The Creation

In the beginning Elohim created heaven and earth.

Then Elohim said, “Let there be a horizon in the middle of the water in order to separate the water.”

So Elohim made the horizon and separated the water above and below the horizon. And so it was.

Then Elohim said, “Let the water under the sky come together in one area, and let the dry land appear.” And so it was.

Elohim named the dry land earth. The water which came together he named sea. Elohim saw that it was good.

Then Elohim said, “Let the earth produce vegetation: plants bearing seeds, each according to its own type, and fruit trees bearing fruit with seeds, each according to its own type.” And so it was.

The earth produced vegetation: plants bearing seeds, each according to its own type, and trees bearing fruit with seeds, each according to its own type. Elohim saw that they were good.

Then Elohim said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate the day from the night. They will be signs and will mark religious festivals, days, and years.

They will be lights in the sky to shine on the earth.” And so it was.

Elohim put them in the sky to give light to the earth,

to dominate the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. Elohim saw that it was good.

So Elohim created the large sea creatures, every type of creature that swims around in the water and every type of flying bird. Elohim saw that they were good.

Elohim blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the sea, and let there be many birds on the earth.”

Then Elohim said, “Let the earth produce every type of living creature: every type of domestic animal, crawling animal, and wild animal.” And so it was.

Then Elohim said, “Let us make humans in our image, in our likeness. Let them rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the domestic animals all over the earth, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.”

So Elohim created humans in his image. In the image of Elohim he created them. He created them male and female.

Elohim blessed them and said, “Be fertile, increase in number, fill the earth, and be its master. Rule the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that crawl on the earth.”

Elohim said, “I have given you every plant with seeds on the face of the earth and every tree that has fruit with seeds. This will be your food.

I have given all green plants as food to every land animal, every bird in the sky, and every animal that crawls on the earth—every living, breathing animal.” And so it was.

And Elohim saw everything that he had made and that it was very good. There was evening, then morning—the sixth day.

Heaven and earth and everything in them were finished.

Then Elohim blessed the seventh day and set it apart as holy, because on that day he stopped all his work of creation.

The Creation of Man and Woman

This is the account of heaven and earth when they were created, at the time when Yahweh Elohim made earth and heaven.

Wild bushes and plants were not on the earth yet because Yahweh Elohim hadn’t sent rain on the earth. Also, there was no one to farm the land.

Instead, underground water would come up from the earth and water the entire surface of the ground.