The Traditional Genesis[1]

 

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

 

2. The earth was void and empty; darkness was on the face of the depths; the spirit of God hovered above the waters.

 

3. God said, "Let there be light" and there was light.

 

4. God saw that the light was good; God divided between the light and the darkness.

 

5. God called the light "day" and the darkness God called "night"; there was evening and there was morning, day one.

 

 

6. God said, "Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters and let it divide between the waters and the waters."

 

7. God made the firmament and divided between the waters below the firmament and the waters above the firmament, and it was so.

 

8. God called the firmament "heaven"; there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

 

 

9. God said, "Let the waters be gathered below the heavens to one place and let the dry land be seen," and it was so.

 

10. God called the dry land "earth" and the gathered waters God called "seas"; God saw that it was good.

 

11. God said, "Let the earth sprout vegetation -- grasses which produce seed, fruit trees which produce fruit, according to its kind, in which is its seed -- on the earth"; and it was so.

 

12. The earth sprouted vegetation -- grasses that produce seed according to its kind and trees which produce fruit in which is its seed according to its kind; God saw that it was good.

 

13. There was evening and there was morning, a third day.

 

 

14. God said, "Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to divide between the day the night; they shall be as signs, as appointed times, as days, and as years.

 

15. They shall become lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth"; and it was so.

 

16. God made the two great lights: the great light for ruling the day and the small light for ruling the night, as well as the stars.

 

17. God put them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth,

 

18. to rule the day and the night, and to divide between the light and the darkness; God saw that it was good.

 

19. There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

 

 

20. God said, "Let the waters swarm with creeping living things and let birds fly over the earth, across the face of the firmament of the heavens."

 

21. God created the great sea-fish; all living beings which creep, which the waters had swarmed, each according to its kind; and all winged-birds, according to their kinds; God saw that it was good.

 

22. God blessed them saying, "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the water in the seas and let the birds multiply on the land."

 

23. There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.

 

 

24. God said, "Let the earth bring forth living beings according to their kinds: domesticated animals, creeping things, and beasts of the earth"; and it was so.

 

25. God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the domesticated animals according to their kinds, and all the creeping things according to their kinds; God saw that it was good.

 

26. God said, "Let us make humanity in our image, according to our likeness, and they will rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the heavens, the domestic animals, all the earth, and all the creeping things which creep on the earth."

 

27. God created the human being in God's image; in the image of God, God created him; male and female God created them.

 

28. God blessed them and God said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and conquer it; rule over the fish in the sea, the birds in the heavens, and all the beasts which creep on the earth."

 

29. God said, "Behold, I give you all the grasses which reproduce by seed which are on the face of the whole earth, and all the trees which have fruits of the tree and which reproduce by seed -- they shall be food for you

 

30. and for all the beasts of the earth, for all the birds of the heavens, and for all the creeping things on the earth -- that which has life in it -- all green grass shall be food"; and it was so.

 

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

 

 

1. The heavens and the earth and all their hosts were finished.

 

2. On the seventh day, God finished the work God had done and God rested on the seventh day from all the work which God had done.

 

3. God blessed the seventh day and proclaimed it holy for, on it, God rested from all God's work which God had created to do.

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[1] This is a translation from the Hebrew. It adheres as closely as possible to the original Hebrew, as well as to traditional English style and rhythm. back