1And so the whole universe was completed. 2#Ex 20.11 #He 4.4,10 By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working. 3He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation#2.3: by that day he had completed his creation; or on that day he completed his creation. and stopped working. 4And that is how the universe was created.

The Garden of Eden

When the Lord#2.4: the Lord: Where the Hebrew text has Yahweh, traditionally transliterated as Jehovah, this translation employs Lord with capital letters, following a usage which is widespread in English versions. God made the universe, 5there were no plants on the earth and no seeds had sprouted, because he had not sent any rain, and there was no one to cultivate the land; 6but water would come up from beneath the surface and water the ground.

7 # Ws 15.8,11; 1 Co 15.45 Then the Lord God took some soil from the ground and formed a man#2.7: ground … man: The Hebrew words for “man” and “ground” have similar sounds. out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.

8Then the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the East, and there he put the man he had formed. 9#Rev 2.7; 22.2,14 He made all kinds of beautiful trees grow there and produce good fruit. In the middle of the garden stood the tree that gives life and the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad.#2.9: knowledge of what is good and what is bad; or knowledge of everything.

10A stream flowed in Eden and watered the garden; beyond Eden it divided into four rivers. 11The first river is the Pishon; it flows around the country of Havilah. ( 12Pure gold is found there and also rare perfume and precious stones.) 13The second river is the Gihon; it flows around the country of Cush.#2.13: Cush (of Mesopotamia); or Ethiopia. 14The third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria, and the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15Then the Lord God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. 16He told him, “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, 17except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad.#2.17: knowledge of what is good and what is bad; or knowledge of everything. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.”

18Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help him.” 19So he took some soil from the ground and formed all the animals and all the birds. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and that is how they all got their names. 20So the man named all the birds and all the animals; but not one of them was a suitable companion to help him.

21Then the Lord God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh. 22He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him. 23Then the man said,

“At last, here is one of my own kind—

Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh.

‘Woman’ is her name because she was taken out of man.”#2.23: Woman … man: The Hebrew words for “woman” and “man” have rather similar sounds.

24 # Mt 19.5; Mk 10.7,8; 1 Co 6.16; Eph 5.31 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one.

25The man and the woman were both naked, but they were not embarrassed.

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Genesis 2

1 And heaven#Or “the sky” and earth#Or “the earth” and all their array#Or “host” were finished. 2And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3And God blessed the seventh day, and he sanctified#Or “hallowed” it, because on it he rested from all his work of creating that there was to do.#Literally “which God created to do”

The Generations of Heaven and Earth

4These are the generations#Or “family records” of heaven#Or “the sky” and earth#Or “the earth” when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made earth and heaven#Or “sky”—5before any plant of the field was#Literally “and every plant of the field not yet was” on earth, and before any plant of the field#Literally “and every plant of the field not yet” had sprung up, because Yahweh God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was no human being to cultivate the ground, 6but a stream would rise from the earth and water the whole face of the ground—7when#Or “and” Yahweh God formed the man#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article of dust from the ground, and he blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.

8And Yahweh God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he put the man#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article whom he had formed. 9And Yahweh God caused to grow every tree that was pleasing to the sight and good for food. And the tree of life was in the midst of the garden, along with#Or “and” the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10Now#Or “And” a river flowed out from Eden that watered the garden, and from there it diverged and became four branches. 11The name of the first is the Pishon. It went around all the land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12(The gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stones are there.) 13And the name of the second is Gihon. It went around all the land of Cush. 14And the name of the third is Tigris. It flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15And Yahweh God took the man#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article and set him in the garden of Eden to cultivate it and to keep it. 16And Yahweh God commanded the man,#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article saying, “From every tree of the garden you may freely eat,#Literally “eating you may eat” 17but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat#Literally “of your eating” from it you shall surely die.”#Literally “dying you shall die”

18Then#Or “And” Yahweh God said, “it is not good that the man#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article is alone. I will make for him a helper as his counterpart.”#Literally “as his opposite” 19And out of the ground Yahweh God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky,#Or “the heavens” and he brought each to the man#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article to see what he would call it. And whatever the man#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article called that living creature was its name. 20And the man#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article gave names#Literally “called names” to every domesticated animal and to the birds of heaven#Or “the sky” and to all the wild animals.#Literally “animals of the earth/land” But for the man there was not found a helper as his counterpart.#Literally “as his opposite” 21And Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man.#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article While#Or “And” he slept, he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh where it had been.#Literally “the flesh in the place of it” 22And Yahweh God fashioned the rib which he had taken from the man#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article into a woman and brought her to the man.#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article 23And the man#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article said,

“She is now#Literally “this one the time” bone from my bones

and flesh from my flesh;

she#Literally “this one” shall be called ‘Woman,’

for she was taken#Literally “this one was taken” from man.”

24Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cling to his wife, and they shall be as one flesh. 25And the man#“The man” indicates the noun is singular and occurs with the definite article and his wife, both of them, were naked, and they were not ashamed.

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Good News Translation (US Version)

Genesis 2

Genesis 2