The Beginning
1In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. 2Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.
3And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. 4God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness. 5God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
6And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.” 7So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so. 8God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.
9And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so. 10God called the dry ground “land,” and the gathered waters he called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.
11Then 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. 12The 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. 13And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.
14And God said, “Let there be lights in the vault of the sky to separate the day from the night, and let them serve as signs to mark sacred times, and days and years, 15and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so. 16God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars. 17God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth, 18to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.
20And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.” 21So God created the great creatures of the sea and every living thing with which the water teems and that moves about in it, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22God 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.” 23And there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.
24And God said, “Let the land produce living creatures according to their kinds: the livestock, the creatures that move along the ground, and the wild animals, each according to its kind.” And it was so. 25God 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.
26Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,1:26 Probable reading of the original Hebrew text (see Syriac); Masoretic Text the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
27So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.
28God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”
29Then 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. 30And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so.
31God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.
Chiyambi cha Chilengedwe
1Pachiyambi Mulungu analenga kumwamba ndi dziko lapansi. 2Dziko lapansi linali losakonzedwa ndi lopanda kanthu. Mdima wandiweyani unakuta nyanja ndipo Mzimu wa Mulungu unkayendayenda pamwamba pa madziwo.
3Pamenepo Mulungu anati, “Kuwale” ndipo kunawaladi. 4Mulungu anaona kuti kuwalako kunali bwino ndipo Iye analekanitsa kuwala ndi mdima. 5Mulungu anatcha kuwalako “usana” ndipo mdima anawutcha “usiku.” Ndipo panali madzulo ndiponso mmawa pa tsiku loyamba.
6Kenaka Mulungu anati, “Pakhale thambo pakati pa madzi kuti lilekanitse madzi a mʼmwamba ndi madzi a pansi.” 7Ndipo Mulungu anapanga thambo nalekanitsa madzi amene anali pansi ndi pamwamba pa thambo lija, ndipo zinachitikadi. 8Mulungu anatcha thambo lija “kumwamba.” Ndipo panali madzulo ndiponso mmawa pa tsiku lachiwiri.
9Mulungu anati, “Madzi a pansi pa thambo asonkhane pa malo amodzi kuti mtunda uwoneke,” ndipo zinachitikadi. 10Mulungu anawutcha mtundawo “dziko,” madzi osonkhana pamodziwo anawatcha “nyanja.” Ndipo Mulungu anaona kuti zinali bwino.
11Kenaka Mulungu anati, “Dziko libereke zomera zobala mbewu, mitengo yobala zipatso za mbewu, molingana ndi mitundu yake.” Ndipo zinachitikadi. 12Dziko linabereka zomera zokhala ndi mbewu monga mwa mitundu yake ndi mitengo yokhala ndi zipatso za mbewu mʼkati mwake monga mwa mitundu yake. Ndipo Mulungu anaona kuti zinali bwino. 13Ndipo panali madzulo ndiponso mmawa pa tsiku lachitatu.
14Mulungu anati, “Pakhale zowunikira kuthambo kuti zilekanitse usana ndi usiku. Ndipo zimenezi zikhale zizindikiro zoonetsa nyengo, masiku ndi zaka; 15zikhale kuthambo kuti ziwunikire pa dziko lapansi. Ndipo zinachitikadi.” 16Mulungu anapanga zowunikira zazikulu ziwiri; chachikulu chilamulire usana ndi chachingʼono chilamulire usiku. Iye anapanganso nyenyezi. 17Mulungu anaziyika mlengalenga kuti ziziwunikira pa dziko lapansi, 18kuti zilamulire usana ndi usiku, ndi kuti zilekanitse kuwala ndi mdima. Mulungu anaona kuti zinali bwino. 19Ndipo panali madzulo ndiponso mmawa pa tsiku lachinayi.
20Mulungu anati, “Mʼmadzi mukhale zamoyo zochuluka ndipo mbalame ziwuluke mlengalenga pamwamba pa dziko lapansi.” 21Choncho Mulungu analenga zamoyo zikuluzikulu za mʼnyanja ndi chamoyo chamtundu uliwonse chokhala mʼmadzi ndi mbalame iliyonse ya mapiko monga mwa mtundu wake. Mulungu anaona kuti zinali bwino. 22Mulungu anazidalitsa nati, “Muswane, ndi kudzaza mʼmadzi a mʼnyanja, ndipo mbalame zichuluke pa dziko lapansi.” 23Ndipo panali madzulo ndiponso mmawa pa tsiku lachisanu.
24Kenaka Mulungu anati, “Dziko lapansi litulutse zolengedwa zamoyo monga mwa mitundu yawo: ziweto, zolengedwa zokwawa ndi nyama zakuthengo, iliyonse monga mwa mtundu wake.” Ndipo zinaterodi. 25Mulungu anapanga nyama zakuthengo monga mwa mitundu yawo, nyama zoweta monga mwa mitundu yawo ndi nyama zokwawa monga mwa mitundu yawo. Ndipo Mulungu anaona kuti zinali bwino.
26Zitatha izi Mulungu anati, “Tipange munthu mʼchifanizo chathu, mofanana ndi ife kuti alamulire nsomba za mʼnyanja, mbalame zamlengalenga, nyama zonse zoweta ndi zonse zokwawa za pa dziko lapansi ndi zamoyo zonse zakutchire.”
27Ndipo Mulungu analenga munthu mʼchifanizo chake.
Anawalengadi mʼchifanizo cha Mulungu;
analenga iwo, mwamuna ndi mkazi.
28Mulungu anawadalitsa nati kwa iwo, “Muberekane, muchulukane, mudzaze dziko lapansi ndipo muligonjetse. Mulamulire nsomba zamʼnyanja, mbalame zamlengalenga ndi cholengedwa chamoyo chilichonse chimene chimayenda mokwawa pa dziko lapansi.”
29Kenaka Mulungu anati, “Ine ndakupatsani chomera chilichonse cha pa dziko lapansi chimene chili ndi mbewu komanso mtengo uliwonse wobala zipatso zokhala ndi mbewu mʼkati mwake kuti zikhale chakudya chanu. 30Ndaperekanso msipu kwa nyama zonse za pa dziko lapansi ndi kwa mbalame zamlengalenga ndi kwa cholengedwa chamoyo chilichonse chimene chimakwawa, chilichonse chimene chili ndi moyo.” Ndipo zinachitikadi.
31Mulungu anaona zonse zimene anazilenga kuti zinali zabwino kwambiri. Ndipo panali madzulo ndiponso mmawa, tsiku lachisanu ndi chimodzi.