אֶ֫רֶץ

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

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

God called the dry land “earth,” and the gathering of waters He called “seas.” And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let the earth bring forth vegetation: seed-bearing plants and fruit trees, each bearing fruit with seed according to its kind.” And it was so.

The earth produced vegetation: seed-bearing plants according to their kinds and trees bearing fruit with seed according to their kinds. And God saw that it was good.

And let them serve as lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth.” And it was so.

God set these lights in the expanse of the sky to shine upon the earth,

And God said, “Let the waters teem with living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth in the open expanse of the sky.”

Then God blessed them and said, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters of the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.”

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: livestock, land crawlers, and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so.

God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, the livestock according to their kinds, and everything that crawls upon the earth according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

Then God said, “Let Us make man in Our image, after Our likeness, to rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, and over all the earth itself and every creature that crawls upon it.”

God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth.”

Then God said, “Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing plant on the face of all the earth, and every tree whose fruit contains seed. They will be yours for food.

And to every beast of the earth and every bird of the air and every creature that crawls upon the earth—everything that has the breath of life in it—I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so.

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made them.

Now no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted, for the LORD God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground.

But springs welled up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

The name of the first river is the Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold.

And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.

The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.

When you till the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

Behold, this day You have driven me from the face of the earth, and from Your face I will be hidden; I will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”

So Cain went out from the presence of the LORD and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and afterward as well—when the sons of God had relations with the daughters of men. And they bore them children who became the mighty men of old, men of renown.

Then the LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was altogether evil all the time.

And the LORD regretted that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart.

Now the earth was corrupt in the sight of God, and full of violence.

And God looked upon the earth and saw that it was corrupt; for all living creatures on the earth had corrupted their ways.

Then God said to Noah, “The end of all living creatures has come before Me, because through them the earth is full of violence. Now behold, I will destroy both them and the earth.

And behold, I will bring floodwaters upon the earth to destroy every creature under the heavens that has the breath of life. Everything on the earth will perish.

…and seven pairs of every kind of bird of the air, male and female, to preserve their offspring on the face of all the earth.

For seven days from now I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and I will wipe from the face of the earth every living thing I have made.”

Now Noah was 600 years old when the floodwaters came upon the earth.

And after seven days the floodwaters came upon the earth.

And the rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights.

…they and every kind of wild animal, livestock, crawling creature, bird, and winged creature.

For forty days the flood kept coming on the earth, and the waters rose and lifted the ark high above the earth.