Genesis 1 - 1599 Geneva Bible (GNV)

The First Book of Moses, called ^[a]Genesis

1 1 God created the heaven and the earth. 3 The light and the darkness, 8 The firmament, 9 He separateth the water from the earth. 16 He createth the sun, the moon, and the stars. 21 He createth the fish, birds, beasts, 26 He createth man, and giveth him rule over all creatures, 29 And provideth nurture for man and beast.

¹ In the ^[b]beginning ^(A)God created the heaven and the earth.

² And the earth was ^[c][d]without form and void, and ^[e]darkness was upon the ^[f]deep, and the Spirit of God ^[g]moved upon the ^[h]waters.

³ Then God said, ^(B)Let there be light: And there was ^[i]light.

⁴ And God saw the light that it was good, and God separated ^[j]the light from the darkness.

⁵ And God called the Light, Day, and the darkness he called Night. ^[k]So the evening and the morning were the first day.

⁶ ¶ Again God said, ^(C)Let there be a ^[l]firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.

⁷ Then God made the firmament, and separated the waters, which were ^[m]under the firmament, from the waters which were ^(D)above the firmament: and it was so.

⁸ And God called the firmament, ^[n]Heaven. So the evening and the morning were the second day.

⁹ ¶ God said again, ^(E)Let the waters under the heaven be gathered into one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

¹⁰ And God called the dry land, Earth, and he called the gathering together of the waters, Seas: and God saw that it was good.

¹¹ Then God said, ^[o]Let the earth bud forth the bud of the herb, that seedeth seed, the fruitful tree, which beareth fruit according to his kind, which hath his seed in itself upon the earth: and it was so.

¹² And the earth brought forth the bud of the herb, that seedeth seed according to his kind, also the tree that beareth fruit, which hath his seed in itself according to his kind: and God ^[p]saw that it was good.

¹³ So the evening and the morning were the third day.

¹⁴ ¶ And God said, ^(F)Let there be ^[q]lights in the firmament of the heaven, to ^[r]separate the day from the night, and let them be for ^[s]signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years.

¹⁵ And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

¹⁶ God then made two great ^[t]lights: the greater light to ^[u]rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made also the stars.

¹⁷ And God set them in the firmament of the heaven, to shine upon the earth,

¹⁸ And to ^(G)rule in the day, and in the night, and to separate the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

¹⁹ So the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

²⁰ Afterward God said, Let the waters bring forth in abundance every ^[v]creeping thing that hath ^[w]life: and let the fowl fly upon the earth in the ^[x]open firmament of the heaven.

²¹ Then God created the great whales, and everything living and moving, which the ^[y]waters brought forth in abundance according to their kind, and every feathered fowl according to his kind: and God saw that it was good.

²² Then God ^[z]blessed them, saying, Bring forth fruit and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let the fowl multiply in the earth.

²³ So the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

²⁴ ¶ Moreover God said, Let the earth bring forth the ^[aa]living thing according to his kind, cattle, and that which creepeth, and the beast of the earth according to his kind, and it was so.

²⁵ And God made the beast of the earth according to his kind, and the cattle according to his kind, and every creeping thing of the earth according to his kind: and God saw that it was good.

²⁶ Furthermore God said, ^(H)[ab]Let us make man in our ^[ac]image according to our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heaven, and over the beasts, and over all the earth, and over everything that creepeth and moveth on the earth.

²⁷ Thus God created the man in his image: in the image of God created he him: he created them ^(I)male and female.

²⁸ And God ^[ad]blessed them, and God said to them, ^(J)Bring forth fruit, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the heaven, and over every beast that moveth upon the earth.

²⁹ And God said, Behold, I have given unto you ^[ae]every herb bearing seed, which is upon all the earth, and every tree, wherein is the fruit of a tree bearing seed: ^(K)that shall be to you for meat.

³⁰ Likewise to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the heaven, and to everything that moveth upon the earth, which hath life in itself, every green herb shall be for meat, and it was so.

