1Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.
2By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.
Adam and Eve
4This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.
5Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth2:5 Or land; also in verse 6 and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no-one to work the ground, 6but streams2:6 Or mist came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7Then the Lord God formed a man2:7 The Hebrew for man (adam) sounds like and may be related to the Hebrew for ground (adamah); it is also the name Adam (see verse 20). from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground – trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12(The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin2:12 Or good; pearls and onyx are also there.) 13The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.2:13 Possibly south-east Mesopotamia 14The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16And the Lord God commanded the man, ‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.’
18The Lord God said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.’
19Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam2:20 Or the man no suitable helper was found. 21So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs2:21 Or took part of the man’s side and then closed up the place with flesh. 22Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib2:22 Or part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23The man said,
‘This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called “woman”,
for she was taken out of man.’
24That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
25Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.
1På den måde blev himlen og jorden og alt liv skabt. 2Skaberværket var nu fuldført, og Gud hvilede på den syvende dag. 3Han velsignede den og indviede den til hviledag.
Hvordan Gud skaber de to første mennesker
4Da Gud skabte verden, 5var der først ingen grønne planter eller buske på jorden, for han havde endnu ikke ladet det regne. Der var heller ingen mennesker til at dyrke jorden. 6Men der vældede vand frem af jorden og vandede dens overflade.
7Så formede Gud et menneske af jorden og blæste livsånde i dets næsebor, så det blev et levende væsen. 8Gud havde plantet en have i Eden mod øst, og dér anbragte han nu det menneske, som han havde skabt. 9Gud havde plantet alle slags smukke træer i haven, træer med en mængde frugt. Midt i haven stod livets træ og træet, der giver kendskab til både godt og ondt. 10I Eden udsprang en flod, som vandede haven. Uden for haven delte den sig i fire mindre floder. 11Den første flod hedder Pishon. Den bugter sig omkring landet Havila, hvor der findes guld 12af fin kvalitet samt bedellium2,12 Betydningen omstridt. Enten en perle eller en slags ædelsten eller en velduftende og kostbar salve fremstillet af saften fra et bestemt træ. og ædelsten. 13Den anden flod kaldes Gihon. Den løber gennem landet Kush. 14Den tredje flod kaldes Tigris. Den løber langs med Assyriens østgrænse. Den fjerde flod kaldes Eufrat.
15Gud satte mennesket, Adam, i Edens have, for at han skulle passe den, 16-17og han sagde til ham: „Du må spise frugten fra alle træerne i haven undtagen det træ, som giver kendskab til både godt og ondt. Hvis du spiser af den frugt, skal du dø.”
18Derpå sagde Gud: „Det er ikke godt for Adam at være alene. Jeg vil give ham en livsledsager,2,18 Mere ordret: „en hjælper, der passer til ham.” Også i v. 20. der passer til ham.” 19Gud havde af jorden formet alle slags dyr og fugle. Dem førte han nu hen til Adam for at se, hvad han ville kalde dem; og hvad Adam kaldte dem, blev deres navn. 20Adam navngav alle fuglene og de vilde og tamme dyr, men han fandt ikke nogen passende ledsager iblandt dem. 21Derfor lod Gud Adam falde i en dyb søvn. Mens han sov, tog Gud et af hans ribben og lukkede stedet til igen med kød. 22Af ribbenet byggede han en kvinde og førte hende hen til Adam.
23„Ja!” udbrød Adam. „Det er knogler af mine knogler og kød af mit kød! Hun skal hedde kvinde, for hun er taget ud af manden.2,23 På hebraisk er ordet for „kvinde” (isha) afledt af ordet for „mand” (ish).” 24Derfor skal en mand forlade sin far og mor og knytte sig nært til sin kone, og de to skal blive ét.
25Adam og hans kone var begge nøgne, men de skammede sig ikke over deres nøgenhed.
