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

  And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God
saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the
darkness. God called the light Day, and the darkness he called
Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.

  And God said, “Let there be an expanse in the midst of the
waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” And 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.
And God called the expanse Heaven. And there was evening and there
was morning, the second day.

  And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered
together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was
so. God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were
gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

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

  And 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, and let them be lights in the
expanse of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was
so. And God made the two great lights—the greater light to rule the
day and the lesser light to rule the night—and the stars. And God
set them in the expanse of the heavens to give light on the earth,
to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light
from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there was
evening and there was morning, the fourth day.

  And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living
creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of
the heavens.” So 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. And God blessed them, saying, “Be
fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let
birds multiply on the earth.” And there was evening and there was
morning, the fifth day.

  And 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. And 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.

  Then 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.”

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


      And 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.” And 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. And 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. And God saw everything that he had
made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there
was morning, the sixth day.

The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), copyright © 2001
by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by
permission. All rights reserved.