes night,(AS)
    and all the beasts of the forest(AT) prowl.
21 The lions roar for their prey(AU)
    and seek their food from God.(AV)
22 The sun rises, and they steal away;
    they return and lie down in their dens.(AW)
23 Then people go out to their work,(AX)
    to their labor until evening.(AY)

24 How many are your works,(AZ) Lord!
    In wisdom you made(BA) them all;
    the earth is full of your creatures.(BB)
25 There is the sea,(BC) vast and spacious,
    teeming with creatures beyond number—
    living things both large and small.(BD)
26 There the ships(BE) go to and fro,
    and Leviathan,(BF) which you formed to frolic(BG) there.(BH)

27 All creatures look to you
    to give them their food(BI) at the proper time.
28 When you give it to them,
    they gather it up;
when you open your hand,
    they are satisfied(BJ) with good things.
29 When you hide your face,(BK)
    they are terrified;
when you take away their breath,
    they die and return to the dust.(BL)
30 When you send your Spirit,(BM)
    they are created,
    and you renew the face of the ground.

31 May the glory of the Lord(BN) endure forever;
    may the Lord rejoice in his works(BO)
32 he who looks at the earth, and it trembles,(BP)
    who touches the mountains,(BQ) and they smoke.(BR)

33 I will sing(BS) to the Lord all my life;
    I will sing praise to my God as long as I live.
34 May my meditation be pleasing to him,
    as I rejoice(BT) in the Lord.
35 But may sinners vanish(BU) from the earth
    and the wicked be no more.(BV)

Praise the Lord, my soul.

Praise the Lord.[b](BW)

Footnotes

  1. Psalm 104:4 Or angels
  2. Psalm 104:35 Hebrew Hallelu Yah; in the Septuagint this line stands at the beginning of Psalm 105.

22 “The Lord brought me forth as the first of his works,[a][b]
    before his deeds of old;
23 I was formed long ages ago,
    at the very beginning, when the world came to be.
24 When there were no watery depths, I was given birth,
    when there were no springs overflowing with water;(A)
25 before the mountains were settled in place,(B)
    before the hills, I was given birth,(C)
26 before he made the world or its fields
    or any of the dust of the earth.(D)
27 I was there when he set the heavens in place,(E)
    when he marked out the horizon(F) on the face of the deep,
28 when he established the clouds above(G)
    and fixed securely the fountains of the deep,(H)
29 when he gave the sea its boundary(I)
    so the waters would not overstep his command,(J)
and when he marked out the foundations of the earth.(K)
30     Then I was constantly[c] at his side.(L)
I was filled with delight day after day,
    rejoicing always in his presence,
31 rejoicing in his whole world
    and delighting in mankind.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. Proverbs 8:22 Or way; or dominion
  2. Proverbs 8:22 Or The Lord possessed me at the beginning of his work; or The Lord brought me forth at the beginning of his work
  3. Proverbs 8:30 Or was the artisan; or was a little child

12 Who has measured the waters(A) in the hollow of his hand,(B)
    or with the breadth of his hand marked off the heavens?(C)
Who has held the dust of the earth in a basket,
    or weighed the mountains on the scales
    and the hills in a balance?(D)
13 Who can fathom the Spirit[a](E) of the Lord,
    or instruct the Lord as his counselor?(F)
14 Whom did the Lord consult to enlighten him,
    and who taught him the right way?
Who was it that taught him knowledge,(G)
    or showed him the path of understanding?(H)

15 Surely the nations are like a drop in a bucket;
    they are regarded as dust on the scales;(I)
    he weighs the islands as though they were fine dust.(J)
16 Lebanon(K) is not sufficient for altar fires,
    nor its animals(L) enough for burnt offerings.
17 Before him all the nations(M) are as nothing;(N)
    they are regarded by him as worthless
    and less than nothing.(O)

18 With whom, then, will you compare God?(P)
    To what image(Q) will you liken him?
19 As for an idol,(R) a metalworker casts it,
    and a goldsmith(S) overlays it with gold(T)
    and fashions silver chains for it.
20 A person too poor to present such an offering
    selects wood(U) that will not rot;
they look for a skilled worker
    to set up an idol(V) that will not topple.(W)

