Genesis 1

1 In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth. 2 But the earth was invisible and unformed, darkness lay over the deep, and the Spirit of God moved over the water. [a]

3 Then God said, “Let there be light.” And there was light. † 4 God saw that the light was good, and God divided the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.

6 Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the water, dividing water from water.” And so it was. 7 God made the expanse, and God divided the water beneath the expanse from the water above it. 8 God called the expanse Heaven, and God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning — the second day. [b]

9 Then God said, “Let the water under heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And so it was: the water under heaven was gathered into its places, and the dry land appeared. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the gathered waters he called Seas, and God saw that it was good. 11 Then God said, “Let the earth produce plants — grass bearing seed, each after its kind and likeness, and fruit trees bearing fruit with seed inside, each after its kind on the earth.” And so it was. 12 The earth brought forth grass bearing seed after its kind and likeness, and fruit trees bearing fruit with seed inside, after their kind on the earth, and God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening, and there was morning — the third day.

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

20 Then God said, “Let the waters bring forth living creatures that move, and winged creatures that fly above the earth across the expanse of heaven.” And so it was. 21 God made the great sea creatures, every living thing that moves, which the waters brought forth after their kinds, and every winged creature after its kind. And God saw that they were good. 22 God blessed them and said, “Increase and multiply. Fill the waters of the seas, and let the flying creatures multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening, and there was morning — the fifth day.

24 Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind — four-footed animals, creeping things, and wild beasts of the earth, each after its kind.” And so it was. 25 God made the wild beasts of the earth after their kind, the cattle after their kind, and all the creeping things of the earth after their kind, and God saw that they were good.

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image and likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, the flying creatures of heaven, the cattle, all the earth, and every creeping thing that moves on the earth.” 27 So God made man; in the image of God he made him; male and female he made them. 28 And God blessed them and said, “Increase and multiply. Fill the earth and master it. Rule over the fish of the seas, the flying creatures of heaven, all the cattle, all the earth, and every creeping thing that moves on the earth.”

29 And God said, “Look, I have given you every seed-bearing plant across the whole earth, and every tree whose fruit carries its own seed. They will be yours for food — 30 and for every wild beast of the earth, every flying creature of heaven, and every creeping thing on the earth that has the breath of life in it, every green plant is for food.” And so it was. 31 God looked at everything he had made — and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning: the sixth day.