The Creation of the World

1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

2Now the earth was without shape and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the watery deep, but the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the water.

3God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light!

4God saw that the light was good, so God separated the light from the darkness.

5God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” There was evening, and there was morning, marking the first day.

6God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters and let it separate water from water.

7So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. It was so.

8God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening, and there was morning, a second day.

9God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place and let dry ground appear.” It was so.

10God called the dry ground “land” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.

11God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds.” It was so.

12The land produced vegetation – plants yielding seeds according to their kinds, and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.

13There was evening, and there was morning, a third day.

14God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be signs to indicate seasons and days and years,

15and let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” It was so.

16God made two great lights – the greater light to rule over the day and the lesser light to rule over the night. He made the stars also.

17God placed the lights in the expanse of the sky to shine on the earth,

18to preside over the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.

19There was evening, and there was morning, a fourth day.

20God said, “Let the water swarm with swarms of living creatures and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the sky.”

21God created the great sea creatures and every living and moving thing with which the water swarmed, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. God saw that it was good.

22God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the water in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

23There was evening, and there was morning, a fifth day.

24God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: cattle, creeping things, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” It was so.

25God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the cattle according to their kinds, and all the creatures that creep along the ground according to their kinds. God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let us make humankind in our image, after our likeness, so they may rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move on the earth.”

27God created humankind 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 multiply! Fill the earth and subdue it! Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that moves on the ground.”

29Then God said, “I now give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the entire earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food.

30And to all the animals of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to all the creatures that move on the ground – everything that has the breath of life in it – I give every green plant for food.” It was so.

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