THE BEGINNING OF THINGS.

“Away back in the beginning of things God made the sky and the earth we live upon. At first it was all dark, and the earth had no form, but God was building a home for us, and his work went on through six long days, until it was finished as we see it now.

“On the first day God said, “Let there be light,” and the black night turned to gray, and light came. God called the light Day, and the darkness Night, and the evening and the morning made the first day.

“Then God divided the waters, so that there were clouds above and seas below, and He called the clouds heaven. It was the second day.

“Then the seas were gathered together by themselves, and the dry land rose above them, and God saw that it was good. Then He called to the grass, and the plants, and the trees to come out of the ground, and they came bearing their seeds, and He called the third day good.

Then God called to the two great lights, the sun and the moon, to shine clear in the sky, which had been first dark, and then gray, and they rose and set to make day and night, and seasons and years, and the stars came also, and it was the fourth day.

“Then God called for all kinds of fishes that swim in the seas, and rivers, and for all kinds of birds that fly in the air, and they came, and it was the fifth day.

“And then God called for the animals to live on the green earth, and the cattle and the great beasts, and the creeping things came, and God called them all good.

“After this he made the first of the great family of Man. He made them after His own likeness. He made their bodies from the earth, but their souls He breathed into them, so that Man is a spirit, living in an earthly body, and can understand about God and love Him. He blessed them and told them to become many, and to rule over all the earth, with its beasts and birds, and fishes, and it was the sixth day.

“The Man’s name was Adam, and the woman, who was made from a piece of Adam’s body nearest to his heart, was named Eve.

“T”hen God’s world was finished, and on the seventh day there was rest. God was pleased with all that was made, and He made the seventh day holy, by setting it apart from all the others. We keep the Sabbath, or the Lord’s day still, in which his children may rest and worship.” Mary Lathbury. Child’s Story of the Bible.

THE STORY OF CREATION

In the beginning God made the heavens and the earth, and while the earth was still unformed, God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. Then God separated the light from the darkness. And God called the light Day and the darkness Night. And there was an evening and a morning, making the first day.

And God said, “Let there be a sky and let it divide the waters that are below from the waters that are above the sky.” And it was done. And God called the sky the Heavens. And there was an evening and a morning, making the second day.

And God said, “Let the waters under the heavens be brought together, and let the dry land appear.” And it was done. And God called the dry land Earth and the waters that were brought together Seas. And God saw that it was good.

And God said, “Let plants and trees grow from the earth.” And it was done. And plants and trees grew from the earth, each plant bringing forth its own kind of seed and each tree its own kind of fruit, and God saw that it was good. And there was an evening and a morning, making the third day.

And God said, “Let there be lights in the heavens to separate the night from the day. Let them be signs to mark the seasons, the days, and the years. Let them be lights in the heavens to light the earth.” And it was done. So God made the two great lights (the sun and the moon): the greater to rule the day and the lesser to rule the night. God made the stars also and placed them in the heavens to throw light upon the earth. And God saw that it was good. And there was an evening and a morning, making the fourth day.

And God said, “Let the waters bring forth many living creatures[4] and let birds fly above the earth and in the sky.” And God made large sea-monsters and all kinds of living creatures with which the waters abound, and all kinds of birds. And God saw that it was good. And he blessed them, saying, “Increase and fill the waters in the seas, and let the birds increase on the earth.” And there was an evening and a morning, making the fifth day.

And God said, “Let the earth bring forth all kinds of living creatures, cattle and creeping things and wild beasts.” And it was done. So God made all the different kinds of wild beasts, and the cattle, and everything that crawls upon the ground. And God saw that it was good.

And God said, “Let us make man like ourselves. Let him rule over the fish in the sea, the birds of the sky, the cattle, the wild beasts and all the living things that crawl upon the ground.” And God made man like himself, like God he made him. He made them male and female.

And God blessed them, and said to them, “Have children, increase, live all over the earth, and conquer it; rule over the fish of the sea, the birds of the sky, and over every living thing that crawls upon the ground.”

And God said, “See, to you I give every plant which grows on all the earth, and every tree which bears fruit with its own kind of seed. It shall be food for you. And to every wild beast and to every bird of the sky and to every thing that crawls on the earth and is alive, I give every green herb for food.” And it was done.

And when God saw everything that he had made, he saw that it was very good. And there was an evening and a morning, making the sixth day.

And the heavens and the earth were finished and all that there was in them. And on the seventh day when God had finished the work which he had done, he rested from all his work. And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, for in it he rested from all the work which he had done.

GOD’S GOOD GIFTS TO MAN

At the time when Jehovah made earth and heaven, no trees or plants grew on the earth, for Jehovah had not yet sent the rain; and there was no man to till the soil; but a mist rose from the earth and watered the ground.[5]

Then Jehovah made man out of dust taken from the ground and breathed into him the breath of life; and man became a living being. And Jehovah planted a garden in Eden, far in the East; and out of the ground he made grow all kinds of trees that are pleasant to look at and good for food, also the tree of life and the tree that gives the knowledge of good and evil.

Then Jehovah took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and to care for it. And Jehovah gave the man this command: “You may eat all you wish from every tree of the garden, except from the tree that gives the knowledge of good and evil; from this you shall not eat, for if you eat from it you shall surely die.”

Then Jehovah said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make a companion for him.” So out of the ground Jehovah made all the wild beasts and birds, and brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever he called each living thing that became its name. But for the man himself there was found no companion suited to him.

Then Jehovah made the man fall into a deep sleep; and while he slept, he took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. The rib which he had taken from the man, Jehovah made into a woman and brought her to the man. Then the man said, “Because she was made from my body, she shall be called Woman.”Children’s Bible Henry A. Sherman Charles Foster Kent