World English Bible, British Edition
Genesis • Chapter 1
1
In the beginning, God (Elohim) created the heavens and the
earth.
2
The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep
and God (Elohim)’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3
God (Elohim) said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4
God (Elohim) saw the light, and saw that it was good. God (Elohim) divided the light from
the darkness.
5
God (Elohim) called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There
was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6
God (Elohim) said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters,
and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
7
God (Elohim) made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse
from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
8
God (Elohim) called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning,
a second day.
9
God (Elohim) said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to
one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so.
10
God (Elohim) called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters
he called “seas”. God (Elohim) saw that it was good.
11
God (Elohim) said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit
trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth;” and it was so.
12
The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees
bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after their kind; and God (Elohim) saw that it was good.
13
There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14
God (Elohim) said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide
the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years;
15
and let them be for lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on
the earth;” and it was so.
16
God (Elohim) made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and
the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars.
17
God (Elohim) set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth,
18
and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light
from the darkness. God (Elohim) saw that it was good.
19
There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20
God (Elohim) said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let
birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”
21
God (Elohim) created the large sea creatures and every living creature that moves,
with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God (Elohim) saw that it
was good.
22
God (Elohim) blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters
in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23
There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24
God (Elohim) said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their
kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;” and it was so.
25
God (Elohim) made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock
after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God (Elohim) saw that it was good.
26
God (Elohim) said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. Let
them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and
over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
27
God (Elohim) created man in his own image. In God (Elohim)’s image he created him; male
and female he created them.
28
God (Elohim) blessed them. God (Elohim) said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the
earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every
living thing that moves on the earth.”
29
God (Elohim) said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all
the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.
30
To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything
that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was
so.
31
God (Elohim) saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very
good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.