The Creation:
A Translation of Genesis 1:1-2:4a
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1When God began to create the heaven and the earth – 2the earth being unformed and void, with darkness upon the face of the deep and a wind of God sweeping over the surface of the water - 3God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light day, and the darkness he called night. And there was evening and there was morning, a first day.
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6God said, “Let there be an extended surface in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” 7God made the expanse and it separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse, and it was so. 8God called the expanse, sky and there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
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9God said, “Let the waters below the sky be gathered into one place that the dry land may appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of the waters he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants producing seed, fruit trees bearing fruit according to its kind upon the earth which has its seed in it, and it was so. 12And the earth brought forth vegetation, plants producing seed according to its kind and trees producing fruit which have its seed in it according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13And there was evening and morning, a third day.
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14God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them be for signs and for appointed times and for days and years. 15Let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon 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 and the stars. 17God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth, 18to rule over the day and the night and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good, 19and there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
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20God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth, upon the surface of the expanse of the sky.” 21And God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that scurries with which the waters swarm, according to its kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them saying, “Be fruitful, become numerous, and fill the waters of the seas and let the birds become numerous upon the earth” 23And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
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24God said, “Let the earth bring forth (every) living creature according to its kind: cattle, creeping things and wild animals of the earth according to its kind.” And it was so. 25So God made the wild animals of the earth according to their kind and the cattle according to its kind and every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 26God said, “Let us make humankind in our image after our likeness and they shall rule over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky and over the cattle, over the entire earth and over all the creeping things which creep upon the earth. 27God created man in his image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them. 28God blessed them and God said to them, “Be fruitful and become numerous, fill the earth and subdue it; and rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that creeps upon the earth.” 29God said, “Now, I give to you (pl) every plant bearing seed upon the face of the whole earth, and every tree which has in it fruit-producing seed, (they) shall be food for you. 30And to all animals of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every creeping thing on the earth which has the breath of life in it, (I give) every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31God saw all that he made and it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning a sixth day.