Genesis

In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

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

2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

2The earth had no shape at all. Nothing was on it. Darkness lay over the deep water. And the Spirit of God moved over the top of the water.

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

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

4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

4God saw that the light was good. He set the light apart from the darkness.

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

5God named the light "day." He named the darkness "night." Evening came, then morning. That was the first day.

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

6God said, "Let there be a wide open space in the middle of the water. Let it hold the waters apart."

7And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

7So God made that open space. He put some water below it and some water above it. It happened just that way.

8And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

8God named that open space "sky." Evening came, then morning. That was the second day.

NoteThe KJV calls this open space "Heaven," but here it means the sky we see above us, not the whole created world as in verse 1.

9And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

9God said, "Let the water under the sky gather in one place. Let dry ground show." And it happened.

10And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

10God named the dry ground "earth." He named the water that gathered "seas." God saw that it was good.

11And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

11God said, "Let plants grow on the earth. Let there be plants that make seeds. Let there be fruit trees that grow fruit with seeds inside. Let each one make more of its own kind." And it happened.

12And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

12Plants grew up out of the earth. Seed plants grew, each of its own kind. Trees grew fruit with seeds inside, each of its own kind. God saw that it was good.

13And the evening and the morning were the third day.

13Evening came, then morning. That was the third day.

14And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

14God said, "Let lights shine in the sky. They will keep day and night apart. They will be signs to mark the seasons, the days, and the years.

15And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

15Let them shine in the sky and give light to the earth." And it happened.

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

16God made two big lights. The bigger light rules the day. The smaller light rules the night. He made the stars too.

17And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

17God set those lights in the sky to shine down on the earth.

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

18They watch over the day and the night. They keep the light apart from the darkness. God saw that it was good.

19And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

19Evening came, then morning. That was the fourth day.

20And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

20God said, "Let the water be full of living things that swim. Let birds fly above the earth, across the open sky."

21And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

21So God made the huge sea animals. He made every living thing that moves in the water, each of its own kind. He made every kind of bird that flies. God saw that it was good.

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

22God blessed them. He said, "Have many young ones. Fill the water in the seas. Let birds grow many on the earth."

23And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

23Evening came, then morning. That was the fifth day.

24And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

24God said, "Let the earth bring out living animals, each of its own kind. Let there be farm animals, small animals that crawl, and wild animals." And it happened.

25And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

25God made the wild animals of each kind. He made the farm animals of each kind. He made every crawling thing of each kind. God saw that it was good.

26And 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 fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

26Then God said, "Let us make people in our image, so they are like us. They will be in charge of the fish in the sea. They will be in charge of the birds, the farm animals, the whole earth, and every crawling thing."

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

27So God made people in his own image. He made them to be like himself. He made them male and female.

28And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

28God blessed them. He said to them, "Have children. Fill the earth and bring it under your care. Be in charge of the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and every animal that moves on the earth."

Note"Replenish" in the KJV does not mean fill again. In 1611 it simply meant fill.

29And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

29Then God said, "Look. I have given you every plant that makes seeds, everywhere on the earth. I have given you every tree with fruit that has seeds. They will be your food.

Note"Meat" in the KJV means food of any kind, not just animal meat. Here it means plants and fruit.

30And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

30And to every wild animal, every bird, and every crawling thing that breathes, I have given every green plant for food." And it happened.

31And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

31God looked at everything he had made. It was very good. Evening came, then morning. That was the sixth day.