The Creation

1In the beginning, God created the universe.a 2When the earthb was as yet unformed and desolate, with the surface of the ocean depths shroudedc in darkness, and while the Spirit of God was hoveringd over the surface of the waters, 3God said, “Let there be light!” So there was light.

4God saw that the light was beautiful.e Hef separated the light from the darkness, 5calling the light “day,” and the darknessg “night.” The twilight and the dawn were day one.

6Then God said, “Let there be a canopyh between bodies of water,i separating bodies of waterj from bodies of water!”k 7So God made a canopyl that separated the water beneath the canopym from the water above it.n And that is what happened:o 8God called the canopyp “sky.”q The twilight and the dawn were the second day.

9Then God said, “Let the water beneath the sky come together into one area, and let dry ground appear!” And that is what happened:r 10God called the dry ground “land,”s and he called the water that had come together “oceans.” And God saw how good it was.

11Then God said, “Let vegetation sprout all over the earth, includingt seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each kind containing its own seed!” And that is what happened:u 12Vegetation sprouted all over the earth, including seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each kind containing its own seed. And God saw that it was good. 13The twilight and the dawn were the third day.

14Then God said, “Let there be lights acrossv the sky to distinguish day from night, to act as signs for seasons, days, and years, 15to serve as lights inw the sky, and to shine on the earth!” And that is what happened:x 16God fashioned two great lights—the larger light to shine duringy the day and the smaller light to shine duringz the night—as well as stars. 17God placed them in spaceaa to shine on the earth, 18to differentiate betweenbb day and night, and to distinguishcc light from darkness. And God saw how good it was. 19The twilight and the dawn were the fourth day.

20Then God said, “Let the oceans swarmdd with living creatures, and let flying creatures soar above the earth throughoutee the sky!” 21So God created every kind of magnificent marine creature, every kind of living marine crawlerff with which the waters swarmed, and every kind of flying creature.gg And God saw how good it was. 22God blessed them by saying, “Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the oceans. Let the birds multiply throughout the earth!” 23The twilight and the dawn were the fifth day.

24Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth each kind of living creature, each kind of livestock and crawling thing, and each kind of earth’s animals!”hh And that is what happened:ii 25God made each kind of the earth’s animals, along with every kind of livestock and crawling thing.jj And God saw how good it was.

26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, to be like us.kk Let them be masters over the fish in the ocean, the birds that fly,ll the livestock, everything that crawls on the earth, and over the earth itself!”

27So God created mankind in his own image;

in his own image God created them;mm

he created them male and female.

28God blessed the humans by saying to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it! Be masters over the fish in the ocean, the birds that fly, and every living thing that crawls on the earth!”

29God also told them,nn “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant that grows throughoutoo the earth, along with every tree that grows seed-bearing fruit. They will produce your food. 30I have given all green plants as food for every wild animalpp of the earth, every bird that flies, and to every living thingqq that crawls on the earth.” And that is what happened.rr

31Now God saw all that he had made, and indeed, it was very good! The twilight and the dawn were the sixth day.