1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he 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—the first day.

6And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

9And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

11Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. 12The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

14And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

20And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” 23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

24And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,#1:26 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Syriac); Masoretic Text the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

27So God created mankind in his own image,

in the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

29Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. 30And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV®

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Genesis 1

CHAPTER 1

1In the beginning God made of nought heaven and earth.

2Forsooth the earth was idle and void, and darknesses were on the face of depth; and the Spirit of the Lord was borne on the waters [or the Spirit of God was borne upon the waters].

3And God said, Light be made, and the light was made.

4And God saw the light, that it was good, and he parted the light from darknesses;

5and he called the light, day, and the darknesses, night. And the eventide and the morrowtide was made, one day.

6And God said, The firmament be made in the midst of waters, and part waters from waters.

7And God made the firmament, and parted the waters that were under the firmament, from the waters that were on the firmament [or that were above the firmament]; and it was done so.

8And God called the firmament, heaven. And the eventide and the morrowtide was made, the second day.

9Forsooth God said, The waters, that be under heaven, be gathered into one place, and a dry place appear; and it was done so.

10And God called the dry place, earth; and he called the gatherings together of waters, the seas. And God saw that it was good;

11and said, The earth bring forth green herb, and making seed, and an apple tree making fruit by his kind, whose seed be in itself, on [the] earth; and it was done so.

12And the earth brought forth green herb and making seed by his kind, and a tree making fruit, and each having seed by his kind. And God saw that it was good.

13And the eventide and the morrowtide was made, the third day.

14Forsooth God said, Lights be made in the firmament of heaven, and part they the day and night; and be they into signs, and times, and days, and years;

15and shine those in the firmament of heaven, and lighten they the earth; and it was done so.

16And God made two great lights, the greater light that it should be before to the day, and the lesser light that it should be before to the night; and God made stars;

17and setted them in the firmament of heaven, that they should shine on [the] earth,

18and that they should be before to the day and [to the] night, and should part light and darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19And the eventide and the morrow-tide was made, the fourth day.

20Also God said, The waters bring forth a reptile, either a creeping beast, of living soul, and a volatile, either a bird flying above [the] earth, under the firmament of heaven.

21And God made of nought great whales, and each living soul and movable, which the waters have brought forth in their kinds; and God made of nought each volatile by his kind. And God saw that it was good;

22and blessed them, and said, Wax ye, and be ye multiplied, and fill ye the waters of the sea, and [the] birds be multiplied on [the] earth.

23And the eventide and the morrowtide was made, the fifth day.

24And God said, The earth bring forth a living soul in his kind, work beasts, and reptiles, either creeping beasts, and unreasonable beasts of [the] earth, by their kinds; and it was done so.

25And God made unreasonable beasts of the earth by their kinds, and work beasts, and each creeping beast of the earth in his kind. And God saw that it was good;

26and said, Make we man to our image and likeness, and be he sovereign to the fishes of the sea, and to the volatiles of heaven, and to [the] unreasonable beasts of [the] earth, and to each creature, and to each creeping beast or each reptile, which is moved in [the] earth.

27And God made of nought a man to his image and likeness; God made of nought a man, to the image of God; God made of nought them, male and female.

28And God blessed them, and said, Increase ye, and be ye multiplied, and fill ye the earth, and make ye it subject; and be ye lords to the fishes of the sea, and to [the] volatiles of heaven, and to all living beasts that be moved on [the] earth.

29And God said, Lo! I have given to you each herb bearing seed on [the] earth, and all trees that have in themselves the seed of their kind, that they be into meat to you;

30and to all living beasts of [the] earth, and to each bird of heaven, and to all things that be moved in [the] earth, and in which is a living soul, that they have to eat; and it was done so.

31And God saw all things which he made, and they were full good. And the eventide and the morrowtide was made, the sixth day.

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The Listener’s Bible®: NIV Edition

Genesis 1

Genesis 1