New Living Translation NLT
The Message Bible MSG
1 In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
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First this: God created the Heavens and Earth - all you see, all you don't see.
2 The earth was formless and empty, and darkness covered the deep waters. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the surface of the waters.
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Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God's Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.
3 Then God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
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God spoke: "Light!" And light appeared.
4 And God saw that the light was good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.
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God saw that light was good and separated light from dark.
5 God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
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God named the light Day, he named the dark Night. It was evening, it was morning - Day One.
6 Then God said, “Let there be a space between the waters, to separate the waters of the heavens from the waters of the earth.”
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God spoke: "Sky! In the middle of the waters; separate water from water!"
7 And that is what happened. God made this space to separate the waters of the earth from the waters of the heavens.
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God made sky. He separated the water under sky from the water above sky. And there it was:
8 God called the space “sky.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the second day.
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he named sky the Heavens; It was evening, it was morning - Day Two.
9 Then God said, “Let the waters beneath the sky flow together into one place, so dry ground may appear.” And that is what happened.
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God spoke: "Separate! Water-beneath-Heaven, gather into one place; Land, appear!" And there it was.
10 God called the dry ground “land” and the waters “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
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God named the land Earth. He named the pooled water Ocean. God saw that it was good.
11 Then God said, “Let the land sprout with vegetation—every sort of seed-bearing plant, and trees that grow seed-bearing fruit. These seeds will then produce the kinds of plants and trees from which they came.” And that is what happened.
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God spoke: "Earth, green up! Grow all varieties of seed-bearing plants, Every sort of fruit-bearing tree." And there it was.
12 The land produced vegetation—all sorts of seed-bearing plants, and trees with seed-bearing fruit. Their seeds produced plants and trees of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
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Earth produced green seed-bearing plants, all varieties, And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts. God saw that it was good.
13 And evening passed and morning came, marking the third day.
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It was evening, it was morning - Day Three.
14 Then God said, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate the day from the night. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, days, and years.
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God spoke: "Lights! Come out! Shine in Heaven's sky! Separate Day from Night. Mark seasons and days and years,
15 Let these lights in the sky shine down on the earth.” And that is what happened.
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Lights in Heaven's sky to give light to Earth." And there it was.
16 God made two great lights—the larger one to govern the day, and the smaller one to govern the night. He also made the stars.
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God made two big lights, the larger to take charge of Day, The smaller to be in charge of Night; and he made the stars.
17 God set these lights in the sky to light the earth,
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God placed them in the heavenly sky to light up Earth
18 to govern the day and night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
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And oversee Day and Night, to separate light and dark. God saw that it was good.
19 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fourth day.
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It was evening, it was morning - Day Four.
20 Then God said, “Let the waters swarm with fish and other life. Let the skies be filled with birds of every kind.”
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God spoke: "Swarm, Ocean, with fish and all sea life! Birds, fly through the sky over Earth!"
21 So God created great sea creatures and every living thing that scurries and swarms in the water, and every sort of bird—each producing offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
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God created the huge whales, all the swarm of life in the waters, And every kind and species of flying birds. God saw that it was good.
22 Then God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply. Let the fish fill the seas, and let the birds multiply on the earth.”
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God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Ocean! Birds, reproduce on Earth!"
23 And evening passed and morning came, marking the fifth day.
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It was evening, it was morning - Day Five.
24 Then God said, “Let the earth produce every sort of animal, each producing offspring of the same kind—livestock, small animals that scurry along the ground, and wild animals.” And that is what happened.
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God spoke: "Earth, generate life! Every sort and kind: cattle and reptiles and wild animals - all kinds." And there it was:
25 God made all sorts of wild animals, livestock, and small animals, each able to produce offspring of the same kind. And God saw that it was good.
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wild animals of every kind, Cattle of all kinds, every sort of reptile and bug. God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us. They will reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, the livestock, all the wild animals on the earth, and the small animals that scurry along the ground.”
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God spoke: "Let us make human beings in our image, make them reflecting our nature So they can be responsible for the fish in the sea, the birds in the air, the cattle, And, yes, Earth itself, and every animal that moves on the face of Earth."
27 So God created human beings in his own image. In the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.
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God created human beings; he created them godlike, Reflecting God's nature. He created them male and female.
28 Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply. Fill the earth and govern it. Reign over the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the animals that scurry along the ground.”
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God blessed them: "Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Earth! Take charge! Be responsible for fish in the sea and birds in the air, for every living thing that moves on the face of Earth."
29 Then God said, “Look! I have given you every seed-bearing plant throughout the earth and all the fruit trees for your food.
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Then God said, "I've given you every sort of seed-bearing plant on Earth And every kind of fruit-bearing tree, given them to you for food.
30 And I have given every green plant as food for all the wild animals, the birds in the sky, and the small animals that scurry along the ground—everything that has life.” And that is what happened.
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To all animals and all birds, everything that moves and breathes, I give whatever grows out of the ground for food." And there it was.
31 Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day.
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God looked over everything he had made; it was so good, so very good! It was evening, it was morning - Day Six.
Holy Bible. New Living Translation copyright© 1996, 2004, 2007, 2013 by
Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.