The Creation

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2And the earth was a [a]formless and desolate emptiness, and darkness was over the [b]surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the [c]surface of the waters. 3Then God said, “[d]Let there be light”; and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness He called “night.” And there was evening and there was morning, one day.

6Then God said, “Let there be [e]an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7God made the [f]expanse, and separated the waters that were below the [g]expanse from the waters that were above the [h]expanse; and it was so. 8God called the [i]expanse “heaven.” And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10And God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of the waters He called “seas”; and God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth sprout [j]vegetation, [k]plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit according to [l]their kind [m]with seed in them”; and it was so. 12The earth produced [n]vegetation, [o]plants yielding seed according to [p]their kind, and trees bearing fruit [q]with seed in them, according to [r]their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.

14Then God said, “Let there be [s]lights in the [t]expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night, and they shall [u]serve as signs and for seasons, and for days and years; 15and they [v]shall serve as lights in the [w]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16God made the two great lights, the greater light [x]to govern the day, and the lesser light [y]to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17God placed them in the [z]expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18and [aa]to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

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

24Then God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures according to [ae]their kind: livestock and crawling things and animals of the earth according to [af]their kind”; and it was so. 25God made the animals of the earth according to [ag]their kind, and the livestock according to [ah]their kind, and everything that crawls on the ground according to its kind; and God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “[ai]Let Us make mankind in Our image, according to Our likeness; and [aj]let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every crawling thing that crawls on the earth.” 27So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28God blessed them; and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that [ak]moves on the earth.” 29Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the [al]surface of all the earth, and every tree [am]which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30and to every animal of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to everything that [an]moves on the earth [ao]which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

[a] 2 Or waste
[b] 2 Lit face of
[c] 2 Lit face of
[d] 3 I.e., a command, not a request; and so throughout the ch
[e] 6 Or a firmament; i.e., atmosphere and space
[f] 7 Or firmament
[g] 7 Or firmament
[h] 7 Or firmament
[i] 8 Or firmament
[j] 11 Or grass
[k] 11 Or herbs
[l] 11 Lit its
[m] 11 Lit in which is its seed
[n] 12 Or grass
[o] 12 Or herbs
[p] 12 Lit its
[q] 12 Lit in which is its seed
[r] 12 Lit its
[s] 14 Or luminaries, light-bearers, and so throughout the ch
[t] 14 Or firmament; i.e., atmosphere and space
[u] 14 Lit be for
[v] 15 Lit be for
[w] 15 Or firmament
[x] 16 Lit for the dominion of
[y] 16 Lit for the dominion of
[z] 17 Or firmament
[aa] 18 Lit for the dominion of
[ab] 20 Or swarm
[ac] 20 Lit on the face of
[ad] 20 Or firmament
[ae] 24 Lit its
[af] 24 Lit its
[ag] 25 Lit its
[ah] 25 Lit its
[ai] 26 I.e., indicating united action, not a request
[aj] 26 I.e., have them rule
[ak] 28 Or crawls
[al] 29 Lit face of
[am] 29 Lit in which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed
[an] 30 Or crawls
[ao] 30 Lit in which is living breath