Genesis 1:1-3

Easy-to-Read Version

The Beginning of the World

1 God created the sky and the earth. At first, ²the earth was completely empty. There was nothing on the earth. Darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit moved over^[a] the water.

The First Day—Light

³Then God said, “Let there be light!” And light began to shine.^[b]

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Footnotes

Genesis 1:2 moved over The Hebrew word means “to fly over” or “to swoop down,” like a bird flying over its nest to protect its babies.
Genesis 1:3 Or “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. While ²the earth had no special shape, and darkness covered the ocean, and God’s Spirit hovered over the water, ³God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.” Or “When God began to create the sky and the earth, ²while the earth was completely empty, and darkness covered the ocean, and a powerful wind blew over the water, ³God said, ‘Let there be light,’ and there was light.”