Genesis 1:1

Genesis 1:1 is such a familiar passage, one that often gets translated the same way in many, many translations.

Here are the translations that change it up a bit:

The Amplified Bible: In the beginning God (prepared, formed, fashioned, and) created the heavens and the earth.
Common English Bible: When God began to create the heavens and the earth--
Young's Literal Translation: In the beginning of God's preparing the heavens and the earth--
The Basic Bible 1949 Samuel Hooke: At the first God made the heaven and the earth.
The Message: First this: God created the Heavens and the Earth--all you see, all you don't see.
New English Bible: In the beginning of creation, when God made heaven and earth,
Revised English Bible: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
Expanded Bible: In the beginning [or In the beginning when] God created [this Hebrew verb is used only when God is the one creating] the sky [heavens] and the earth.
Living: When God began creating the heavens and the earth,
NRSV: In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth,
New Century: In the beginning God created the sky and the earth.
God's Word: In the beginning God created heaven and earth.
Good News Translation: In the beginning, when God created the universe,

Here are the translations that don't.

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.

(NIV, NLT, ESV, NASB, KJV, ASV, Darby, ERV, Webster's Bible Translation, World English Bible, CEV, HCSB, NKJV, Complete Jewish Bible, RSV, TNIV)

Do you have a favorite or least favorite?

If you want to see what the Hebrews words used in this verse are, you can always look it up at mystudybible.com.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible