Year of the Bible
Genesis 1
Commentary on the Book of Genesis, Chapter 1:
The Biblical journey begins with a sweeping narrative of God’s creative actions. We learn that God, who is not created, created everything that exists with His Spirit and words. His orderly method is found in how He creates spaces for three days, then fills them with the things appropriate to each space. We discover that what might bring fear - the void, darkness, deep, even sea monsters - are under God’s control. The summit of all creating is man, or more literally, humans, who are made in God’s image and likeness. Repetitions of it was good reveal God is good in His creating, implying He is good, and humans, made in His image, must also be good. The transcendent, all powerful God entrusts humans to share in His work, subduing creation to harness it for its proper use.
The Book of Genesis, Chapter 1:
Six Days of Creation and the Sabbath
1 In the beginning God created a the heavens and the earth. 2 The earth was without form and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the Spirit of God was moving over the face of the waters.
3 And God said, “Let there be light”; and there was light. 4 And God saw that the light was good; and God separated the light from the darkness. 5 God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
6 And God said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate the waters from the waters.” 7 And God made the firmament and separated the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament. And it was so. 8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And there was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9 And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together into one place, and let the dry land appear.” And it was so. 10 God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. 11 And God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation, plants yielding seed, and fruit trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind, upon the earth.” And it was so. 12 The earth brought forth vegetation, plants yielding seed according to their own kinds, and trees bearing fruit in which is their seed, each according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 13 And there was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14 And God said, “Let there be lights in the firmament of the heavens to separate the day from the night; and let them be for signs and for seasons and for days and years, 15 and let them be lights in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth.” And it was so. 16 And God made the two great lights, the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night; he made the stars also. 17 And God set them in the firmament of the heavens to give light upon the earth, 18 to rule over the day and over the night, and to separate the light from the darkness. And God saw that it was good. 19 And there was evening and there was morning, a fourth day. 20 And God said, “Let the waters bring forth swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the firmament of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea monsters and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, a fifth day.
24 And God said, “Let the earth bring forth living creatures according to their kinds: cattle and creeping things and beasts of the earth according to their kinds.” And it was so. 25 And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds and the cattle according to their kinds, and everything that creeps upon the ground according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.
26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps upon the earth.” 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the air and over every living thing that moves upon the earth.” 29 And God said, “Behold, I have given you every plant yielding seed which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree with seed in its fruit; you shall have them for food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to everything that creeps on the earth, everything that has the breath of life, I have given every green plant for food.” And it was so. 31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, a sixth day.
*Daily Lectio Divina Question:
"...in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. God blessed them and God said to them: Be fertile and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it." (v 27-28) Lord, help me to take a moment to ponder the glory of your creation of mankind in general, but also of me specifically. Then help me ponder the tasks to which you invite me to do.
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this.
If you're looking for a good Catholic edition of the Bible, look no further.
Génesis 1
En el principio creó Dios el cielo y
la tierra. 2 La tierra era caos y vacío, la tiniebla
cubría la faz del abismo y el espíritu
de Dios se cernía sobre la superficie de
las aguas.
3 Dijo Dios:
–Haya luz.
Y hubo luz. 4 Vio Dios que la luz era
buena, y separó Dios la luz de la tiniebla.
5 Dios llamó a la luz día, y a la tiniebla
llamó noche. Hubo tarde y hubo mañana:
día primero.
6 Dijo Dios:
–Haya un firmamento en medio de
las aguas que separe unas aguas de las
otras.
7 Dios hizo el firmamento y separó
las aguas de debajo del firmamento de
las aguas de encima del firmamento. Y
así fue. 8 Dios llamó al firmamento cielo.
Hubo tarde y hubo mañana: día segundo.
9 Dijo Dios:
–Que se reúnan las aguas de debajo
del cielo en un solo lugar, y aparezca
lo seco.
Y así fue. 10 Llamó Dios a lo seco tierra,
y a la reunión de aguas la llamó mares.
Y vio Dios que era bueno.
11 Dijo Dios:
–Produzca la tierra hierba verde,
plantas con semilla, y árboles frutales
sobre la tierra que den fruto según su
especie, con semilla dentro. Y así fue.
12 La tierra produjo hierba verde, plantas
con semilla según su especie, y árboles
que dan fruto con semilla, según su especie.
Y vio Dios que era bueno. 13 Hubo
tarde y hubo mañana: día tercero.
14 Dijo Dios:
–Haya lumbreras en el firmamento
del cielo para separar el día de la noche,
y que sirvan de señales para las estaciones,
los días y los años; 15 que haya lumbreras
en el firmamento del cielo para
alumbrar la tierra.
Y así fue. 16 Dios hizo las dos grandes
lumbreras –la lumbrera mayor para regir
el día, y la lumbrera menor para regir
la noche– y las estrellas. 17 Y Dios las
puso en el firmamento de los cielos para
alumbrar la tierra, 18 para regir el día y la
noche, y para separar la luz de la oscuridad.
Y vio Dios que era bueno. 19 Hubo
tarde y hubo mañana: día cuarto.
20 Dijo Dios:
–Que las aguas se llenen de seres vivos,
y que vuelen las aves sobre la tierra
surcando el firmamento del cielo.
21 Y Dios creó los grandes cetáceos y
todos los seres vivos que serpean y llenan
las aguas según su especie, y todas
las aves aladas según su especie. Y
vio Dios que era bueno. 22 Y los bendijo
Dios diciendo:
–Creced, multiplicaos y llenad las
aguas de los mares; y que las aves se
multipliquen en la tierra.
23 Hubo tarde y hubo mañana: día
quinto.
24 Dijo Dios:
–Produzca la tierra seres vivos según
su especie, ganados, reptiles y animales
salvajes según su especie.
Y así fue. 25 Dios hizo los animales
salvajes según su especie, los ganados
según su especie y todos los reptiles del
campo según su especie. Y vio Dios que
era bueno.
26 Dijo Dios:
–Hagamos al hombre a nuestra imagen,
según nuestra semejanza. Que dominen
sobre los peces del mar, las aves
del cielo, los ganados, sobre todos los
animales salvajes y todos los reptiles
que se mueven por la tierra.
27 Y creó Dios al hombre a su imagen,
a imagen de Dios lo creó;
varón y mujer los creó.
28 Y los bendijo Dios, y les dijo:
–Creced, multiplicaos, llenad la tierra
y sometedla; dominad sobre los peces
del mar, las aves del cielo y todos los
animales que reptan por la tierra.
29 Y dijo Dios:
–He aquí que os he dado todas las
plantas portadoras de semilla que hay
en toda la superficie de la tierra, y todos
los árboles que dan fruto con semilla;
esto os servirá de alimento. 30 A todas
las fieras, a todas las aves del cielo
y a todos los reptiles de la tierra, a todo
ser vivo, la hierba verde le servirá de alimento.
Y así fue.
31 Y vio Dios todo lo que había hecho;
y he aquí que era muy bueno. Hubo
tarde y hubo mañana: día sexto.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
"...a imagen y semejanza de Dios los creó; hombre y mujer los creó. Dios los bendijo y les dijo "Sed fecundos y multiplicaos; llenad la tierra y sometedla". (v 27-28) Señor, ayúdame a tomarme un momento para reflexionar sobre la gloria de tu creación de la humanidad en general, particularmente de la mía. Luego ayúdame a reflexionar sobre las tareas a las que me invitas.
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).