Bible / Genesis
Genesis 1
World English Bible, Catholic edition, in plain modern English. About the translations
Douay-Rheims Bible, Challoner revision, the traditional Catholic English Bible. About the translations
1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
2 The earth was formless and empty. Darkness was on the surface of the deep and God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3 God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
4 God saw the light, and saw that it was good. God divided the light from the darkness.
5 God called the light “day”, and the darkness he called “night”. There was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6 God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.”
7 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.
8 God called the expanse “sky”. There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place, and let the dry land appear;” and it was so.
10 God called the dry land “earth”, and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”. God saw that it was good.
11 God said, “Let the earth yield grass, herbs yielding seeds, and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind, with their seeds in it, on the earth;” and it was so.
12 The earth yielded grass, herbs yielding seed after their kind, and trees bearing fruit, with their seeds in it, after their kind; and God saw that it was good.
13 There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years;
15 and let them be for lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth;” and it was so.
16 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.
17 God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth,
18 and to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness. God saw that it was good.
19 There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.
20 God said, “Let the waters abound with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”
21 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.
22 God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”
23 There was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 God said, “Let the earth produce living creatures after their kind, livestock, creeping things, and animals of the earth after their kind;” and it was so.
25 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.
26 God said, “Let’s make man in our image, after our likeness. 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.”
27 God created man in his own image. In God’s image he created him; male and female he created them.
28 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.”
29 God said, “Behold, I have given you every herb yielding seed, which is on the surface of all the earth, and every tree, which bears fruit yielding seed. It will be your food.
30 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.
31 God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. There was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
1 In the beginning God created heaven, and earth.
2 And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.
3 And God said: Be light made. And light was made.
4 And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness.
5 And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning one day.
6 And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters.
7 And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so.
8 And God called the firmament, Heaven; and the evening and morning were the second day.
9 God also said; Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done.
10 And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.
11 And he said: let the earth bring forth green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done.
12 And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.
14 And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:
15 To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth, and it was so done.
16 And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and the stars.
17 And he set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth.
18 And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good.
19 And the evening and morning were the fourth day.
20 God also said: let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven.
21 And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
22 And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth.
23 And the evening and morning were the fifth day.
24 And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so done.
25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth.
27 And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.
28 And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.
29 And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat:
30 And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done.
31 And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.
This chapter in the Catechism and the early Church
Where the Catechism of the Catholic Church cites these verses (from its footnotes on vatican.va), and where the earliest Church Fathers quote them (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, public domain). Short quotes only; follow the links for the full text. The Catechism uses modern verse numbers, so these are listed by chapter.
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- CCC 268 “of all the divine attributes, only God's omnipotence is named in the Creed: to confess this power has great bearing on our…”
- CCC 279 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Holy Scripture begins with these solemn words. the profession of faith takes…”
- CCC 280 “Creation is the foundation of "all God's saving plans," the "beginning of the history of salvation" that culminates in Christ. Conversely, the…”
- CCC 290 “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth": three things are affirmed in these first words of Scripture: the eternal…”
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- CCC 243 “Before his Passover, Jesus announced the sending of "another Paraclete" (Advocate), the Holy Spirit. At work since creation, having previously "spoken through…”
- CCC 292 “The Old Testament suggests and the New Covenant reveals the creative action of the Son and the Spirit, inseparably one with that…”
- CCC 703 “The Word of God and his Breath are at the origin of the being and life of every creature: It belongs to…”
- CCC 1218 “Since the beginning of the world, water, so humble and wonderful a creature, has been the source of life and fruitfulness. Sacred…”
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- CCC 292 “The Old Testament suggests and the New Covenant reveals the creative action of the Son and the Spirit, inseparably one with that…”
