Genesis 1:1-23

When God created the heavens and the earth, the earth was completely formless and empty, with nothing but darkness draped over the deep. God’s Spirit hovered over the face of the waters. And then God announced, “Let there be light,” and light burst forth! And God saw the light as pleasing and beautiful; he used the light to dispel the darkness. God called the light “Day,” and the darkness “Night.” And so, evening gave way to morning—the first day. And God said, “Let there be a dome between the waters to separate the water above from the water below.” He made the dome and called it “Sky,” and separated the water above the dome from the water below the dome. Evening gave way to morning—day two. And God said, “Let the water beneath the sky be gathered into one place, and let the dry ground appear.” And so it happened. God called the dry ground “Land,” and the gathered waters he called “Seas.” And God saw the beauty of his creation, and he was very pleased. Then God said, “Let the land burst forth with growth: plants that bear seeds of their own kind, and every variety of fruit tree, each with power to multiply from its own seed.” And so it happened. The land flourished with grasses, every variety of seed-bearing plant, and trees bearing fruit with their seeds in them. And God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful. Evening gave way to morning—day three. And God said, “Let there be bright lights to shine in space to bathe the earth with their light. Let them serve as signs to separate the day from night, and signify the days, seasons, and years.” And so it happened. God made two great lights: the brighter light to rule the day and the lesser light to rule the night. He also spread the tapestry of shining stars and set them all in the sky to illuminate the earth, to rule over the day and to rule over the night, and to separate the light from darkness. God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful. Evening gave way to morning—day four. God said, “Let there be life! Let the waters swarm with sea life, and let the sky be filled with soaring birds of every kind.” God created huge sea creatures and every living creature that moves of every kind—swarming in the water and flying in the sky, according to their species. God loved what he saw, for it was beautiful. God blessed them, saying, “Reproduce and be fruitful! Fill the waters of the sea with life, and the earth with flying birds!” Evening gave way to morning—day five.