The Creation
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth— 2 NowOr "And" the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 And God said, "Let there be light!" And there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good, and God caused there to be a separation between the light and between the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 And God said, "Let there be a vaulted domeOr "expanse" in the midst of the waters, and let it cause a separation between the waters."Literally "Let there be a separation made between waters to waters"7 SoOr "And" God made the vaulted dome,Or "expanse" and he caused a separation between the waters which were under the vaulted domeOr "expanse" and between the waters which were over the vaulted dome.Or "expanse" And it was so. 8 And God called the vaulted domeOr "expanse" "heaven."Or "sky" And there was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
9 And God said, "Let the waters under heavenOr "the sky" be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear." And it was so. 10 And God called the dry ground "earth," and he called the collection of the waters "seas." And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, "Let the earth produce green plants that will bear seed—fruit trees bearing fruit in which there is seedLiterally "which its seed is in it"—according to itsOr "their" kind, on the earth." And it was so. 12 And the earth brought forth green plants bearing seed according to itsOr "their" kind, and trees bearing fruit in which there was seedLiterally "which its seed is in it" according to itsOr "their" kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 And God said, "Let there be lightsOr "light sources" in the vaulted domeOr "expanse" of heavenOr "the sky" to separate day from night,Literally "to make a separation between the day and between the night" and let them be as signs and for appointed times, and for days and years, 15 and they shall be as lightsOr "light sources" in the vaulted domeOr "expanse" of heavenOr "the sky" to give light on the earth." And it was so. 16 And God made two lights,Or "light sources" the greater lightOr "light source" to ruleLiterally "as the authority of" the day and the smaller lightOr "light source" to ruleLiterally "as the authority of" the night, and the stars. 17 And God placed them in the vaulted domeOr "expanse" of heavenOr "the sky" to give light on the earth 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate light from darkness.Literally "make a separation between the light and between the darkness" And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 And God said, "Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly over the earth across the face of the vaulted domeOr "expanse" of heaven.Or "the sky"21 SoOr "And" God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kind, and every bird with wings according to itsOr "their" kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And 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 And God said, "Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind: cattle and moving things, and wild animalsLiterally "animals of the earth/land" according to their kind." And it was so. 25 SoOr "And" God made wild animalsLiterally "animals of the earth/land" according to their kind and the cattle according to their kind, and every creeping thing of the earth according to itsOr "their" kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 And God said, "Let us make humankind inOr "as" our image and according toOr "as" our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of heaven,Or "the sky" and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every moving thing that moves upon the earth." 27 SoOr "And" God created humankind inOr "as" his image, inOr "as" the likeness of God he created him,Or "it" collective: humankind male and female he created them. 28 And God 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 the birds of heaven,Or "the sky" and over every animal that moves upon the earth."
29 And God said, "Look—I am giving to you every plant that bears seed which is on the face of the whole earth, and every kind of tree that bears fruit.Literally "which in it fruit of a tree bears seed" They shall be yours as food." 30 And to every kind of animal of the earth and to every bird of heaven,Or "the sky" and to everything that moves upon the earth in which there is life I am giving every green plant as food." And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.