1 So the heavens and the earth and everything else were created.
The Seventh Day
2 By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so he rested. 3 God blessed the seventh day and made it special, because on that day he rested from his work.
4 That's how God created the heavens and the earth.
The Garden of Eden
When the Lord God made the heavens and the earth, 5 no grass or plants were growing anywhere. God had not yet sent any rain, and there was no one to work the land. 6 But streams came up from the ground and watered the earth.
7 The Lord God took some soil from the ground and made a man. God breathed life into the man, and the man started breathing. 8 The Lord made a garden in a place called Eden, which was in the east, and he put the man there.
9 The Lord God filled the garden with all kinds of beautiful trees and fruit trees. Two other trees were in the middle of the garden. One of these gave life—the other gave the wisdom to know the difference between right and wrong.
10 From Eden a river flowed out to water the garden, then it divided into four rivers. 11 The first one is the Pishon River that flows through the land of Havilah, 12 where pure gold, rare perfumes, and precious stones are found. 13 The second is the Gihon River that winds through Ethiopia. 14 The Tigris River that flows east of Assyria is the third, and the fourth is the Euphrates River.
15 The Lord God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it. 16 But the Lord told him, “You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden, 17 except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong. If you eat any fruit from that tree, you will die before the day is over!”
18 The Lord God said, “It isn't good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable partner for him.” 19-20 So the Lord took some soil and made animals and birds. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give each of them. Then the man named the tame animals and the birds and the wild animals. That's how they got their names.
None of these was the right kind of partner for the man. 21 So the Lord God made him fall into a deep sleep, and he took out one of the man's ribs. Then after closing the man's side, 22 the Lord made a woman out of the rib.
The Lord God brought her to the man, 23 and the man exclaimed,
“Here is someone like me!
She is part of my body,
my own flesh and bones.
She came from me, a man.
So I will name her Woman!”
24 That's why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person.
25 Although the man and his wife were both naked, they were not ashamed.
1 Ndizo kubumbiwa kwe kudzimu ne shango ne zwithu zose zwimu zwili kukapedziwa. 2 Ngono mu zhuba le butendeka Ndzimu ukaligila nshingo wawo wawakabe ushinga, ngono ukanyaluluka mu zhuba le butendeka mu nshingo wose wawakabe washinga. 3 Ndzimu ukakombolela zhuba le butendeka ukaliyengemadza, ngoti Ndzimu wakanyaluluka mu lili mu nshingo wose we kubumba wawakathama.
Nnda we Edeni
4 Edzi ndidzo thawu ngekwe kudzimu ne shango pazwakabumbiwa. Mu zhuba Yahwe Ndzimu labakabumba shango ne kudzimu, 5 kwakabe kusina zwakamela mu shango. Kwakabe kusina ndodwa ne ntinyana wakamela ngoti Yahwe Ndzimu bakabe basathu bakanisa vula mu shango. Kwakabe kusathu kukabe ne nthu unolima, 6 koga fulele yakabe imilika ikadilidzila pasi kose.
7 Yahwe Ndzimu bakabumba nthu nge hwuluba ye mavu, ngono bakafemela meya ye bupenyu mu zwimilo zwizwe, ndizo kabe nthu unotjila.
8 Yahwe Ndzimu bakabiga nnda mu Edeni ku bhezhuba, bakabe belonga nthu wabakabumba muuli. 9 Ngono Yahwe Ndzimu bakathama kuti miti yose mibuya ngolingwa, kakale yakalulwamila jiwa imele pasi. Pakati kwe nnda kwakabe kuna nti we bupenyu ne nti we luzibo gwe bubuya ne mbipo.
10 Gwizi gwakabe guwunga gudwa mu Edeni gudilidzila nnda, kudwa ipapo gwakabe gupalalana gube njizi dzili nna. 11 Zina le gwe kutanga ndi Pishoni, gwakabe guwunga gupoteleka shango yose ye Havila kuna golide. 12 Golide ye shango iyeyo yakanaka, motsha unoyi bedeliumi ne mabgwe akanaka anoyi onikisi, zowang'wabo ikoko. 13 Zina le gwizi gwe bubili ndi Gihoni, igo gopoteleka shango yose ye Khushi. 14 Zina le gwizi gwe butatu koyi Tigirisi, ogu gowungila ku bhezhuba kwe Asiriya. Gwizi gwe bunna ndi Yufuratesi.
15 Yahwe Ndzimu bakatola nthu bakanlonga mu nnda we Edeni kulima muuli ne kuutjengeta. 16 Ngono Yahwe Ndzimu bakadwa nthu bakati, “Ungaja ntjelo we nti mmwe ne mmwe mu nnda wakasununguka, 17 koga usitongoja ntjelo we nti we luzibo gwe bubuya ne mbipo, ngoti zhuba launouja, nge malebeswa unowofa.”
18 Yahwe Ndzimu bakabe beti, “Akuzonaka kuti nthu agale ega, ndowonthamila mbhatshi wakanlingisana.” 19 Ndizo Yahwe Ndzimu bakathama phuka dzose dze shango ne nyuni dzose dze phepo nge vu. Bakadzizhisa ku nthu kubona kuti unowodzitumila mazina eitini, ngono zina limwe ne limwe nthu laakapa itjili tjimwe ne tjimwe lakabe ilo zina latjo. 20 Ndizo nthu kapa zwithuwo zose mazina ne nyuni dzose dzinowuluka mu phepo ne phuka dzose dze shango, koga nthu iye kukawanika kusina mbhatshi wakanlingisana.
21 Yahwe Ndzimu bakathama kuti nlume abhakhwe nge hwope hwulu, ngono kati atjakaizela, bakabe bedusa gumwe lubadu mu mbadu dze nlume, bebe bezwina pagwadwa nge nyama. 22 Ipapo Yahwe Ndzimu bakabe bebumba nkadzi nge lubadu gwabadusa mu nlume, bebe benzhisa ku nlume. 23 Nlume kabe eti,
“Eli i fupa le mafupa angu,
ne nyama ye nyama yangu.
Unowodang'wa kuyi,
‘Nkadzi’ ngoti wadusiwa mu nlume.”
24 Ngekwa ikoku, nlume unowosiya tate babe na mmeyabe kabhatana ne nkadzi uwe, ngono banowobe tjithu tjing'ompela.
25 Nlume ne nkadzi uwe bakabe basakaambala bose, koga basina shoni.