The Bible

 

Genesis 1

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1 In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth.

2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters.

3 And God said, Let there be light: and there was light.

4 And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.

5 And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first Day.

6 And God said, Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 And God made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so.

8 And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.

9 And God said, Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear: and it was so.

10 And God called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and God saw that it was good.

11 And God said, Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so.

12 And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in itself, after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

13 And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years:

15 And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth: and it was so.

16 And God made two great lights; the greater light to rule the day, and the lesser light to rule the night: he made the stars also.

17 And God set them in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth,

18 And to rule over the day and over the night, and to divide the light from the darkness: and God saw that it was good.

19 And the evening and the morning were the fourth day.

20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven.

21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

22 And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

23 And the evening and the morning were the fifth day.

24 And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.

25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.

26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth.

27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.

28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth.

29 And God said, Behold, I have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat.

30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so.

31 And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.

Commentary

 

Creation

  
Nicknamed 'God the Geometer,' this  artwork shows God using geometric principles in creating the earth. It is the Frontispiece of Bible Moralisee, in the Codex Vindobonensis 2554 (French, ca. 1250), in the Österreichische Nationalbibliothek.

The creation of heaven and earth in the first chapter of Genesis represents the new creation of the celestial church called 'Man'.

(References: Arcana Coelestia 9336, Genesis 1)

The Bible

 

Job 11

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1 Then Zophar, the Naamathite, answered,

2 "Shouldn't the multitude of words be answered? Should a man full of talk be justified?

3 Should your boastings make men hold their peace? When you mock, shall no man make you ashamed?

4 For you say, 'My doctrine is pure. I am clean in your eyes.'

5 But oh that God would speak, and open his lips against you,

6 that he would show you the secrets of wisdom! For true wisdom has two sides. Know therefore that God exacts of you less than your iniquity deserves.

7 "Can you fathom the mystery of God? Or can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

8 They are high as heaven. What can you do? They are deeper than Sheol. What can you know?

9 Its measure is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea.

10 If he passes by, or confines, or convenes a court, then who can oppose him?

11 For he knows false men. He sees iniquity also, even though he doesn't consider it.

12 An empty-headed man becomes wise when a man is born as a wild donkey's colt.

13 "If you set your heart aright, stretch out your hands toward him.

14 If iniquity is in your hand, put it far away. Don't let unrighteousness dwell in your tents.

15 Surely then you shall lift up your face without spot; Yes, you shall be steadfast, and shall not fear:

16 for you shall forget your misery. You shall remember it as waters that are passed away.

17 Life shall be clearer than the noonday. Though there is darkness, it shall be as the morning.

18 You shall be secure, because there is hope. Yes, you shall search, and shall take your rest in safety.

19 Also you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. Yes, many shall court your favor.

20 But the eyes of the wicked shall fail. They shall have no way to flee. Their hope shall be the giving up of the spirit."