1 In the beginning, God[fn] created the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was formless and empty and darkness covered the surface of the depth waters and God’s spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters. 3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and light came into existence,[ref] 4 and God observed that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness. 5 God named the light daytime, and the darkness he named nighttime. Then evening came, and later morning came, and that was the end of the first day.

6 Then God said, “Let there be a large space in the middle of the waters, and let it separate the two lots of waters.”[ref] 7 So God made the large space and separated between the waters that were underneath from the waters that were above it. Everything happened exactly as he commanded, 8 and he named the space sky. Then evening came, and later morning came, and that was the end of the second day.

9 Then God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered to one place, and let the dry ground appear.” Everything happened exactly as he commanded, 10 and he named the ground that appeared land, and he named the gathered waters seas, and he saw that what he had done was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout vegetation: every plant yielding seed, every fruit tree bearing its own fruit that has its seed inside it, on the earth.” Everything happened exactly as he commanded, 12 so the land started producing vegetation, every plant producing its own seed, and every tree bearing fruit that has its seed inside it. And God saw that what he had done was good. 13 Then evening came, and later morning came, and that was the end of the third day.

14 Then God said, “Let there be lights in the sky to separate daytime from nighttime, so they’ll be signs, and for indicating seasons, and for tracking days and years. 15 They must function as lights in the sky that shine light on the earth.” Everything happened exactly as he commanded, 16 so God made the two large lights, the larger, brighter light to rule the day, and the smaller light to rule the night, and he also made the stars. 17 He put those lights in the sky to shine light on the earth, 18 and to oversee the daytime and the nighttime, and to distinguish between the light and the darkness. And God saw that what he had done was good. 19 Then evening came, and later morning came, and that was the end of the fourth day.

20 Then God said, “Let the waters be full of with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly in the sky above the earth.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every kind of living creature that moves which the waters swarm with, and every kind of winged bird. And God saw that what he had done was good, 22 and he blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.” 23 Then evening came, and later morning came, and that was the end of the fifth day.

24 Then God said, “Let the land bring forth every kind of living creature: livestock and every crawling creature and every kind of living thing on the earth.” Everything happened exactly as he commanded, 25 so he made every kind of creature of the earth, and every kind of livestock, and every kind of crawling creature on the ground. And God saw that what he had done was good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish in the sea and over the birds in the sky and over the livestock and over all the earth, and over every creature moving on the earth.”[ref] 27 Then God created humankind in his image, yes, created in the image of God—male and female he created them.[ref] 28 Then God blessed them and told them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and take control of it. You’re in charge of the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29 Then God said, “Look, I’ve given you every plant throughout the whole earth that yields seed, and every tree that has fruit with a seed or seeds inside it. They will be yours for food, 30 and to every living thing on the earth, and to every bird in the sky, and to everything moving on the earth that has living breath in it, I’ve given every green plant for food.” Everything happened exactly as he commanded, 31 and he saw everything that he’d made, and wow, it was very good. Then evening came, and later morning came, and that was the end of the sixth day.

2 So the heavens and the earth were completed, along with everything in them. 2 By the seventh day God had finished his work, so he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he’d done.[ref] 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and declared it to be different from the other days, because on that first Saturday, he rested from all his work of creating.

4 What follows tells[fn] more details about the history of what God did when he created the heavens and the earth:

During the time when Yahweh God[fn] made the earth and the heavens, 5 there weren’t yet any bushes growing on the earth, and no plants had yet sprung up in the fields, because Yahweh God had not yet made it rain, and nor were there any people yet to till the ground. 6 However, a mist came up from the ground and watered the entire surface of the land.

7 Then Yahweh God formed the first man out of the dust on the ground and he breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living person.[ref]

8 Now in the east, Yahweh God had planted a garden in Eden, and he put the man there that he had formed. 9 He also caused all kinds of trees to grow there—some that are pleasant to look at and good for food. In the middle of the garden was the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil[ref]

10 A river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and then from there it split into four rivers. 11 The first river was named Pishon, and it winds around through the entire region of Havilah, where there’s gold. 12 The gold from there is very pure, and there’s also a type of fragrant resin and onyx gemstones there. 13 The second river was named Gihon, and it winds through the entire region of Cush. 14 The third river was named Tigris, and it flowed east of the Asshur region, and then the fourth river was named Frat.

15 Yahweh God took the man and put him in the garden at Eden to cultivate and maintain it 16 and instructed him, “You can eat as much fruit as you want from any tree in the garden, 17 but you mustn’t eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because the day you eat its fruit you’ll certainly die.”

18 Then Yahweh God said, “It’s not good for the man to be alone, so I’ll make a suitable helper for him.”

19 Now Yahweh God had formed every living thing of the field and every bird of the sky from the ground, so he brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that would become its name. 20 The man gave names to all the various livestock and to the birds of the sky and to every living creature in the fields, but none of them was a suitable companion to help him.

