Genesis 1

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

まだ何もなかった時、神は天と地を造りました。

Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.

地は形も定まらず、闇に包まれた水の上を、さらに神の霊が覆っていました。

And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.

「光よ、輝き出よ。」神が言われると、光がさっとさしてきました。

God saw that the light was good, and he separated the light from the darkness.

それを見て、神は大いに満足し、光と闇とを区別しました。しばらくの間、光は輝き続け、やがて、もう一度闇に覆われました。神は光を「昼」、闇を「夜」と名づけました。こうして昼と夜ができて、一日目が終わりました。

God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.

And God said, “Let there be a vault between the waters to separate water from water.”

「もやは上下に分かれ、空と海になれ」と神が言われると、

So God made the vault and separated the water under the vault from the water above it. And it was so.

そのとおり水蒸気が二つに分かれ、空ができました。こうして二日目も終わりました。

God called the vault “sky.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the second day.

And God said, “Let the water under the sky be gathered to one place, and let dry ground appear.” And it was so.

「空の下の水は集まって海となり、乾いた地が現れ出よ。」こう神が言われると、そのとおりになりました。神は乾いた地を「陸地」、水の部分を「海」と名づけました。それを見て満足すると、

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, according to their various kinds.” And it was so.

神はまた言われました。「陸地には、あらゆる種類の草、種のある植物、実のなる木が生えよ。それぞれの種から同じ種類の草や木が生えるようになれ。」すると、そのとおりになり、神は満足しました。

The 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.

And there was evening, and there was morning—the third day.

これが三日目です。

And 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,

神のことばはさらに続きます。「空に光が輝き、地を照らせ。その光で、昼と夜の区別、季節の変化、一日や一年の区切りをつけよ。」すると、そのとおりになりました。

and let them be lights in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth.” And it was so.

God made two great lights—the greater light to govern the day and the lesser light to govern the night. He also made the stars.

こうして、地を照らす太陽と月ができました。太陽は大きく明るいので昼を、月は夜を治めました。このほかにも、星々が造られました。

God set them in the vault of the sky to give light on the earth,

神はそれをみな空にちりばめ、地を照らすようにしました。

to govern the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God saw that it was good.

こうして昼と夜を分け終えると、神は満足しました。

And there was evening, and there was morning—the fourth day.

ここまでが四日目の出来事です。

And God said, “Let the water teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the vault of the sky.”

神は再び言われました。「海は魚やその他の生き物であふれ、空はあらゆる種類の鳥で満ちよ。」

So 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.

神は海に住む大きな生き物をはじめ、あらゆる種類の魚と鳥を造りました。みなすばらしいものばかりです。神はそれを見て、「海いっぱいに満ちよ。鳥たちは地を覆うまでに増えよ」と祝福しました。

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 there was evening, and there was morning—the fifth day.

これが五日目です。

And 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.

次に神は言われました。「地は、家畜や地をはうもの、野の獣など、あらゆる種類の生き物を生み出せ。」そのとおりになりました。

God 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.

神が造った生き物は、どれも満足のいくものばかりでした。

Then 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,^[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”

そして最後に、神はこう言われました。「さあ、人間を造ろう。地と空と海のあらゆる生き物を治めさせるために、われわれに最も近い、われわれのかたちに似せて人間を造ろう。」

So God created mankind in his own image,
    in the image of God he created them;
    male and female he created them.

このように人間は、天地を造った神の特性を持つ者として、男と女とに創造されました。

God 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.”

神は人間を祝福して言われました。「地に増え広がり、大地を治めよ。あなたがたは、魚と鳥とすべての動物の主人なのだ。

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.

全地に生える種のある植物を見てみなさい。みなあなたがたのものだ。実のなる木もすべて与えるから、好きなだけ食べるがいい。

And 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.

また、動物や鳥にも、あらゆる草と植物を彼らの食物として与える。」

God saw all that he had made, and it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning—the sixth day.