1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters. 3Then God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning,
      6Then God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7God made the expanse, and separated the waters which were below the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so. 8God called the expanse heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.

   
      9Then God said, “Let the waters below the heavens be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear”; and it was so. 10God called the dry land earth, and the gathering of the waters He called seas; and God saw that it was good. 11Then God said, “Let the earth sprout vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees on the earth bearing fruit after their kind with seed in them”; and it was so. 12The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit with seed in them, after their kind; and God saw that it was good. 13There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
      14Then 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; 15and let them be for lights in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth”; and it was so. 16God made the two great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to govern the night; He made the stars also. 17God placed them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth, 18and to govern the day and the night, and to separate the light from the darkness; and God saw that it was good. 19There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.

      20Then God said, “Let the waters teem with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the heavens.” 21God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind; and God saw that it was good. 22God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
      24Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth after their kind”; and it was so. 25God made the beasts of the earth after their kind, and the cattle after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind; and God saw that it was good.

      26Then 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 birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.” 27God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. 28God 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 birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” 29Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed that is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree which has fruit yielding seed; it shall be food for you; 30and to every beast of the earth and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that moves on the earth which has life, I have given every green plant for food”; and it was so. 31God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.

      1Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts. 2By the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. 3Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.
      4This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made earth and heaven. 5Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, for the LORD God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 7Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being. 8The LORD God planted a garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. 9Out of the ground the LORD God caused to grow every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
      10Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four rivers. 11The name of the first is Pishon; it flows around the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the whole land of Cush. 14The name of the third river is Tigris; it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
      15Then the LORD God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. 16The LORD God commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; 17but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat from it you will surely die.”
      18Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.” 19Out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the sky, and to every beast of the field, but for Adam there was not found a helper suitable for him. 21So the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22The LORD God fashioned into a woman the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man.
      23The man said,
            “This is now bone of my bones,
            And flesh of my flesh;
            She shall be called Woman,
            Because she was taken out of Man.”
24For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

      12“I, wisdom, dwell with prudence,
            And I find knowledge and discretion.
      13“The fear of the LORD is to hate evil;
            Pride and arrogance and the evil way
            And the perverted mouth, I hate.
      14“Counsel is mine and sound wisdom;
            I am understanding, power is mine.
      15“By me kings reign,
            And rulers decree justice.
      16“By me princes rule, and nobles,
            All who judge rightly.
      17“I love those who love me;
            And those who diligently seek me will find me.
      18“Riches and honor are with me,
            Enduring wealth and righteousness.
      19“My fruit is better than gold, even pure gold,
            And my yield better than choicest silver.
      20“I walk in the way of righteousness,
            In the midst of the paths of justice,
      21To endow those who love me with wealth,
            That I may fill their treasuries.
      22“The LORD possessed me at the beginning of His way,
            Before His works of old.
      23“From everlasting I was established,
            From the beginning, from the earliest times of the earth.
      24“When there were no depths I was brought forth,
            When there were no springs abounding with water.
      25“Before the mountains were settled,
            Before the hills I was brought forth;
      26While He had not yet made the earth and the fields,
            Nor the first dust of the world.
      27“When He established the heavens, I was there,
            When He inscribed a circle on the face of the deep,
      28When He made firm the skies above,
            When the springs of the deep became fixed,
      29When He set for the sea its boundary
            So that the water would not transgress His command,
            When He marked out the foundations of the earth;
      30Then I was beside Him, as a master workman;
            And I was daily His delight,
            Rejoicing always before Him,
      31Rejoicing in the world, His earth,
            And having my delight in the sons of men.

      3Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts, 4and saying, “Where is the promise of His coming? For ever since the fathers fell asleep, all continues just as it was from the beginning of creation.” 5For when they maintain this, it escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water, 6through which the world at that time was destroyed, being flooded with water.

      24Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, and the one who formed you from the womb,
            “I, the LORD, am the maker of all things,
            Stretching out the heavens by Myself
            And spreading out the earth all alone,
      25Causing the omens of boasters to fail,
            Making fools out of diviners,
            Causing wise men to draw back
            And turning their knowledge into foolishness,
      26Confirming the word of His servant
            And performing the purpose of His messengers.
            It is I who says of Jerusalem, ‘She shall be inhabited!’
            And of the cities of Judah, ‘They shall be built.’
            And I will raise up her ruins again.
      27“It is I who says to the depth of the sea, ‘Be dried up!’
            And I will make your rivers dry.
      28“It is I who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd!
            And he will perform all My desire.’
            And he declares of Jerusalem, ‘She will be built,’
            And of the temple, ‘Your foundation will be laid.’”

      3“Now gird up your loins like a man,
             And I will ask you, and you instruct Me!
      4“Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?
            Tell Me, if you have understanding,
      5Who set its measurements? Since you know.
            Or who stretched the line on it?
      6“On what were its bases sunk?
            Or who laid its cornerstone,
      7When the morning stars sang together
            And all the sons of God shouted for joy?
      8“Or who enclosed the sea with doors
            When, bursting forth, it went out from the womb;
      9When I made a cloud its garment
            And thick darkness its swaddling band,
      10And I placed boundaries on it
            And set a bolt and doors,
      11And I said, ‘Thus far you shall come, but no farther;
            And here shall your proud waves stop’?