Jeremiah Chapter 5

3 For my people are foolish, they know me not; they are sottish children, and they have no understanding; they are wise to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge.

4 I beheld the earth, and, lo, it was waste and void; and the heavens, and they had no light.

5 I beheld the mountains, and, lo, they trembled, and all the hills moved to and fro.

6 I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled.

7 I beheld, and, lo, the fruitful field was a wilderness, and all the cities thereof were broken down at the presence of Jehovah,

8 and before his fierce anger.

9 For thus saith Jehovah, The whole land shall be a desolation; yet will I not make a full end.

10 For this shall the earth mourn, and the heavens above be black; because I have spoken it, I have purposed it, and I have not repented, neither will I turn back from it.

11 Every city fleeth for the noise of the horsemen and bowmen; they go into the thickets, and climb up upon the rocks: every city is forsaken, and not a man dwelleth therein.

12 And thou, when thou art made desolate, what wilt thou do? Though thou clothest thyself with scarlet, though thou deckest thee with ornaments of gold, though thou enlargest thine eyes with paint, in vain dost thou make thyself fair;

13 thy lovers despise thee, they seek thy life.

14 For I have heard a voice as of a woman in travail, the anguish as of her that bringeth forth her first child, the voice of the daughter of Zion, that gaspeth for breath, that spreadeth her hands,

15 saying, Woe is me now! for my soul fainteth before the murderers.

16 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broad places thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be any that doeth justly, that seeketh truth; and I will pardon her.

17 And though they say, As Jehovah liveth; surely they swear falsely.

18 O Jehovah, do not thine eyes look upon truth? thou hast stricken them, but they were not grieved; thou hast consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

19 Then I said, Surely these are poor; they are foolish; for they know not the way of Jehovah, nor the law of their God:

20 I will get me unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they know the way of Jehovah, and the law of their God. But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

21 Wherefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, a wolf of the evenings shall destroy them, a leopard shall watch against their cities; every one that goeth out thence shall be torn in pieces; because their transgressions are many,

22 and their backslidings are increased.

23 How can I pardon thee? thy children have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the harlots’ houses;

24 they were as fed horses roaming at large; every one neighed after his neighbor’s wife.

25 Shall I not visit for these things? saith Jehovah; and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

26 Go ye up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end: take away her branches; for they are not Jehovah’s.

27 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith Jehovah.

28 They have denied Jehovah, and said, It is not he; neither shall evil come upon us; neither shall we see sword nor famine:

29 and the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.

30 Wherefore thus saith Jehovah, the God of hosts, Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

31 Lo, I will bring a nation upon you from far, O house of Israel, saith Jehovah: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest what they say.

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 Run ye to and fro through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in the broadways thereof, if ye can find a man, if there be [any] that doeth justice, that seeketh fidelity; and I will pardon it.

2 And if they say, [As] Jehovah liveth! surely they swear falsely.

3 Jehovah, are not thine eyes upon fidelity? Thou hast smitten them, but they are not sore; thou hast consumed them, they have refused to receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; they have refused to return.

4 And I said, Surely these are the wretched ones, they are foolish; for they know not the way of Jehovah, the judgment of theirGod.

5 I will go unto the great men, and will speak unto them; for they know the way of Jehovah, the judgment of theirGod; but these have altogether broken the yoke, have burst the bonds.

6 Therefore a lion out of the forest shall slay them, a wolf of the evenings shall waste them; the leopard lurketh against their cities, every one that goeth out thence is torn in pieces: for their transgressions are multiplied, their backslidings are increased.

7 Wherefore should I pardon thee? Thy children have forsaken me, and swear by them that are notGod. I have satiated them, and they have committed adultery, and they troop to the harlots' house.

8 [As] well fed horses, they roam about, every one neigheth after his neighbour's wife.

9 Shall I not visit for these things? saith Jehovah, and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

10 Go up upon her walls, and destroy; but make not a full end; take away her battlements, for they are not Jehovah's.

11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me, saith Jehovah.

12 They have denied Jehovah, and say, He is not; and evil shall not come upon us, nor shall we see sword nor famine;

13 and the prophets shall become wind, and the word is not in them: thus shall it be done unto them.

