Nature
Now the earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep. God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” There was evening and there was morning, one day.
God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
God made the expanse, and divided the waters which were under the expanse from the waters which were above the expanse; and it was so.
God called the expanse “sky.” There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so.
God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas.” God saw that it was good.
God said, “Let the earth put forth grass, herbs yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with its seed in it, on the earth;” and it was so.
The earth brought forth grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with its seed in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years;
God made the two great lights: the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night. He also made the stars.
God set them in the expanse of sky to give light to the earth,
and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of sky.”
God created the large sea creatures, and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarmed, after their kind, and every winged bird after its kind. God saw that it was good.
God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;” and it was so.
God made the animals of the earth after their kind, and the livestock after their kind, and everything that creeps on the ground after its kind. God saw that it was good.
God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the sky, and over the livestock, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.”
God blessed them. God said to them, “Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth, and subdue it. Have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”
To every animal of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to everything that creeps on the earth, in which there is life, I have given every green herb for food;” and it was so.
God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work which he had created and made.
This is the history of the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that Yahweh God made the earth and the heavens.
No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for Yahweh God had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground,
but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground.
Out of the ground Yahweh God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became four heads.
The name of the first is Pishon: this is the one which flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;
and the gold of that land is good. There is aromatic resin and the onyx stone.
The name of the second river is Gihon: the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush.
The name of the third river is Hiddekel: this is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
Yahweh God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.
but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die.”
Out of the ground Yahweh God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.
Yahweh God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.
Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which Yahweh God had made. He said to the woman, “Has God really said, ‘You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’”
The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t surely die,
Yahweh God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
Yahweh God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
To the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
Thorns also and thistles will it bring forth to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.
By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”
Yahweh God made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.
Therefore Yahweh God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
So he drove out the man; and he placed Cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
Joseph died, as did all his brothers, and all that generation.
The king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah,
and he said, “When you perform the duty of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birth stool; if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”
But the midwives feared God, and didn’t do what the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the baby boys alive.
The king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and have saved the boys alive?”
The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous, and give birth before the midwife comes to them.”
It happened, because the midwives feared God, that he gave them families.
It happened in the days when the judges judged, that there was a famine in the land. A certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to live in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.
Elimelech, Naomi’s husband, died; and she was left, and her two sons.
Mahlon and Chilion both died, and the woman was bereaved of her two children and of her husband.
Go back, my daughters, go your way; for I am too old to have a husband. If I should say, ‘I have hope,’ if I should even have a husband tonight, and should also bear sons;
would you then wait until they were grown? Would you then refrain from having husbands? No, my daughters, for it grieves me much for your sakes, for the hand of Yahweh has gone out against me.”
Also pull out some for her from the bundles, and leave it, and let her glean, and don’t rebuke her.”
Now isn’t Boaz our kinsman, with whose maidens you were? Behold, he winnows barley tonight in the threshing floor.
For Yahweh knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked shall perish.
“Let’s break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us.”
You have put gladness in my heart, more than when their grain and their new wine are increased.
For they themselves report concerning us what kind of a reception we had from you; and how you turned to God from idols, to serve a living and true God,
Angels who didn’t keep their first domain, but deserted their own dwelling place, he has kept in everlasting bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day.
But Michael, the archangel, when contending with the devil and arguing about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him an abusive condemnation, but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!”
But these speak evil of whatever things they don’t know. What they understand naturally, like the creatures without reason, they are destroyed in these things.
These are hidden rocky reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you, shepherds who without fear feed themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn leaves without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
and some save, snatching them out of the fire with fear, hating even the clothing stained by the flesh.
Now to him who is able to keep them from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory in great joy,
to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.