First ReadingGenesis 1:1-19
From the Book of Genesis
1In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.2The earth was formless and empty.Darkness was on the surface of the deepand God’s Spirit was hovering over the surface of the waters.
3God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.4God saw the light, and saw that it was good.God divided the light from the darkness.5God called the light “day”,and the darkness he called “night”.There was evening and there was morning, the first day.
6God said, “Let there be an expanse in the middle of the waters,and let it divide the waters from the waters.”7God made the expanse,and divided the waterswhich were under the expanse from the waterswhich were above the expanse;and it was so.8God called the expanse “sky”.There was evening and there was morning, a second day.
9God said, “Let the waters under the sky be gathered together to one place,and let the dry land appear;”and it was so.10God called the dry land “earth”,and the gathering together of the waters he called “seas”.God saw that it was good.11God said, “Let the earth yield grass,herbs yielding seeds,and fruit trees bearing fruit after their kind,with their seeds in it, on the earth;”and it was so.12The earth yielded grass,herbs yielding seed after their kind,and trees bearing fruit,with their seeds in it, after their kind;and God saw that it was good.13There was evening and there was morning, a third day.
14God said, “Let there be lights in the expanse of the sky to divide the day from the night;and let them be for signs to mark seasons, days, and years;15and let them be for lights in the expanse of the sky to give light on the earth;”and it was so.16God made the two great lights:the greater light to rule the day,and the lesser light to rule the night.He also made the stars.17God set them in the expanse of the sky to give light to the earth,18and to rule over the day and over the night,and to divide the light from the darkness.God saw that it was good.19There was evening and there was morning, a fourth day.