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The Story of Creation

In the beginning, when God created the universe,[a] the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God[b] was moving over the water. (A)Then God commanded, “Let there be light”—and light appeared. God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness, and he named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” Evening passed and morning came—that was the first day.

6-7 (B)Then God commanded, “Let there be a dome to divide the water and to keep it in two separate places”—and it was done. So God made a dome, and it separated the water under it from the water above it. He named the dome “Sky.” Evening passed and morning came—that was the second day.

Then God commanded, “Let the water below the sky come together in one place, so that the land will appear”—and it was done. 10 He named the land “Earth,” and the water which had come together he named “Sea.” And God was pleased with what he saw. 11 Then he commanded, “Let the earth produce all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit”—and it was done. 12 So the earth produced all kinds of plants, and God was pleased with what he saw. 13 Evening passed and morning came—that was the third day.

14 Then God commanded, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate day from night and to show the time when days, years, and religious festivals[c] begin; 15 they will shine in the sky to give light to the earth”—and it was done. 16 So God made the two larger lights, the sun to rule over the day and the moon to rule over the night; he also made the stars. 17 He placed the lights in the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God was pleased with what he saw. 19 Evening passed and morning came—that was the fourth day.

20 Then God commanded, “Let the water be filled with many kinds of living beings, and let the air be filled with birds.” 21 So God created the great sea monsters, all kinds of creatures that live in the water, and all kinds of birds. And God was pleased with what he saw. 22 He blessed them all and told the creatures that live in the water to reproduce and to fill the sea, and he told the birds to increase in number. 23 Evening passed and morning came—that was the fifth day.

24 Then God commanded, “Let the earth produce all kinds of animal life: domestic and wild, large and small”—and it was done. 25 So God made them all, and he was pleased with what he saw.

26 (C)Then God said, “And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild,[d] large and small.” 27 (D)So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, 28 blessed them, and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals. 29 I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat; 30 but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food”—and it was done. 31 God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came—that was the sixth day.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 1:1 In the beginning … the universe; or In the beginning God created the universe; or When God began to create the universe.
  2. Genesis 1:2 the Spirit of God; or the power of God; or a wind from God; or an awesome wind.
  3. Genesis 1:14 religious festivals; or seasons.
  4. Genesis 1:26 One ancient translation animals, domestic and wild; Hebrew domestic animals and all the earth.

Creation

(A)In the beginning (B)God (C)created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was [a](D)formless and void, and (E)darkness was over the [b]surface of the deep, and (F)the Spirit of God (G)was hovering over the [c]surface of the waters. Then (H)God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. And God saw that the light was (I)good; and God (J)separated the light from the darkness. (K)And God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And (L)there was evening and there was morning, one day.

Then God said, “Let there be [d]an (M)expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” So God made the [e]expanse and separated (N)the waters which were below the [f]expanse from the waters (O)which were above the [g]expanse; and it was so. And God called the [h]expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

Then God said, “(P)Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let (Q)the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10 And God called the dry land earth, and the (R)gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth sprout [i](S)vegetation, [j]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after [k]their kind [l]with seed in them”; and it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth [m]vegetation, [n]plants yielding seed after [o]their kind, and trees bearing fruit [p]with seed in them, after [q]their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

14 Then God said, “Let there be [r](T)lights in the [s](U)expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and let them be for (V)signs and for (W)seasons and for days and years; 15 and let them be for [t]lights in the [u]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16 So God made the two [v]great lights, the (X)greater [w]light [x]to rule the day, and the lesser [y]light [z]to rule the night, and also (Y)the stars. 17 (Z)And God placed them in the [aa]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18 and [ab]to (AA)rule the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth [ac]across the face of the [ad]expanse of the heavens.” 21 And God created (AB)the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

24 (AC)Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after [ae]their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after [af]their kind”; and it was so. 25 God made the (AD)beasts of the earth after [ag]their kind, and the cattle after [ah]their kind, and every creeping thing of the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let (AE)Us make (AF)man in Our image, according to Our likeness, so that they will have (AG)dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [ai]sky and over the cattle and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27 And God created man (AH)in His own image, in the image of God He created him; (AI)male and female He created them. 28 God blessed them, and God said to them, “(AJ)Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the [aj]sky and over every living thing that creeps on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, (AK)I have given to you every plant yielding seed that is on the [ak]surface of all the earth, and every tree [al]which has the fruit of the tree yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30 and (AL)to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the [am]sky and to every thing that creeps on the earth [an]which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31 And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very (AM)good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 1:2 Or a waste and emptiness
  2. Genesis 1:2 Lit face
  3. Genesis 1:2 Lit face
  4. Genesis 1:6 Or a firmament
  5. Genesis 1:7 Or firmament
  6. Genesis 1:7 Or firmament
  7. Genesis 1:7 Or firmament
  8. Genesis 1:8 Or firmament
  9. Genesis 1:11 Or grass
  10. Genesis 1:11 Or herbs
  11. Genesis 1:11 Lit its
  12. Genesis 1:11 Lit in which is its seed
  13. Genesis 1:12 Or grass
  14. Genesis 1:12 Or herbs
  15. Genesis 1:12 Lit its
  16. Genesis 1:12 Lit in which is its seed
  17. Genesis 1:12 Lit its
  18. Genesis 1:14 Or luminaries, light-bearers
  19. Genesis 1:14 Or firmament
  20. Genesis 1:15 Or luminaries, light-bearers
  21. Genesis 1:15 Or firmament
  22. Genesis 1:16 Or luminaries, light-bearers
  23. Genesis 1:16 Or luminary, light-bearer
  24. Genesis 1:16 Lit for the dominion of
  25. Genesis 1:16 Or luminary, light-bearer
  26. Genesis 1:16 Lit for the dominion of
  27. Genesis 1:17 Or firmament
  28. Genesis 1:18 Lit for the dominion of
  29. Genesis 1:20 Lit on
  30. Genesis 1:20 Or firmament
  31. Genesis 1:24 Lit its
  32. Genesis 1:24 Lit its
  33. Genesis 1:25 Lit its
  34. Genesis 1:25 Lit its
  35. Genesis 1:26 Lit heavens
  36. Genesis 1:28 Lit heavens
  37. Genesis 1:29 Lit face of
  38. Genesis 1:29 Lit in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed
  39. Genesis 1:30 Lit heavens
  40. Genesis 1:30 Lit in which is a living soul