F I R S T PA G E S

Genesis

n the beginn ing God created the heavens and the e arth. Now
the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of
the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
And God said, Let there be light, and there was light. God saw that
the l ight was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God
called the l ight day, and the darkness he called night. And t here was
evening, and there was morning the f irst day.
And God said, Let there be a vault between the waters to separate
water from water. So God made the vault and separated the water un
der the vault from the water above it. And it was so. God c alled the vault
sky. And there was evening, and t here was morningthe second d
ay.
And God said, Let the water under the sky be gathered to one p
lace, and
let dry g round appear. And it was so. God c alled the dry g round land,
and the gathered waters he c alled seas. And God saw that it was good.
Then God said, Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing p
lants
and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their
various k inds. And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bear
ing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing f ruit with seed in it
according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And t here was
evening, and there was morning the third day.
And God said, Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate
the day from the n
ight, and let them s erve as s igns to mark s acred times,
and days and years, and let them be l ights in the v ault of the sky to give
light on the e arth. And it was so. God made two great lightsthe greater
light to govern the day and the lesser l ight to govern the n
ight. He also
made the s tars. God set them in the v ault of the sky to give l ight on the
earth, to govern the day and the n
ight, and to separate light from dark
ness. And God saw that it was good. And t here was evening, and there
was morning the fourth day.
And God said, Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds
fly above the earth a cross the vault of the sky. So God created the great
creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems
and that moves about in it, according to t heir k
inds, and every w
inged
bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. God blessed
them and said, Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in
1

9780310446613_NIV_Readers_Bible_p1.indd 1

11/18/16 1:37 PM