New Living Translation

English Standard Version

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

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

2The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.

2The earth was without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

3Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

4And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.

4And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.

5God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.

5God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

6Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.”

6And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.”

7And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens.

7And God made the expanse and separated the waters that were under the expanse from the waters that were above the expanse. And it was so.

8God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.

8And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, the second day.

9Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened.

9And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so.

10God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

10God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened.

11And God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, on the earth.” And it was so.

12The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

13And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.

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

14Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years.

14And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens to separate the day from the night. And let them be for signs and for seasons, and for days and years,

15Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened.

15and let them be lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so.

16God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars.

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.

17God set these lights in the sky to light the earth,

17And God set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,

18to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

18to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.

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

20Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.”

20And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.”

21So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

21So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

22Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”

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

23And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.

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

24Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened.

24And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds—livestock and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.

25God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.

25And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that creeps on the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”

26Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”

27So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

27So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

28Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”

28And God blessed them. And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”

29Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.

29And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit. You shall have them for food.

30And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.

30And to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the heavens and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

31Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.

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.

Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

ESV Text Edition: 2016. The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®) copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. The ESV® text has been reproduced in cooperation with and by permission of Good News Publishers. Unauthorized reproduction of this publication is prohibited. All rights reserved.