21 So Yahweh God caused the man to go into a deep sleep, and then while he was sleeping, he removed one of his ribs and closed up over its place with flesh. 22 Then Yahweh God used the rib which he had taken from the man to form into a woman, and he brought her to the man, 23 and the man said:

“Now this is bone from my bones

and flesh from my flesh.

She’ll be named ‘woman’

because she came from a man.”

24 So that’s why a man leaves his father and mother, and becomes united to his wife, and the two of them become one being.[ref]

25 At that time, both the man and his wife were naked, but they had no sense of shame.

3 Now the snake was the craftiest of all the animals that Yahweh God had created, and one day he asked the woman, “Did God really command you to not eat fruit from any of the trees in the garden?”[ref]

2 “No,” answered the woman, “we can eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden, 3 except from the tree that is in the centre. He commanded us to not eat that fruit or even touch it, because if we do, we will die!”

4 But the serpent said to the woman, “It’s not definite that you’ll die. 5 Actually, God knows that as soon as you eat fruit from that tree, you’ll understand new things, so that you will know what’s right and what’s wrong just like God does.”

6 The woman saw that the tree’s fruit looked good to eat and that the tree itself was very attractive, plus she wanted to eat the fruit so that it would make her wise. So she picked some of the fruit and ate it and she also gave some of it to her husband who was there with her, and he ate it too. 7 Immediately they both had new understanding and they felt their nakedness. So they sewed some fig leaves together and made skirts for themselves.

8 Late that afternoon, during the cool time of the day, the man and his wife heard Yahweh God’s voice as he walked in the garden, but they hid from him behind some trees in the garden, 9 so Yahweh God called out to the man, “Adam, where are you?”

10 “I heard you walking in the garden,” he replied, “but I was scared because I was naked, so I hid myself.”

11 “Who told you that you’re naked?” Yahweh God asked. “Have you eaten the fruit that I told you not to eat?”

12 “The woman that you put here beside me,” answered the man, “she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.”

13 Then Yahweh God asked the woman, “What did you do?”[ref]

“The snake tricked me, so I ate some of the fruit,” the woman replied.

14 Then Yahweh God said to the snake,

“Because you’ve done this you’ll be cursed more than all the livestock,

and more than every living thing in the fields.

Now you’ll move along on your belly,

and you’ll eat dust all the rest of your life.

15 I’ll put hostility between you and the woman

between your descendants and hers.

He will crush your head

and you’ll strike his heel.”[ref]

16 To the woman God said,

“I’ll sharply increase your pain in childbirth.

You’ll produce children in pain.

Your desire will be for your husband

and he will rule over you.”

17 Then God said to the man,[ref]

“Because you did what your wife told you

and ate from that tree

that I’d told you not to eat from,

then the ground will be cursed because of you.

You’ll have to work hard to get food from it

all the rest of your life.

18 It’ll produce thorns and thistles for you

although you’ll eat the crops of the fields.

19 You’ll eat bread with sweat drops on your nose

until you return to the ground

because you were taken out of the ground.

Yes, you were created from dust,

and you’ll return back to dust.”

20 Then the man named his wife ‘Havvah’ (which means ‘living’) because she would become the mother of all future people. 21 Then Yahweh God made clothes from animal skins for Adam and his wife and he dressed them.

22 Then Yahweh God said, “See, the man has become like one of us, being aware of good and evil. But now, he mustn’t be allowed to reach out his hand and also take fruit from the tree of life and eat it and live forever.”[ref] 23 So Yahweh God expelled them out of the garden in Eden to work the soil from which Adam had been taken.

24 After he expelled them, he placed sentries on the east side of the garden in Eden, as well as a fiery sword that swung around in every direction to guard the path to the tree of life.

4 Then Adam slept with his wife, and she conceived and in due course gave birth to Kayin (Cain). “Yahweh has enabled me to produce a man,” she said. 2 Eventually she also gave birth to Kayin’s brother, Abel. Abel became a shepherd, while Kayin became a crop farmer. 3 Some months later, Kayin brought some of what he’d grown in the ground as an offering to Yahweh, 4 and also Abel brought the best portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Now Yahweh was pleased with Abel and his offering,[ref] 5 but he didn’t even look towards Kayin and his offering. Kayin got very angry and his face showed his displeasure. 6 Then Yahweh said to Kayin, “Why are you so angry? And why are you frowning like that? 7 If you do what’s right, won’t you be honoured? But if you don’t do what’s right, sin is crouching in the doorway wanting to have you, but you have the control over it.”

8 One day, Kayin spoke to his brother Abel when they were out in the field, and then Kayin attacked him and killed him.[ref]

9 Later Yahweh asked Kayin, “Where’s your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, “It’s not my job to look after my brother.”

