How God Created Everything

1:1-2:3

1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2 Now the earth was formless and empty, and darkness was over the surface of the deep waters, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light. 4 And God saw the light, that it was good. Then God separated between the light and the darkness. 5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. Then there was evening, and there was morning, one day.

6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 So God made the expanse and separated between the waters that were under the expanse and the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so. 8 And God called the expanse Heavens. Then there was evening, and there was morning, the second day.

9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10 And God called the dry ground Land, and the gathered waters he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout vegetation: every plant yielding seed, every fruit tree bearing fruit according to its kind, that has its seed inside it, on the earth.” And it was so. 12 So the land brought out vegetation, every plant yielding seed according to its kind, and every tree bearing fruit that has its seed inside it, according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 Then there was evening, and there was morning, the third day.

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate between the day and the night. And let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years. 15 And let them be as lights in the expanse of the heavens to shine on the earth.” And it was so. 16 So God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night, and the stars. 17 And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to shine on the earth, 18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate between the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 Then there was evening, and there was morning, the fourth day.

20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the face of the expanse of the sky.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves which the waters swarm with according to their kind, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 Then there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth day.

24 Then God said, “Let the land bring forth every living creature according to its kind: livestock and every crawling creature and every living thing of the earth, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25 So God made every creature of the earth according to its kind, and the livestock according to its kind, and every crawling creature of the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every moving creature moving on the earth.” 27 Then God created man in his image. In the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28 Then 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 over the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Behold, I have given to you every plant that yields seed that is on the surface of the whole earth and every tree that has tree fruit that yields seed inside it. They will be yours for food. 30 And to every living thing of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything moving on the earth that has living breath in it, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

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

2 So the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2 And by the seventh day God had completed his work that he had done, so he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on it he rested from all his work of creating that God had done.