The Story of Creation
1 In the beginning God
created the heavens
and the earth.
2 The earth was barren,
with no form of life;
it was under a roaring ocean
covered with darkness.
But the Spirit of God
was moving over the water.
The First Day
3 God said, “I command light to shine!” And light started shining. 4 God looked at the light and saw that it was good. He separated light from darkness 5 and named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” Evening came, then morning—that was the first day.
The Second Day
6 God said, “I command a dome to separate the water above it from the water below it.” 7 And that's what happened. God made the dome 8 and named it “Sky.” Evening came, then morning—that was the second day.
The Third Day
9 God said, “I command the water under the sky to come together in one place, so there will be dry ground.” And that's what happened. 10 God named the dry ground “Land,” and he named the water “Ocean.” God looked at what he had done and saw that it was good.
11 God said, “I command the earth to produce all kinds of plants, including fruit trees and grain.” And that's what happened. 12 The earth produced all kinds of vegetation. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. 13 Evening came, then morning—that was the third day.
The Fourth Day
14 God said, “I command lights to appear in the sky and to separate day from night and to show the time for seasons, special days, and years. 15 I command them to shine on the earth.” And that's what happened. 16 God made two powerful lights, the brighter one to rule the day and the other to rule the night. He also made the stars. 17 Then God put these lights in the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to rule day and night, and to separate light from darkness. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. 19 Evening came, then morning—that was the fourth day.
The Fifth Day
20 God said, “I command the ocean to be full of living creatures, and I command birds to fly above the earth.” 21 So God made the giant sea monsters and all the living creatures that swim in the ocean. He also made every kind of bird. God looked at what he had done, and it was good. 22 Then he gave the living creatures his blessing—he told the ocean creatures to increase and live everywhere in the ocean and the birds to increase everywhere on earth. 23 Evening came, then morning—that was the fifth day.
The Sixth Day
24 God said, “I command the earth to give life to all kinds of tame animals, wild animals, and reptiles.” And that's what happened. 25 God made every one of them. Then he looked at what he had done, and it was good.
26 God said, “Now we will make humans, and they will be like us. We will let them rule the fish, the birds, and all other living creatures.”
27 So God created humans to be like himself; he made men and women. 28 God gave them his blessing and said:
Have a lot of children! Fill the earth with people and bring it under your control. Rule over the fish in the ocean, the birds in the sky, and every animal on the earth.
29 I have provided all kinds of fruit and grain for you to eat. 30 And I have given the green plants as food for everything else that breathes, including animals, both wild and tame, and birds. And so it was.
31 God looked at what he had done. All of it was very good! Evening came, then morning—that was the sixth day.
Thawu ngekwe lubumbo
1 Mu kutangisa Ndzimu wakabumba kudzimu ne shango. 2 Shango yakabe yakashangashangana koga isina mbumbiko, zhalima lakabe lakadzinga vula imukatikati, Meya ye Ndzimu yakabe iyendayenda pezhugwi kwe vula. 3 Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Ngakube ne tjedza,” ngono tjedza tjikabe yapo. 4 Ndzimu ukabona tjedza kuti tjakanaka. Ipapo Ndzimu ukapalalanya tjedza ne zhalima. 5 Ngono Ndzimu ukadana tjedza uti, “Masikati,” zhalima ukalidana uti, “Busiku.” Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le kutanga.
6 Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Ngakube ne zhuzhugwi pakati kwe vula, ngalipalalanye vula ne vula.” 7 Ndizo Ndzimu ukathama zhuzhugwi, ukapalalanya vula yakabe ili kusi kwe zhuzhugwi ne vula yakabe ili pezhugwi kwe zhuzhugwi. Ngono kukashingikala saikoko. 8 Ndzimu ukadana zhuzhugwi uti, “Kudzimu.” Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le bubili.
