起初，上帝创造天地。地是空虚混沌；深渊上一片黑暗；上帝的灵运行在水面上。上帝说：“要有光！”就有了光。上帝看光是好的，他就把光暗分开了。上帝称光为昼，称暗为夜。有晚上，有早晨；这是第一日。

上帝说：“众水之间要有穹苍，把水和水分开！”事就这样成了。 上帝造了穹苍，把穹苍以下的水和穹苍以上的水分开了。上帝称穹苍为天。有晚上，有早晨；这是第二日。

上帝说：“天下的水要聚在一处，使旱地露出来！”事就这样成了。上帝称旱地为地，称水的聚处为海。上帝看这是好的。

上帝说：“地上要长出青草、结种子的蔬菜和结果子的树木，各从其类，在地上的果子都包着核！”事就这样成了。于是，地上长出了青草和结种子的蔬菜，各从其类；又长出结果子的树木，各从其类，果子都包着核。上帝看这是好的。有晚上，有早晨；这是第三日。

上帝说：“在天上穹苍中，要有光体来分昼夜；这些光体要作为记号，定节令、日子和年岁； 它们要在天上穹苍中发光，照耀地上！”事就这样成了。 于是，上帝造了两个大光体，大的管昼，小的管夜；又造了星星。上帝把这些光体安放在天上穹苍中，照耀地上，管昼夜，分光暗。上帝看这是好的。有晚上，有早晨；这是第四日。

上帝说：“水要滋长生物；地上和天空之中，要有雀鸟飞翔！”于是，上帝创造了大鱼和在水中滋生各种能活动的生物，各从其类；又创造了各种有翅膀的飞鸟，各从其类。上帝看这是好的。上帝就赐福给它们，说：“要繁殖增多，充满海洋；雀鸟也要在地上增多！”有晚上，有早晨；这是第五日。

上帝说：“地上要生出活物来，各从其类；牲畜、昆虫和地上的野兽，各从其类！”事就这样成了。于是，上帝造了地上的野兽，各从其类；牲畜，各从其类；地上的各种昆虫，各从其类。 上帝看这是好的。

上帝说：“我们要照着我们的形象，按着我们的样式造人；使他们管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟、地上的牲畜，以及全地，和地上所有爬行的生物！”

于是，上帝照着自己的形象创造人；就是照着他的形象创造了人；他所创造的有男有女。

上帝就赐福给他们，对他们说：“要繁殖增多，充满这地，征服它；也要管理海里的鱼、空中的鸟和地上爬行的所有生物。”

上帝说：“看哪！我把全地上结种子的各样蔬菜，和一切果树上有种子的果子，都赐给你们作食物。 至于地上的各种野兽，空中的各种飞鸟，和地上爬行有生命的各种活物，我把一切青草蔬菜赐给它们作食物。”事就这样成了。

上帝看他所造的一切都很好。有晚上，有早晨；这是第六日。

讨论问题

1.   上帝创造世界的过程是否被科学验证为正确的次序？为什么？

2.   在上帝创造太阳和地球之前，怎么会有“一日”？你是怎么来解释的？

3.   为什么上帝要造人类？

4.   当初上帝为人类创造了什么样的食物？

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 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 light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

And God said, “Let there be an expanse between the waters to separate water from water.”  So God made the expanse and separated the water under the expanse from the water above it. And it was so. God called the expanse “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the land produce vegetation: seed-bearing plants and trees on the land that bear fruit with seed in it, according to their various kinds.” And it was so. The land produced vegetation: plants bearing seed according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed in it according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark seasons and days and years, and let them be lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth, to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. And there 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 across the expanse of the sky.” So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living and moving thing with which the water teems, according to their kinds, and every winged 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 the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, creatures that move along the ground, and wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. God made the wild animals according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and all the creatures that move along the ground according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good. 

Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and over every living creature that moves on the ground.” 

 Then God said, “I give you every seed-bearing plant on the face of the whole earth and every tree that has fruit with seed in it. They will be yours for food. And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air and all the creatures that move on the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.

Discussion Questions

1.   From scientific verification, is the creation in a good order? Why and Why not?

2.   Before God created the sun or the earth, how come there was a “day”? Can you explain that?

3.   Why did God create human beings?

4.   What was the food that God created for human beings to eat, at the beginning?