^{31 (L)}And God saw all that he had made, and lo, it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Footnotes

1. Genesis 1:1 This word signifieth the beginning and generation of the creatures.
2. Genesis 1:1 First of all, and before that any creature was, God made heaven and earth of nothing.
3. Genesis 1:2 As a rude lump and without any creature in it: for the waters covered all.
4. Genesis 1:2 Or, waste.
5. Genesis 1:2 Darkness covered the deep waters, for as yet the light was not created.
6. Genesis 1:2 Hebrew, face of the deep.
7. Genesis 1:2 He maintained this confused heap by his secret power.
8. Genesis 1:2 Hebrew, face of the waters.
9. Genesis 1:3 The light was made before either Sun or Moon was created: therefore we must not attribute that to the creatures that are God’s instruments, which only appertaineth to God.
10. Genesis 1:4 Hebrew, between the light, and between the darkness.
11. Genesis 1:5 Hebrew, so was the evening, so was the morning.
12. Genesis 1:6 Or, spreading over, and air.
13. Genesis 1:7 As the sea and rivers, from those waters that are in the clouds, which are upheld by God’s power, lest they should overwhelm the world.
14. Genesis 1:8 That is, the region of the air, and all that is above us.
15. Genesis 1:11 So that we see it is the only power of God’s word that maketh the earth fruitful, which else naturally is barren.
16. Genesis 1:12 This sentence is so oft repeated, to signify that God made all his creatures to serve to his glory, and to the profit of man: but for sin they were accursed, yet to the elect, by Christ they are restored, and serve to their wealth.
17. Genesis 1:14 By the lights he meaneth the Sun, the Moon, and the Stars.
18. Genesis 1:14 Which is the artificial day, from the Sun rising, to the going down.
19. Genesis 1:14 Of things appertaining to natural and political orders and seasons.
20. Genesis 1:16 To wit, the Sun and the Moon, and here he speaketh, as man judgeth by his eye: for else the Moon is less than the planet Saturn.
21. Genesis 1:16 To give it sufficient light, as instruments appointed for the same, to serve to man’s use.
22. Genesis 1:20 As fish and worms which slide, swim, or creep.
23. Genesis 1:20 Hebrew, the soul of life.
24. Genesis 1:20 Hebrew, face of the firmament.
25. Genesis 1:21 The fish and fowls had both one beginning, wherein we see that nature giveth place to God’s will, forasmuch as the one sort is made to fly about in the air, and the other to swim beneath in the water.
26. Genesis 1:22 That is, by the virtue of his word he gave power to his creatures to engender.
27. Genesis 1:24 Hebrew, soul of life.
28. Genesis 1:26 God commanded the water and the earth to bring forth other creatures: but of man he saith, Let us make: signifying, that God taketh counsel with his wisdom and virtue, purposing to make an excellent work above all the rest of his creation.
29. Genesis 1:26 This image and likeness of God in man is expounded, Eph. 4:24, where it is written that man was created after God in righteousness and true holiness, meaning by these two words, all perfection, as wisdom, truth, innocence, power, etc.
30. Genesis 1:28 The propagation of man is the blessing of God, Ps. 128.
31. Genesis 1:29 God’s great liberality to man, taketh away all excuse of his ingratitude.

Cross references

1. Genesis 1:1 : Ps. 33:6; Ps. 136:5; Acts 14:15; Acts 17:24
2. Genesis 1:3 : Heb. 11:3
3. Genesis 1:6 : Ps. 33:6; Ps. 136:5; Jer. 10:12; Jer. 51:15
4. Genesis 1:7 : Ps. 148:4
5. Genesis 1:9 : Ps. 33:7; Ps. 89:11; Ps. 136:6; Job 38:4
6. Genesis 1:14 : Ps. 136:7; Deut. 4:19
7. Genesis 1:18 : Jer. 31:35
8. Genesis 1:26 : Gen. 5:1; Gen. 9:6; 2 Cor. 11:7; Col. 3:10
9. Genesis 1:27 : Matt. 19:4
10. Genesis 1:28 : Gen. 8:17; Gen. 9:1
11. Genesis 1:29 : Gen. 9:3
12. Genesis 1:31 : Exod. 31:17; Mark 7:37