9 Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Vula ikusi kwe zhuzhugwi ngaikubunganile pathu pang'ompela, kuti pasi pakawoma paboneke.” Ngono kukashingikala saikoko. 10 Ndzimu ukadana pasi pakawoma uti, “Shango” vula yakubunganila pathu pang'ompela ukaidana uti, “Gungwa.” Ngono Ndzimu ukabona kuti kwakanaka. 11 Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Shango ngaimele miti. Ngakube ne miti inozwala mbewu, kube ne miti ye mitjelo nge njudzi dzayo mu shango, izwale mitjelo ina mbewu muili.” Ngono kukashingikala saikoko. 12 Shango ikamela njudzi dzose dze zwinomela, miti ina mbewu nge njudzi dzayo ne miti inozwala mitjelo ina mbewu nge njudzi dzayo. Ndzimu ukabona kuti kwakanaka. 13 Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le butatu.
14 Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Ngakube ne mavone pezhugwi mu zhuzhugwi kuthubukanya masikati ne busiku, ngono abe zwilakidzo zwe zwibaka ne zwe mazhuba ne makole. 15 Ngaabe mavone a pezhugwi mu zhuzhugwi anovoneka shango.” Ngono kukashingikala saikoko. 16 Ndzimu ukathama mavone makulu ali mabili. Luvone lukulu pa gumwe gukabe gunolaula masikati, lutukunu gukabe gunolaula busiku, kakale ukathama nyenyedzi. 17 Ndzimu ukadziyisa zhuzhugwi kuvoneka shango, 18 ne kuthubukanya tjedza ne zhalima. Ndzimu ukabona kuti kwakanaka. 19 Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le bunna.
20 Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Vula ngaibe ne zwibumbiwa zwinotjila zwinoyendayenda ne nyuni ngadziwuluke pezhugwi kwe shango mu zhuzhugwi.” 21 Ndizo Ndzimu ukabe ubumba mazhithu makulu e gungwa ne zwimwe zwitjili zwinoyendayenda zwinonyewula mu gungwa nge njudzi dzadzo ne nyuni dzose nge njudzi dzadzo. Ndzimu ukabona kuti kwakanaka. 22 Ndzimu ukadzikombolela ukati, “Ibeni ne zwizwalo muwande muzhale vula dze gungwa ne nyuni ngadziwande mu shango.” 23 Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le bushanu.
24 Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Shango ngaibe ne zwibumbiwa zwinotjila zwe njudzi dzose, zwithuwo ne zwinokambayila ne phuka dze shango nge njudzi dzadzo.” Ngono kukashingikala saikoko. 25 Ndzimu ukathama phuka dze shango nge njudzi dzadzo ne zwithuwo nge njudzi dzazo ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinokambayila mu shango nge ludzi gwatjo. Ndzimu ukabona kuti kwakanaka.
26 Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Ngatithameni bathu mu ifano tjedu, bange iswi. Ngono ngabalaule hwobe dze gungwa ne nyuni dzinowuluka mu phepo ne zwithuwo ne shango yose ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinokambayila mu shango.”
27 Ndizo Ndzimu ukabumba nthu mu ifano tjawo,
mu ifano tje Ndzimu ukababumba,
ukabumba nthu tjilume ne nthu tjikadzi.
28 Ndzimu ukabakombolela ukati ku bali, “Ibeni ne mbeleko muwande muzhale shango muikulile. Mulaule hwobe dze gungwa ne nyuni dzinowuluka mu phepo ne itjili tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinoyenda yenda mu shango.”
29 Ndzimu ukabe uti, “Bonani, ndamupa nti mmwe ne mmwe una mbewu umu shango yose ne nti mmwe ne mmwe una mitjelo ina mbewu kube zojiwa zwenyu. 30 Phuka dzose dze shango ne nyuni dzose dzinowuluka ne tjimwe ne tjimwe tjinokambayila mu shango tjina butjilo, ndazwipa zose zwinomela kube zojiwa.” Ngono kukashingikala saikoko. 31 Ndzimu ukalinga kose kwawakathama ngono kukabe kwakanaka kwazo. Kukabe ne madekwana kukabuya kukabe ne mangwanana, zhuba le butathatu.