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.
The Story of Creation
1 In the beginning, when God created the universe, 2 the earth was formless and desolate. The raging ocean that covered everything was engulfed in total darkness, and the Spirit of God was moving over the water. 3 Then God commanded, “Let there be light”—and light appeared. 4 God was pleased with what he saw. Then he separated the light from the darkness, 5 and he named the light “Day” and the darkness “Night.” Evening passed and morning came—that was the first day.
6-7 Then God commanded, “Let there be a dome to divide the water and to keep it in two separate places”—and it was done. So God made a dome, and it separated the water under it from the water above it. 8 He named the dome “Sky.” Evening passed and morning came—that was the second day.
9 Then God commanded, “Let the water below the sky come together in one place, so that the land will appear”—and it was done. 10 He named the land “Earth,” and the water which had come together he named “Sea.” And God was pleased with what he saw. 11 Then he commanded, “Let the earth produce all kinds of plants, those that bear grain and those that bear fruit”—and it was done. 12 So the earth produced all kinds of plants, and God was pleased with what he saw. 13 Evening passed and morning came—that was the third day.
14 Then God commanded, “Let lights appear in the sky to separate day from night and to show the time when days, years, and religious festivals begin; 15 they will shine in the sky to give light to the earth”—and it was done. 16 So God made the two larger lights, the sun to rule over the day and the moon to rule over the night; he also made the stars. 17 He placed the lights in the sky to shine on the earth, 18 to rule over the day and the night, and to separate light from darkness. And God was pleased with what he saw. 19 Evening passed and morning came—that was the fourth day.
20 Then God commanded, “Let the water be filled with many kinds of living beings, and let the air be filled with birds.” 21 So God created the great sea monsters, all kinds of creatures that live in the water, and all kinds of birds. And God was pleased with what he saw. 22 He blessed them all and told the creatures that live in the water to reproduce and to fill the sea, and he told the birds to increase in number. 23 Evening passed and morning came—that was the fifth day.
24 Then God commanded, “Let the earth produce all kinds of animal life: domestic and wild, large and small”—and it was done. 25 So God made them all, and he was pleased with what he saw.
26 Then God said, “And now we will make human beings; they will be like us and resemble us. They will have power over the fish, the birds, and all animals, domestic and wild, large and small.” 27 So God created human beings, making them to be like himself. He created them male and female, 28 blessed them, and said, “Have many children, so that your descendants will live all over the earth and bring it under their control. I am putting you in charge of the fish, the birds, and all the wild animals. 29 I have provided all kinds of grain and all kinds of fruit for you to eat; 30 but for all the wild animals and for all the birds I have provided grass and leafy plants for food”—and it was done. 31 God looked at everything he had made, and he was very pleased. Evening passed and morning came—that was the sixth day.