When the earth was as yet unformed and desolate, with the surface of the ocean depths shrouded in darkness, and while the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters,

calling the light "day," and the darkness "night." The twilight and the dawn were day one.

So God made a canopy that separated the water beneath the canopy from the water above it. And that is what happened:

God called the canopy "sky." The twilight and the dawn were the second day.

Then God said, "Let the water beneath the sky come together into one area, and let dry ground appear!" And that is what happened:

God called the dry ground "land," and he called the water that had come together "oceans." And God saw how good it was.

Then God said, "Let vegetation sprout all over the earth, including seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each kind containing its own seed!" And that is what happened:

Vegetation sprouted all over the earth, including seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each kind containing its own seed. And God saw that it was good.

The twilight and the dawn were the third day.

Then God said, "Let there be lights across the sky to distinguish day from night, to act as signs for seasons, days, and years,

to serve as lights in the sky, and to shine on the earth!" And that is what happened:

God fashioned two great lights the larger light to shine during the day and the smaller light to shine during the night as well as stars.

to differentiate between day and night, and to distinguish light from darkness. And God saw how good it was.

The twilight and the dawn were the fourth day.

Then God said, "Let the oceans swarm with living creatures, and let flying creatures soar above the earth throughout the sky!"

So God created every kind of magnificent marine creature, every kind of living marine crawler with which the waters swarmed, and every kind of flying creature. And God saw how good it was.

God blessed them by saying, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the oceans. Let the birds multiply throughout the earth!"

The twilight and the dawn were the fifth day.

Then God said, "Let the earth bring forth each kind of living creature, each kind of livestock and crawling thing, and each kind of earth's animals!" And that is what happened:

God made each kind of the earth's animals, along with every kind of livestock and crawling thing. And God saw how good it was.

Then God said, "Let us make mankind in our image, to be like us. Let them be masters over the fish in the ocean, the birds that fly, the livestock, everything that crawls on the earth, and over the earth itself!"

So God created mankind in his own image; in his own image God created them; he created them male and female.

God blessed the humans by saying to them, "Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it! Be masters over the fish in the ocean, the birds that fly, and every living thing that crawls on the earth!"

I have given all green plants as food for every wild animal of the earth, every bird that flies, and to every living thing that crawls on the earth." And that is what happened.

Now God saw all that he had made, and indeed, it was very good! The twilight and the dawn were the sixth day.

With this the heavens and the earth were completed, including all of their vast array.

Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God stopped working on everything that he had been creating.

These are the records of the universe at its creation. Onthe day that the LORD God made the earth and skies,

no shrubs had yet grown in the meadows of the earth and no vegetation had sprouted, because the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there were no human beings to work the ground.

Instead, an underground stream would arise out of the earth and water the surface of the ground.

So the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground, breathed life into his lungs, and the man became a living being.

The LORD God caused every tree that is both beautiful and suitable for food to spring up out of the ground. The tree of life was also in the middle of the garden, along with the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

A river flows from Eden to water the garden, and from there it divides, becoming four branches.

The gold of that land is pure; bdellium and onyx are also found there.

The LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden in order to have him work it and guard it.

but you are not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, because you will certainly die during the day that you eat from it."

After the LORD God formed from the ground every wild animal and every bird that flies, he brought each of them to the man to see what he would call it. Whatever the man called each living creature became its name.

The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds that fly, and to each of earth's animals, but there was not found a strength corresponding to him,

When the man was asleep, he removed one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh where it had been. Then the LORD God formed the rib that he had taken from the man into a woman and brought her to the man.

So the man exclaimed, "At last! This is bone from my bones and flesh from my flesh. This one will be called "Woman,' because she was taken from Man."

(Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother and cling to his wife, and they will become one flesh.)

Even though both the man and his wife were naked, they were not ashamed about it.

"Even God knows that on the day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened and you'll become like God, knowing good and evil."

When the woman saw that the tree produced good food, was attractive in appearance, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. Then she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate some, too.

As a result, they both understood what they had done, and they became aware that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Whenthey heard the voice of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden during the breeze of the day, the man and his wife concealed themselves from the presence of the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

"I heard your voice in the garden," the man answered, "and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid from you."

The man answered, "The woman whom you provided for me gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate some of it."

The LORD God told the Shining One, "Because you have done this, you are more cursed than all the livestock, and more than all the earth's animals, You'll crawl on your belly and eat dust as long as you live.

