IN THE BEGINNING

In the beginning God created

the heavens and

the earth ……

and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

And God said,

“Let there be light,” …….

God saw that the light was GOOD …..

And God said,

“Let there be an expanse

between the waters

to separate

water from water.” ………..

God called the expanse “sky”. ………

And God said,

“Let the water under the sky be

gathered to one place, and

let dry ground appear.” …….

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, ……..”

And God saw that it was GOOD. ………..

And God said,

“Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky

to separate the day from the night, ……..

(to) serve as signs to mark

seasons and

days and

years

and let them be lights ……

to give light to the earth. ………

God made 2 great lights –

the greater light to govern

the day

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 God said,

“Let the water teem with

living creatures, and

let birds fly above the earth ……..”

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 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 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. ……..

Thus the HEAVENS and the EARTH were completed in all their vast array.

BY THE SEVENTH DAY God had finished

THE WORK he had been doing;

So ON THE SEVENTH DAY

he RESTED from all his work.

And God BLESSED THE SEVENTH DAY AND MADE IT HOLY,

because of it HE RESTED FROM ALL HIS WORK OF

CREATING THAT HE HAD DONE. ……….

When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens and

no shrub …… had yet appeared on the earth and

no plant ……. had yet sprung up

for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and

there was no man to work the ground,

but streams came up from the earth and

watered the whole surface of the ground,

the LORD God

formed the man

from the DUST OF THE GROUND and

breathed into his nostrils

the BREATH OF LIFE and

the man became a LIVING BE-ING.

NOW THE LORD GOD HAD PLANTED A GARDEN IN THE EAST, IN EDEN;

and there he put

the man he had formed.

And the 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.

A RIVER WATERING THE GARDEN FLOWED FROM EDEN;

…..……

The LORD God took

THE MAN and

PUT HIM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN

to work it and take care of it.

And the LORD God commanded the man,

“You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; but

you must NOT EAT from the

TREE OF THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND EVIL,

for when you eat of it you will surely die.”

The LORD God said,

“It is not good for the man to be alone.

I will make a HELPER suitable for him.” ……….

So the LORD God caused

the man to fall into a DEEP SLEEP; and

while he was sleeping,

he took one of the man’s ribs

and closed up the place with flesh.

Then the LORD God

made a woman from the rib

he had taken out of the man,

and he brought her to the man.

The 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.”

For this reason

a man will leave his father and mother and

be united to his wife, and they

will become ONE flesh.

The man and his wife

were both naked and they

felt no shame.

“When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.

THEN THE EYES OF BOTH OF THEM WERE OPENED, AND THEY REALISED THEY WERE NAKED;……

Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God

AS HE WAS WALKING IN THE GARDEN IN THE COOL OF THE DAY,

and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.

BUT the LORD God called to the man,

“WHERE ARE YOU?” ……….

And he said, ………

“Have you eaten from the tree

from which

I commanded you not to eat?

…………

Because you have done this, cursed are you …….

“……By the sweat of your brow

you will eat your food

until you return to the ground,

since from it you were taken;

for dust you are

and to dust you will return.” ……………

And the LORD God said,

The man has now become LIKE ONE OF US,

KNOWING

GOOD AND EVIL.

He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the

TREE OF LIFE

AND EAT, AND

LIVE FOR EVER.

So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden

to work the ground

from which he had been taken.

After he drove the man out,

he placed on the EAST SIDE of

the Garden of Eden

CHERUBIM and

a flaming sword flashing back and forth

to guard

the Way to the

TREE OF LIFE

Genesis 1 – 3

Monday 30 June 2008