Read the Living Story Bible
Select a book and chapter to read the Living Story narrative in smooth, story-shaped English. You can also view the Modern Pastor’s Version beside it—or hide it for a distraction-free narrative reading experience.
Currently viewing: Genesis 1 · Living Story narrative
In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was without form or shape, with darkness covering its surface. But the Spirit of God hovered over the waters, holding them in place.
Then God said, "Let there be light," and suddenly light burst forth. He saw that the light was good, so he separated it from the darkness. And he called the light Day, while the darkness became Night. This marked the beginning of a cycle of day and night – the first day.
God continued to speak, saying, "Create an expanse in the midst of the waters, separating them into two groups." He made the firmament, dividing the waters below from those above, just as he commanded. And when it was complete, God called it heaven. This brought an end to the second day.
On the third day, God said, "Gather all the waters under the sky and let dry land appear." And so it happened. He named this new earth, calling it Earth, while gathering the waters into seas. Then he saw that everything was good.
The next command from God was to bring forth plant life on the earth – grass, plants that produce seeds, and fruit trees with seeds within their fruit. This is exactly what happened: every kind of plant grew as commanded by God, and he saw that it was good. This completed the third day.
As the fourth day dawned, God said, "Make lights in the expanse of the sky to divide between Day and Night." He created two great lights – a greater light to govern the daytime and a lesser light to rule over the night. Additionally, he made stars that sparkle with beauty in the heavens. And so it was done.
God placed these celestial bodies into the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth, serving as signs, seasons, and years for all living creatures. The evening marked the end of this fourth day.
On the fifth day, God instructed the waters to be fruitful, producing every kind of aquatic creature that swims or flies through their depths. And so it was done – vast swarms of fish, birds, and winged creatures emerged from the waters after their kinds. Then God saw that all these new creations were good.
Next, he blessed them with a command to multiply, filling the waters in the seas and skies above, as well as covering the earth with living things. This ended the fifth day.
The sixth day arrived, and God said, "Create every land animal after its kind – cattle, creeping creatures, and beasts of the earth." He created all these creatures according to their kinds and saw that they were good.
Finally, in a moment of great significance, God decided to create humanity in his own image. This meant humans would resemble him and have authority over all living things: fish, birds, livestock, and every creeping creature on earth. And so it was done – both male and female were created in the image of God.
God blessed them, saying, "Be fruitful, multiply, and fill the earth; rule over all creatures." He also provided for their needs by giving them food from the trees bearing seed and fruits that yield seeds to be eaten. This included every green herb as sustenance for every beast, bird, and living creature on the earth.
In conclusion, God examined everything he had created, and it was indeed very good – a magnificent creation, full of life, beauty, and purpose. And with this, the sixth day came to an end.
In the beginning was silence—a vast, formless expanse where darkness lay like a blanket over an unseen world. Yet within this void hovered the Spirit of God, moving with purpose above restless waters that spread endlessly beneath Him.
With a voice both gentle and commanding, He spoke into the stillness: "Let there be light." At once, a radiance burst forth from nothingness, casting away shadows to reveal an uncharted world where sky met sea. It was good—so profoundly good—that God paused to consider it with care and joy.
He separated the bright light from the encroaching darkness, naming them Day and Night respectively. Thus began the cycle of time—a rhythm that would govern all things—and concluded the first day.
On the second morning, when dawn painted the sky in hues of pink and gold, God turned His gaze to the heavens He had crafted. "Let there be a space," He commanded, "between these waters." With purposeful grace, this division was made: a firmament above held back the celestial depths while beneath lay oceanic realms teeming with potential.
The sky unfurled like an endless canvas painted in azure and gold; God named it Heaven. And as the sun dipped below its horizon, evening yielded to morning once more.
God surveyed His work from heights unseen. There was still no land for life to take root—only waters, deep and uncharted. "Gather together these waters," He spoke into being, "let dry ground appear." At this decree, the seas receded obediently, revealing a vast expanse of fertile soil. From chaos rose order; from void, substance.
He called it Earth, the foundation upon which life would flourish—a testament to His creative power. Below this new land lay hidden oceans and streams, but above all was good.
With another sunrise came fresh inspiration. "Let the earth bring forth vegetation," He ordained—the lush greenery that covers hills and valleys today: grasses waving in gentle breezes, plants adorned with seeds within their tender embrace, trees reaching skyward with fruits bearing life's promise inside. Each according to its kind sprouted from the soil at His command.
When night fell once again, God looked upon this verdant world He had shaped and found it good—a masterpiece in progress as day gave way to night.
On the fourth morning, with stars glittering like dust scattered across the heavens above, God envisioned more. "Let there be lights in the sky," He decreed. These luminaries would serve to divide time itself: days from nights, seasons from years—markers for those who might come later and ponder these wonders of existence.
In obedience, the sun emerged as a resplendent orb—a beacon ruling over daylight hours—and its counterpart, the moon, held dominion in darkness with stars scattered across the celestial sphere like countless eyes watching from above. Their light was set upon Earth to illuminate paths for all who dwell beneath their glow.
God marveled at this tapestry of creation: day separated from night by lights that danced and spun through the sky—a testament to His wisdom and creativity. Evening closed, welcoming another dawn.
The fifth morning brought a new vision—one filled with life teeming in water and air. "Let there be living creatures," God commanded, envisioning beings great and small—the leviathans of deep oceans and birds soaring high above in the open expanse. They emerged from His word as fish flickered through seafoam and feathered forms took flight into endless blue.
With a blessing that was both promise and instruction—be fruitful, multiply, fill your realms—they began to thrive. Each according to its kind multiplied across waters' depths and skies' heights. Again God found it good—a world now alive with movement and sound.
On the sixth morning, when colors of dawn painted the sky anew, a different vision took form in His mind: humanity, beings crafted in divine likeness. "Let us make man," He proposed, "in our image and after our likeness." Thus was created humankind—male and female alike—an embodiment of God's reflection upon Earth.
He blessed them with abundance and purpose, granting dominion over all that breathes or crawls: the creatures of sea and sky, every beast roaming land. To humanity alone were given every herb bearing seed and fruit-laden tree as sustenance for body and soul.
With these gifts came responsibilities—to tend to Earth, to steward its bounty wisely; an invitation not just to exist but to thrive within this divine garden.
As the evening drew near on that sixth day of creation, God surveyed all He had made. It was exceedingly good—a universe teeming with life, each part interconnected in a grand design of beauty and order. There was harmony between land and sea, sky and earth—all under His watchful care.
In this moment, humanity stood at the threshold of a world full of promise—one crafted by love, guided by wisdom. Here, amid nature’s symphony and the rhythmic pulse of waves against shore, they would find their place in God's creation—a story yet to be written but already filled with potential as vast as the heavens themselves.
And so it was that from silence sprang light, from chaos order, from void life—each element a testament to an enduring Creator who loved His world enough to fashion it anew. As day ceded to night once more and stars dotted the sky like jewels on velvet cloth, God rested, pleased with what had been accomplished—a foundation upon which generations would build their own stories of faith, hope, and love.
In that first dawn, with every sunrise yet to come, lay the promise of new beginnings. For in God's image they were made, empowered by His blessings, tasked with nurturing and preserving all He had lovingly crafted into existence. And as long as there was life, so too would this story unfold—a living testament to a world born from love, sustained by faith, illuminated by hope.
In the beginning was silence... but now, there is song.