14 Therefore thus saith Jehovah, theGod of hosts: Because ye speak this word, behold, I will make my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

15 Behold, I bring a nation upon you from afar, house of Israel, saith Jehovah: it is a mighty nation, it is an ancient nation, a nation whose language thou knowest not, neither understandest thou what they say.

16 Their quiver is as an open sepulchre; they are all mighty men.

17 And they shall eat up thy harvest and thy bread, they shall eat up thy sons and thy daughters, they shall eat up thy flocks and thy herds, they shall eat up thy vines and thy fig-trees; they shall destroy with the sword thy strong cities, wherein thou trustedst.

18 Nevertheless in those days, saith Jehovah, I will not make a full end with you.

19 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore hath Jehovah ourGod done all these things unto us? then shalt thou say to them, As ye have forsaken me, and served strangegods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.

20 Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,

21 Hear now this, O foolish and heartless people, who have eyes and see not; who have ears, and hear not.

22 Will ye not fear me? saith Jehovah. Will ye not tremble at my presence, who have set the sand a bound for the sea by a perpetual decree, and it shall not pass it? and its waves toss themselves, but they do not prevail; and they roar, yet can they not pass over it?

23 But this people hath a stubborn and a rebellious heart; they have turned aside and are gone.

24 And they say not in their heart, Let us now fear Jehovah ourGod, that giveth rain, both the early and the latter, in its season; who preserveth unto us the appointed weeks of harvest.

25 Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withholden from you what is good.

26 For among my people are found wicked [men]: they lay wait, as fowlers stoop down; they set a trap, they catch men.

27 As a cage full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore they are become great, and have enriched themselves.

28 They are become fat, they shine, yea, they surpass in deeds of wickedness; they judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless, and they prosper; and the right of the needy do they not adjudge.

29 Shall I not visit for these things? saith Jehovah; shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

30 An appalling and horrible thing is committed in the land:

31 the prophets prophesy falsehood, and the priests rule by their means; and my people love [to have it] so. But what will ye do in the end thereof?

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 Run ye about in the streets of Jerusalem, and see, and know, and seek in her broad places, if ye can find [one], if there is any one that does judgment, and seeks faithfulness; and I will pardon them, saith the Lord.

2 The Lord lives, they say; do they not therefore swear falsely?

3 O Lord, thine eyes are upon faithfulness: thou hast scourged them, but they have not grieved; thou hast consumed them; but they would not receive correction: they have made their faces harder than a rock; and they would not return.

4 Then I said, It may be they are poor; for they are weak, for they know not the way of the Lord, or the judgment of God.

5 I will go to the rich men, and will speak to them; for they have known the way of the Lord, and the judgment of God: but, behold, with one consent they have broken the yoke, they have burst the bonds.

6 Therefore has a lion out of the forest smitten them, and a wolf has destroyed them even to [their] houses, and a leopard has watched against their cities: all that go forth from them shall be hunted: for they have multiplied their ungodliness, they have strengthened themselves in their revoltings.

7 In what [way] shall I forgive thee for these things? Thy sons have forsaken me, and sworn by them that are no gods: and I fed them to the full, and they committed adultery, and lodged in harlots' houses.

8 They became as wanton horses: they neighed each one after his neighbour's wife.

9 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this.

10 Go up upon her battlements, and break [them] down; but make not a full end: leave her buttresses; for they are the Lord's.

11 For the house of Israel have indeed dealt treacherously against me, saith the Lord: the house of Juda also

12 have lied to their Lord, and they have said, These things are not so; no evils shall come upon us; and we shall not see sword or famine.

13 Our prophets became wind, and the word of the Lord was not in them.

14 Therefore thus saith the Lord Almighty, Because ye have spoken this word, behold, I have made my words in thy mouth fire, and this people wood, and it shall devour them.

15 Behold, I [will] bring upon you a nation from far, O house of Israel, saith the Lord; a nation the sound of whose language one shall not understand.