- CCC 298 “Since God could create everything out of nothing, he can also, through the Holy Spirit, give spiritual life to sinners by creating…”
“But if any one believes in [only] one God, who also made all things by the Word, as Moses likewise says, "God said, Let there be light: and there was light;”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book IV, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XXXII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
- Genesis 1:4 in modern BiblesCCC 299
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- CCC 299 “Because God creates through wisdom, his creation is ordered: "You have arranged all things by measure and number and weight." The universe,…”
- Genesis 1:10 in modern BiblesCCC 299
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- CCC 299 “Because God creates through wisdom, his creation is ordered: "You have arranged all things by measure and number and weight." The universe,…”
- Genesis 1:12 in modern BiblesCCC 299
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- CCC 299 “Because God creates through wisdom, his creation is ordered: "You have arranged all things by measure and number and weight." The universe,…”
- Genesis 1:14 in modern BiblesCCC 347
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- CCC 347 “Creation was fashioned with a view to the sabbath and therefore for the worship and adoration of God. Worship is inscribed in…”
- Genesis 1:18 in modern BiblesCCC 299
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- CCC 299 “Because God creates through wisdom, his creation is ordered: "You have arranged all things by measure and number and weight." The universe,…”
- Genesis 1:21 in modern BiblesCCC 299
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- CCC 299 “Because God creates through wisdom, his creation is ordered: "You have arranged all things by measure and number and weight." The universe,…”
- Genesis 1:25 in modern Bibles
Read the Fathers
“But He, the very same who formed Adam at the beginning, with whom also the Father spake, [saying], "Let Us make man after Our image and likeness,”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book V, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XV. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 225 “It means knowing the unity and true dignity of all men: everyone is made in the image and likeness of God. 50”
- CCC 307 “To human beings God even gives the power of freely sharing in his providence by entrusting them with the responsibility of "subduing"…”
- CCC 1602 “Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision…”
- CCC 2402 “In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master…”
- CCC 2501 “Created "in the image of God," man also expresses the truth of his relationship with God the Creator by the beauty of…”
- CCC 2809 “The holiness of God is the inaccessible center of his eternal mystery. What is revealed of it in creation and history, Scripture…”
“So God made man; male and female He created them.”
Quoted in First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Clement of Rome (c. AD 96), Chapter XXXIII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
“And further, my brethren: if the Lord endured to suffer for our soul, He being Lord of all the world, to whom God said at the foundation of the world, "Let us make man after our image, and after our likeness,”
Quoted in The Letter of Barnabas, Unknown author (early 2nd century), Chapter V. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
“For the Scripture says concerning us, while He speaks to the Son, "Let Us make man after Our image, and after Our likeness; and let them have dominion over the beasts of the earth, and the fowls of heaven, and the fishes of the sea.”
Quoted in The Letter of Barnabas, Unknown author (early 2nd century), Chapter VI. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 307 “To human beings God even gives the power of freely sharing in his providence by entrusting them with the responsibility of "subduing"…”
- CCC 355 “God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him, male and female he created them." Man…”
- CCC 1602 “Sacred Scripture begins with the creation of man and woman in the image and likeness of God and concludes with a vision…”
- CCC 1604 “God who created man out of love also calls him to love the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For…”
- CCC 2331 “God is love and in himself he lives a mystery of personal loving communion. Creating the human race in his own image…”
- CCC 2402 “In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master…”
“So God made man; male and female He created them.”
Quoted in First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Clement of Rome (c. AD 96), Chapter XXXIII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
- Genesis 1:28 in modern BiblesCCC 307 CCC 372 CCC 373 CCC 1604 CCC 1607 CCC 1652 CCC 2331 CCC 2402 CCC 2427
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- CCC 307 “To human beings God even gives the power of freely sharing in his providence by entrusting them with the responsibility of "subduing"…”
- CCC 372 “Man and woman were made "for each other" - not that God left them half-made and incomplete: he created them to be…”
- CCC 373 “In God's plan man and woman have the vocation of "subduing" the earth 248 as stewards of God. This sovereignty is not…”
- CCC 1604 “God who created man out of love also calls him to love the fundamental and innate vocation of every human being. For…”
- CCC 1607 “According to faith the disorder we notice so painfully does not stem from the nature of man and woman, nor from the…”
- CCC 1652 “By its very nature the institution of marriage and married love is ordered to the procreation and education of the offspring and…”
“So God made man; male and female He created them." Having thus finished all these things, He approved them, and blessed them, and said, "Increase and multiply.”
Quoted in First Letter to the Corinthians, St. Clement of Rome (c. AD 96), Chapter XXXIII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
“But He said above, "Let them increase, and rule over the fishes.”
Quoted in The Letter of Barnabas, Unknown author (early 2nd century), Chapter VI. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
“And God blessed them, and said, Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and have power over it.”
Quoted in Dialogue with Trypho, St. Justin Martyr (c. AD 160), Chapter LXII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
- Genesis 1:29 in modern BiblesCCC 2402
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- CCC 2402 “In the beginning God entrusted the earth and its resources to the common stewardship of mankind to take care of them, master…”
Read the Catechism