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The Creation
1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth— 2Now#Or “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. 3And God said, “Let there be light!” And there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good, and God caused there to be a separation between the light and between the darkness. 5And God 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 vaulted dome#Or “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” 7So#Or “And” God made the vaulted dome,#Or “expanse” and he caused a separation between the waters which were under the vaulted dome#Or “expanse” and between the waters which were over the vaulted dome.#Or “expanse” And it was so. 8And God called the vaulted dome#Or “expanse” “heaven.”#Or “sky” And there was evening, and there was morning, a second day.
9And God said, “Let the waters under heaven#Or “the sky” be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10And God called the dry ground “earth,” and he called the collection of the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11And God said, “Let the earth produce green plants that will bear seed—fruit trees bearing fruit in which there is seed#Literally “which its seed is in it”—according to its#Or “their” kind, on the earth.” And it was so. 12And the earth brought forth green plants bearing seed according to its#Or “their” kind, and trees bearing fruit in which there was seed#Literally “which its seed is in it” according to its#Or “their” kind. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14And God said, “Let there be lights#Or “light sources” in the vaulted dome#Or “expanse” of heaven#Or “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, 15and they shall be as lights#Or “light sources” in the vaulted dome#Or “expanse” of heaven#Or “the sky” to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16And God made two lights,#Or “light sources” the greater light#Or “light source” to rule#Literally “as the authority of” the day and the smaller light#Or “light source” to rule#Literally “as the authority of” the night, and the stars. 17And God placed them in the vaulted dome#Or “expanse” of heaven#Or “the sky” to give light on the earth 18and 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. 19And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly over the earth across the face of the vaulted dome#Or “expanse” of heaven.#Or “the sky” 21So#Or “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 its#Or “their” kind. And God saw that it was good. 22And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23And there was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.
24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kind: cattle and moving things, and wild animals#Literally “animals of the earth/land” according to their kind.” And it was so. 25So#Or “And” God made wild animals#Literally “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 its#Or “their” kind. And God saw that it was good.
26And God said, “Let us make humankind in#Or “as” our image and according to#Or “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.” 27So#Or “And” God created humankind in#Or “as” his image, in#Or “as” the likeness of God he created him,#Or “it” collective: humankind male and female he created them. 28And 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.”
29And 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.” 30And 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. 31And God saw everything that he had made and, behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning, a sixth day.