16 [They are] all mighty men:

17 and they shall devour your harvest, and your bread; and shall devour your sons, and your daughters; and they shall devour your sheep, and your calves, and devour your vineyards, and your fig-plantations, and your olive yards: and they shall utterly destroy your strong cities, wherein ye trusted, with the sword.

18 And it shall come to pass in those days, saith the Lord thy God, that I will not utterly destroy you.

19 And it shall come to pass, when ye shall say, Wherefore has the Lord our God done all these things to us? that thou shalt say to them, Because ye served strange gods in your land, so shall ye serve strangers in a land that is not yours.

20 Proclaim these things to the house of Jacob, and let them be heard in the house of Juda.

21 Hear ye now these things, O foolish and senseless people; who have eyes, and see not; and have ears, and hear not:

22 will ye not be afraid of me? saith the Lord; and will ye not fear before me, who have set the sand for a bound to the sea, [as] a perpetual ordinance, and it shall not pass it: yea, it shall rage, but not prevail; and its waves shall roar, but not pass over it.

23 But this people has a disobedient and rebellious heart; and they have turned aside and gone back:

24 and they have not said in their heart, Let us fear now the Lord our God, who gives us the early and latter rain, according to the season of the fulfilment of the ordinance of harvest, and has preserved [it] for us.

25 Your transgressions have turned away these things, and your sins have removed good things from you.

26 For among my people were found ungodly men; and they have set snares to destroy men, and have caught [them].

27 As a snare which has been set is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit: therefore have they grown great, and become rich:

28 and they have transgressed [the rule of] judgment; they have not judged the cause of the orphan, nor have they judged the cause of the widow.

29 Shall I not visit for these things? saith the Lord: and shall not my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

30 Shocking and horrible deeds have been done on the land;

31 the prophets utter unrighteous prophecies, and the priests have clapped their hands: and my people has loved [to have it] thus: and what will ye do for the future?

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Circuite vias Ierusalem, et aspicite, et considerate, et quærite in plateis eius, an inveniatis virum facientem iudicium, et quærentem fidem: et propitius ero ei.

2 Quod si etiam Vivit Dominus, dixerint: et hoc falso iurabunt.

3 Domine oculi tui respiciunt fidem: percussisti eos, et non doluerunt: attrivisti eos, et renuerunt accipere disciplinam: induraverunt facies suas supra petram, et noluerunt reverti.

4 Ego autem dixi: Forsitan pauperes sunt et stulti, ignorantes viam Domini, iudicium Dei sui.

5 Ibo igitur ad optimates, et loquar eis: ipsi enim cognoverunt viam Domini, iudicium Dei sui. et ecce magis hi simul confregerunt iugum, ruperunt vincula.

6 Idcirco percussit eos leo de silva, lupus ad vesperam vastavit eos, pardus vigilans super civitates eorum: omnis, qui egressus fuerit ex eis, capietur: quia multiplicatæ sunt prævaricationes eorum, confortatæ sunt aversiones eorum.

7 Super quo propitius tibi esse potero? filii tui dereliquerunt me, et iurant in his, qui non sunt dii: saturavi eos, et mœchati sunt, et in domo meretricis luxuriabantur.

8 Equi amatores, et emissarii facti sunt: Unusquisque ad uxorem proximi sui hinniebat.

9 Numquid super his non visitabo, dicit Dominus? et in gente tali non ulciscetur anima mea?

10 Ascendite muros eius, et dissipate, consummationem autem nolite facere: auferte propagines eius, quia non sunt Domini.

11 Prævaricatione enim prævaricata est in me domus Israel, et domus Iuda, ait Dominus.

12 Negaverunt Dominum, et dixerunt: Non est ipse: neque veniet super nos malum: gladium et famem non videbimus.

13 Prophetæ fuerunt in ventum locuti, et responsum non fuit in eis: hæc ergo evenient illis.

14 Hæc dicit Dominus Deus exercituum: Quia locuti estis verbum istud: ecce ego do verba mea in ore tuo in ignem, et populum istum in ligna, et vorabit eos.

15 Ecce ego adducam super vos gentem de longinquo domus Israel, ait Dominus: gentem robustam, gentem antiquam, gentem, cuius ignorabis linguam, nec intelliges quid loquatur.

