The Beginning

Adam and Eve

⁴ This is the account^(G) of the heavens and the earth when they were created,^(H) when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

⁵ Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth^[a] and no plant had yet sprung up,^(I) for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth^(J) and there was no one to work the ground, ⁶ but streams^[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. ⁷ Then the Lord God formed^(K) a man^[c](L) from the dust^(M) of the ground^(N) and breathed into his nostrils the breath^(O) of life,^(P) and the man became a living being.^(Q)

⁸ Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden;^(R) and there he put the man he had formed. ⁹ The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees^(S) that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life^(T) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.^(U)

¹⁰ A river^(V) watering the garden flowed from Eden;^(W) 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,^(X) where there is gold. ¹² (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin^[d](Y) and onyx are also there.) ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.^{[e] 14} The name of the third river is the Tigris;^(Z) it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.^(AA)

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden^(AB) 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;^{(AC) 17} but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,^(AD) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”^(AE)

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

¹⁹ Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals^(AG) and all the birds in the sky.^(AH) He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called^(AI) each living creature,^(AJ) 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^[f] no suitable helper^(AK) was found. ²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep;^(AL) and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs^[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib^[h](AM) he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

²³ The man said,

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

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

Psalm 19^[a]

For the director of music. A psalm of David.

²² Paul then stood up in the meeting of the Areopagus^(A) and said: “People of Athens! I see that in every way you are very religious.^{(B) 23} For as I walked around and looked carefully at your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: to an unknown god. So you are ignorant of the very thing you worship^(C)—and this is what I am going to proclaim to you.

²⁴ “The God who made the world and everything in it^(D) is the Lord of heaven and earth^(E) and does not live in temples built by human hands.^{(F) 25} And he is not served by human hands, as if he needed anything. Rather, he himself gives everyone life and breath and everything else.^{(G) 26} From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands.^{(H) 27} God did this so that they would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from any one of us.^{(I) 28} ‘For in him we live and move and have our being.’^[a](J) As some of your own poets have said, ‘We are his offspring.’^[b]

²⁹ “Therefore since we are God’s offspring, we should not think that the divine being is like gold or silver or stone—an image made by human design and skill.^{(K) 30} In the past God overlooked^(L) such ignorance,^(M) but now he commands all people everywhere to repent.^{(N) 31} For he has set a day when he will judge^(O) the world with justice^(P) by the man he has appointed.^(Q) He has given proof of this to everyone by raising him from the dead.”^(R)

³² When they heard about the resurrection of the dead,^(S) some of them sneered, but others said, “We want to hear you again on this subject.” ³³ At that, Paul left the Council. ³⁴ Some of the people became followers of Paul and believed. Among them was Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus,^(T) also a woman named Damaris, and a number of others.

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)

²¹ For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.^(D)

¹⁴ (Indeed, when Gentiles, who do not have the law, do by nature things required by the law,^(A) they are a law for themselves, even though they do not have the law. ¹⁵ They show that the requirements of the law are written on their hearts, their consciences also bearing witness, and their thoughts sometimes accusing them and at other times even defending them.)