The Creation
(John 1:1–5; Hebrews 11:1–3)

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

2And the earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

The First Day

3And God said, “Let there be light,”† and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good. And God divided between the light and between the darkness. 5And God called the light “Day,” and the darkness He called “Night.”

And there was evening and there was morning—day one.†

The Second Day

6And God said, “Let there be a firmament† in the midst of the waters, and let it be dividing between waters and waters.” 7And God made the firmament, and He divided between the waters that were under the firmament, and between the waters that were above the firmament. And it was so. 8And God called the firmament “Heavens.”

And there was evening and there was morning—the second day.

The Third Day

9And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land be seen.” And it was so. 10And God called the dry land “Earth,” and the gathering of the waters He called “Seas.” And God saw that it was good.

11And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation: The plant bearing seed and the fruit tree producing fruit according to its kind (whose seed is in it) on the earth.” And it was so. 12And the earth brought forth vegetation: The plant bearing seed according to its kind, and the tree producing fruit (whose seed is in it) according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

13And there was evening and there was morning—the third day.

The Fourth Day

14And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens, to divide between the day and between the night, and let them be for signs and for appointed times and for days and years, 15and let them be for lights in the firmament of the heavens, to shine upon the earth.” And it was so.

16And God made the two great lights: The greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars.

17And God set them in the firmament of the heavens, to shine upon the earth, 18and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide between the light and between the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19And there was evening and there was morning—the fourth day.

The Fifth Day

20And God said, “Let the waters swarm with a swarm of living souls, and let the bird fly above the earth, on the face of the firmament of the heavens.” 21And God created the great sea creatures and every living soul that is crawling, with which the waters swarmed according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

22And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the bird multiply in the earth.”

23And there was evening and there was morning—the fifth day.

The Sixth Day

24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth the living soul according to its kind: Livestock and the crawling thing and beast of the earth according to its kind.” And it was so. 25And God made the beast of the earth according to its kind, and the livestock according to its kind, and every crawling thing on the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26And 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 bird of the heavens, and over the livestock, and over all the earth,† and over every crawling thing that crawls upon the earth.”

27And God created the man in His image;

in the image of God He created him;

male and female He created them.†

28And 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 bird of the heavens and over every living thing that is crawling upon the earth.”

29And God said, “Behold, I have given to you⁺ every plant bearing seed which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree that has in it the fruit of a tree bearing seed—it shall be for food to you⁺— 30and to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the heavens, and to everything crawling upon the earth which has in it a living soul, every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31And God saw everything that He had made, and behold, it was very good!

And there was evening and there was morning—the sixth day.