1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.#1:1 Or In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, . . . Or When God began to create the heavens and the earth, . . . 2The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

3Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.”

And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

6Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.” 7And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens. 8God called the space “sky.”

And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.

9Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened. 10God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened. 12The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

13And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.

14Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years. 15Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened. 16God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set these lights in the sky to light the earth, 18to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.

20Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.” 21So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good. 22Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

23And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.

24Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened. 25God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let us make human beings#1:26a Or man; Hebrew reads adam. in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth,#1:26b As in Syriac version; Hebrew reads all the earth. and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

27So God created human beings#1:27 Or the man; Hebrew reads ha-adam. in his own image.

In the image of God he created them;

male and female he created them.

28Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

29Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food. 30And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

31Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good!

And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

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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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Genesis 1

Genesis 1