21 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?(X)
Has it not been told(Y) you from the beginning?(Z)
    Have you not understood(AA) since the earth was founded?(AB)
22 He sits enthroned(AC) above the circle of the earth,
    and its people are like grasshoppers.(AD)
He stretches out the heavens(AE) like a canopy,(AF)
    and spreads them out like a tent(AG) to live in.(AH)
23 He brings princes(AI) to naught
    and reduces the rulers of this world to nothing.(AJ)
24 No sooner are they planted,
    no sooner are they sown,
    no sooner do they take root(AK) in the ground,
than he blows(AL) on them and they wither,(AM)
    and a whirlwind sweeps them away like chaff.(AN)

25 “To whom will you compare me?(AO)
    Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.(AP)
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:(AQ)
    Who created(AR) all these?
He who brings out the starry host(AS) one by one
    and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength,(AT)
    not one of them is missing.(AU)

27 Why do you complain, Jacob?
    Why do you say, Israel,
“My way is hidden from the Lord;
    my cause is disregarded by my God”?(AV)
28 Do you not know?
    Have you not heard?(AW)
The Lord is the everlasting(AX) God,
    the Creator(AY) of the ends of the earth.(AZ)
He will not grow tired or weary,(BA)
    and his understanding no one can fathom.(BB)
29 He gives strength(BC) to the weary(BD)
    and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary,
    and young men(BE) stumble and fall;(BF)
31 but those who hope(BG) in the Lord
    will renew their strength.(BH)
They will soar on wings like eagles;(BI)
    they will run and not grow weary,
    they will walk and not be faint.(BJ)

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Footnotes

  1. Isaiah 40:13 Or mind

Jerusalem to Be Inhabited

24 “This is what the Lord says—
    your Redeemer,(A) who formed(B) you in the womb:(C)

I am the Lord,
    the Maker of all things,
    who stretches out the heavens,(D)
    who spreads out the earth(E) by myself,

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The Word Became Flesh

In the beginning was the Word,(A) and the Word was with God,(B) and the Word was God.(C) He was with God in the beginning.(D) Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made.(E) In him was life,(F) and that life was the light(G) of all mankind.

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10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him,(A) the world did not recognize him.

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And now, Father, glorify me(A) in your presence with the glory I had with you(B) before the world began.(C)

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19 since what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has made it plain to them.(A) 20 For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—his eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made,(B) so that people are without excuse.(C)

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17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death(A) reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life(B) through the one man, Jesus Christ!

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17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death(A) reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life(B) through the one man, Jesus Christ!

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Present Suffering and Future Glory

18 I consider that our present sufferings are not worth comparing with the glory that will be revealed in us.(A) 19 For the creation waits in eager expectation for the children of God(B) to be revealed. 20 For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it,(C) in hope 21 that[a] the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay(D) and brought into the freedom and glory of the children of God.(E)

22 We know that the whole creation has been groaning(F) as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. 23 Not only so, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit,(G) groan(H) inwardly as we wait eagerly(I) for our adoption to sonship, the redemption of our bodies.(J) 24 For in this hope we were saved.(K) But hope that is seen is no hope at all.(L) Who hopes for what they already have? 25 But if we hope for what we do not yet have, we wait for it patiently.(M)

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Footnotes

  1. Romans 8:21 Or subjected it in hope. 21 For

yet for us there is but one God,(A) the Father,(B) from whom all things came(C) and for whom we live; and there is but one Lord,(D) Jesus Christ, through whom all things came(E) and through whom we live.

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20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead,(A) the firstfruits(B) of those who have fallen asleep.(C) 21 For since death came through a man,(D) the resurrection of the dead(E) comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive.(F) 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits;(G) then, when he comes,(H) those who belong to him.(I) 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom(J) to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority and power.(K) 25 For he must reign(L) until he has put all his enemies under his feet.(M) 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.(N) 27 For he “has put everything under his feet.”[a](O) Now when it says that “everything” has been put under him, it is clear that this does not include God himself, who put everything under Christ.(P)

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Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 15:27 Psalm 8:6

18 And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate[a](A) the Lord’s glory,(B) are being transformed into his image(C) with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 Or reflect

For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,”[a](A) made his light shine in our hearts(B) to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory displayed in the face of Christ.(C)

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 4:6 Gen. 1:3

16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly(A) point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ,(B) the new creation(C) has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!(D) 18 All this is from God,(E) who reconciled us to himself through Christ(F) and gave us the ministry of reconciliation: 19 that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them.(G) And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

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Footnotes

  1. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Or Christ, that person is a new creation.

28 There is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither slave nor free,(A) nor is there male and female,(B) for you are all one in Christ Jesus.(C)

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15 Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything;(A) what counts is the new creation.(B)

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