10 “What have you done?” Yahweh asked. “Your brother’s blood is calling out to me from the ground.[ref] 11 So now you’re cursed and banished from the soil that your brother’s blood soaked into as a result of your actions. 12 Whenever you till and plant the ground, it will no longer produce good yields for you. You’ll be a fugitive and wandering refugee on the earth.”

13 “My punishment is more than I can bear,” Kayin complained to Yahweh. 14 “Look, you’re now driving me away from the ground I’ve been cultivating to somewhere where you won’t be able to see me. I’ll be a wandering refugee on the earth, and anyone who finds me will kill me.”

15 “Very well,”, replied Yahweh and declared, “If anyone kills Kayin, then that person will receive a seven times greater sentence.” Then Yahweh marked Kayin so that no one who found him would kill him, 16 and Kayin left Yahweh’s presence and settled in the land of Nod to the east of Eden.

17 Then Kayin slept with his wife and and she conceived and gave birth to Hanoch (Enoch). Then Kayin founded a town and named it Hanoch after his son. 18 Eventually Hanoch fathered Irad, and Irad fathered Mehuyael, and Mehuyael father Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lemech (Lamech). 19 Lemech had two wives: the first was named Adah and the second was Tsillah (Zillah). 20 Adah gave birth to Yaval (Jabal) who became the ancestor of people who live in tents and rear cattle. 21 His brother’s name was Yuval (Jubal) and he became the ancestor of people who play stringed and wind instruments. 22 Tsillah gave birth to Tuval-Kayin (Tubal-Cain) who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. His sister was named Naamah. 23 Then Lemech said to his wives:

“Adah and Tsillah, listen to me.

My wives, take notice of my words;

I killed a man who had wounded me;

I killed a young man who hurt me.

24 If killers of Kayin would be sentenced seven times as much,

then anyone who kills me should be sentenced seventy-seven times as much.”

25 Then Adam slept with his wife again and she bore a son and named him Shet (Seth) (which means ‘given’) because she had said, “God has given me another son in place of Abel who was killed by Kayin.” 26 Eventually Shet also had a son and named him Enosh. That was when people began using Yahweh’s name in worship.

5 This is the list of Adam’s descendants. When God had created humankind, he made them in his own likeness.[ref] 2 He created them as male and female, and he blessed them and named them ‘humans’.[ref] 3 When Adam was 130 years old, he had a son who was like him in many ways, and he named him Shet (Seth). 4 After Shet’s birth, Adam lived another 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 5 So Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then he died.

6 When Shet was 105 years old, he had a son named Enosh. 7 After Enosh’s birth, Seth lived another 807 years and had other sons and daughters. 8 So Shet lived a total of 912 years, and then he died.

9 When Enosh was 90 years old, he had a son named Kenan. 10 After Kenan’s birth, Enosh lived another 815 years and had other sons and daughters. 11 So Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then he died.

12 When Kenan was 70 years old, he had a son named Mahalalel. 13 After Mahalalel’s birth, Kenan lived another 840 years and had other sons and daughters. 14 So Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then he died.

15 When Mahalalel was 65 years old, he had a son named Yared (Jared). 16 After Yared’s birth, Mahalalel lived another 830 years and had other sons and daughters. 17 So Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then he died.

18 When Yared was 162 years old, he had a son named Hanoch (Enoch). 19 After Hanoch’s birth, Yared lived another 800 years and had other sons and daughters. 20 So Yared lived a total of 962 years, and then he died.

21 When Hanoch was 65 years old, he had a son named Metushalah (Methuselah). 22 After Metushalah’s birth, Hanoch walked with God for 300 years and had other sons and daughters. 23 So Hanoch lived a total of 365 years. 24 Hanoch walked with God, and then he was not there, because God took him away.[ref]

25 When Metushalah was 187 years old, he had a son named Lemek (Lamech). 26 After Lemek’s birth, Metushalah lived another 782 years and had other sons and daughters. 27 So Metushalah lived a total of 969 years, and then he died.

28 When Lemek was 182 years old, he had a son 29 and he named him Noah (which sounds like the Hebrew word for ‘relief’) because he said, “This son will give us relief from the difficult work that we have to do because Yahweh has cursed the ground.” 30 After Noah’s birth, Lemek lived another 595 years and had other sons and daughters. 31 So Lemek lived a total of 777 years, and then he died.

32 After Noah was 500 years old, he had sons whose names were Yafet (Japheth), Shem, and Ham.[fn]

6 When people began to multiply on the earth’s surface, and they were having daughters,[ref] 2 God’s sons saw that men’s daughters were beautiful, and they took any that they wanted for themselves as wives. 3 Then Yahweh said, “My Spirit won’t tolerate people forever, because they are physical beings, therefore their remaining time will be 120 years.” 4 The NEFILIM were on the earth in those days and also after that, when the sons of God went to the daughters of humankind and they bore children for them. INVESTIGATE They were the mighty warriors of long ago—those famous men.[ref]