1-2. First this: God created the Heavens and Earth—all you see, all you don’t see. Earth was a soup of nothingness, a bottomless emptiness, an inky blackness. God’s Spirit brooded like a bird above the watery abyss.
11-13. God spoke: “Earth, green up! Grow all varietiesof seed-bearing plants,Every sort of fruit-bearing tree.”And there it was.Earth produced green seed-bearing plants,all varieties,And fruit-bearing trees of all sorts.God saw that it was good.It was evening, it was morning—Day Three.
14-15. God spoke: “Lights! Come out!Shine in Heaven’s sky!Separate Day from Night.Mark seasons and days and years,Lights in Heaven’s sky to give light to Earth.”And there it was.
16-19. God made two big lights, the largerto take charge of Day,The smaller to be in charge of Night;and he made the stars.God placed them in the heavenly skyto light up EarthAnd oversee Day and Night,to separate light and dark.God saw that it was good.It was evening, it was morning—Day Four.
20-23. God spoke: “Swarm, Ocean, with fish and all sea life!Birds, fly through the sky over Earth!”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.God blessed them: “Prosper! Reproduce! Fill Ocean!Birds, reproduce on Earth!”It was evening, it was morning—Day Five.