"I'll place hostility between you and the woman, between your offspring and her offspring. He'll strike you on the head, and you'll strike him on the heel."

He told the woman, "I'll greatly increase the pain of your labor during childbirth. It will be painful for you to bear children, "since your trust is turning toward your husband, and he will dominate you."

He told the man, "Because you have listened to what your wife said, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, "You must not eat from it,' cursed is the ground because of you. You'll eat from it through pain-filled labor for the rest of your life.

It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you'll eat the plants from the meadows.

You will eat food by the sweat of your brow until you're buried in the ground, because you were taken from it. You're made from dust and you'll return to dust."

The LORD God fashioned garments from animal skins for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

Later, the LORD God said, "Look! The man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, so he won't reach out, also take from the tree of life, eat, and then live forever "

After he had expelled the man, the LORD God placed winged angels at the eastern end of the garden of Eden, along with a fiery, turning sword, to prevent access to the tree of life.

Later, Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "I have given birth to a male child the LORD."

And she did it again, giving birth to his brother Abel. Abel shepherded flocks and Cain became a farmer.

while Abel brought the best parts of some of the firstborn from his flock. The LORD looked favorably upon Abel and his offering,

but he did not look favorably upon Cain and his offering.

When Cain became very upset and depressed, the LORD asked Cain, "Why are you so upset? Why are you depressed?

Instead, Cain told his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the wilderness." When they were outside in the fields, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

Whenever you work the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you, and you'll wander throughout the earth as a fugitive."

"You're driving me from the soil today. I'll be hidden from you, and I'll wander throughout the earth as a fugitive. In the future, whoever finds me will kill me."

After this, Cain left the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Later, Cain had sexual relations with his wife. She became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain founded a city and named it after his son Enoch.

Irad was born to Enoch. Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech.

Later, Lamech married two wives. One was named Adah and the other was named Zillah.

Adah gave birth to Jabal, who became the ancestor of those who live in tents and herd livestock.

His brother was named Jubal; he became the ancestor of all those who play the lyre and the flute.

Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, who became a forger of bronze and iron work. Tubal-cain's sister was Naamah.

Lamech told his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to what I have to say: You wives of Lamech, hear what I'm announcing! I've killed a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me.

Later on, after Adam had sexual relations with his wife, she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, because "God granted me another offspring to replace Abel, since Cain murdered him."

Creating them male and female, he blessed them and called them humans when he created them.

After Adam had lived 130 years, he fathered a son just like him, that is, according to his own likeness, and named him Seth.

Adam lived another 800 years, fathering other sons and daughters after he had fathered Seth.

Adam lived a total of 930 years, and then died.

After he fathered Enosh, Seth lived 807 years, fathering other sons and daughters.

Seth lived a total of 912 years, and then died.

After he fathered Kenan, Enosh lived 815 years, fathering other sons and daughters.

Enosh lived a total of 905 years, and then died.

After he fathered Mahalalel, Kenan lived 840 years, fathering other sons and daughters.

Kenan lived a total of 910 years, and then died.

After he fathered Jared, Mahalalel lived 830 years, fathering other sons and daughters.

Mahalalel lived a total of 895 years, and then died.

After he fathered Enoch, Jared lived 800 years, fathering other sons and daughters.

Jared lived a total of 962 years, and then died.

After he fathered Methuselah, Enoch communed with God for 300 years and fathered other sons and daughters.

communing with God and then he was there no longer, because God had taken him.

After he fathered Lamech, Methuselah lived 782 years, fathering other sons and daughters.

Methuselah lived a total of 969 years, and then died.

whom he named Noah, because he said, "May this one comfort us from our work, from pain that is caused by our manual labor, and from the ground that the LORD has cursed."

After he fathered Noah, Lamech lived 595 years, fathering other sons and daughters.

Lamech lived a total of 777 years, and then died.

After Noah had lived 500 years, he fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

Now after the population of human beings had increased throughout the earth, and daughters had been born to them,

The Nephilim were on the earth at that time (and also immediately afterward), when those divine beings were having sexual relations with those human women, who gave birth to children for them. These children became the heroes and legendary figures of ancient times.

The LORD saw that human evil was growing more and more throughout the earth, with every inclination of people's thoughts becoming only evil on a continuous basis.

Then the LORD regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and he was deeply grieved about that.