The Beginning

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

Creation by Separation

3God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good. God divided the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness ʜᴇ called “night.” There was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse, and it was so. 8God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening and there was morning, a second day.

9God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathering together of the waters ʜᴇ called “seas.” And God saw that it was good. 11God said, “Let the land sprout sprouting grass, and plants producing seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit with their kind of seeds, on the land.” And it was so. 12The land produced sprouting grass, plants yielding their kind of seed, and trees bearing fruit with their kind of seed. And God saw that it was good. 13There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

Creation by Filling

14God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years. 15Let them be for lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth,” and it was so. 16God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. Hᴇ also made the stars. 17God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth, 18and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

20God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living beings, and let the flying creatures fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.” 21God created the large sea creatures and every living being that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, “Y’all be fruitful, multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

24God said, “Let the land produce living beings after their kind, cattle, creeping things, and animals of the land after their kind.” And it was so. 25God made the living things of the land after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.

Creation of the Image Bearers

26God said, “Let us make humankind as our image, in our likeness. They will have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the cattle, and over all the land, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the land.”

28God blessed them, and God said to them,

29God said, “Look! I have given y’all every seed-bearing plant on the surface of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be food for y’all. 30To every living thing of the land, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the land, in which there is life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31God saw everything that ʜᴇ had made, and it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.