16 Pharetra eius quasi sepulchrum patens, universi fortes.

17 Et comedet segetes tuas, et panem tuum: devorabit filios tuos, et filias tuas: comedet gregem tuum, et armenta tua: comedet vineam tuam et ficum tuam: et conteret urbes munitas tuas, in quibus tu habes fiduciam, gladio.

18 Verumtamen in diebus illis, ait Dominus, non faciam vos in consummationem.

19 Quod si dixeritis: Quare fecit nobis Dominus Deus noster hæc omnia? dices ad eos: Sicut dereliquistis me, et servistis deo alieno in terra vestra, sic servietis alienis in terra non vestra.

20 Annunciate hoc domui Iacob, et auditum facite in Iuda, dicentes:

21 Audi popule stulte, qui non habes cor: qui habentes oculos non videtis: et aures, et non auditis.

22 Me ergo non timebitis, ait Dominus: et a facie mea non dolebitis? Qui posui arenam terminum mari, præceptum sempiternum, quod non præteribit: et commovebuntur, et non poterunt: et intumescent fluctus eius, et non transibunt illud:

23 populo autem huic factum est cor incredulum et exasperans, recesserunt et abierunt.

24 Et non dixerunt in corde suo: Metuamus Dominum Deum nostrum, qui dat nobis pluviam temporaneam et serotinam in tempore suo: plenitudinem annuæ messis custodientem nobis.

25 Iniquitates vestræ declinaverunt hæc: et peccata vestra prohibuerunt bonum a vobis:

26 Quia inventi sunt in populo meo impii insidiantes quasi aucupes, laqueos ponentes, et pedicas ad capiendos viros.

27 Sicut decipula plena avibus, sic domus eorum plenæ dolo: ideo magnificati sunt et ditati.

28 Incrassati sunt et impinguati: et præterierunt sermones meos pessime. Causam viduæ non iudicaverunt, causam pupilli non direxerunt, et iudicium pauperum non iudicaverunt.

29 Numquid super his non visitabo, dicit Dominus? aut super gentem huiuscemodi non ulciscetur anima mea?

30 Stupor et mirabilia facta sunt in terra:

31 prophetæ prophetabant mendacium, et sacerdotes applaudebant manibus suis: et populus meus dilexit talia: quid igitur fiet in novissimo eius?

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 “Run back and forth through the streets of Jerusalem, and see now, and know, and seek in its wide places, if you can find a man, if there is anyone who does justly, who seeks truth, then I will pardon her.

2 Though they say, ‘As the LORD lives,’ surely they swear falsely.”

3 O LORD, don’t your eyes look on truth? You have stricken them, but they were not grieved. You have consumed them, but they have refused to receive correction. They have made their faces harder than a rock. They have refused to return.

4 Then I said, “Surely these are poor. They are foolish; for they don’t know the LORD’s way, nor the law of their God.

5 I will go to the great men and will speak to them, for they know the way of the LORD, and the law of their God.” But these with one accord have broken the yoke, and burst the bonds.

6 Therefore a lion out of the forest will kill them. A wolf of the evenings will destroy them. A leopard will watch against their cities. Everyone who goes out there will be torn in pieces, because their transgressions are many and their backsliding has increased.

7 “How can I pardon you? Your children have forsaken me, and sworn by what are no gods. When I had fed them to the full, they committed adultery, and assembled themselves in troops at the prostitutes’ houses.

8 They were as fed horses roaming at large. Everyone neighed after his neighbor’s wife.

9 Shouldn’t I punish them for these things?” says the LORD. “Shouldn’t my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

10 “Go up on her walls, and destroy, but don’t make a full end. Take away her branches, for they are not the LORD’s.

11 For the house of Israel and the house of Judah have dealt very treacherously against me,” says the LORD.

12 They have denied the LORD, and said, “It is not he. Evil won’t come on us. We won’t see sword or famine.

13 The prophets will become wind, and the word is not in them. Thus it will be done to them.”

14 Therefore the LORD, the God of Armies says, “Because you speak this word, behold, I will make my words in your mouth fire, and this people wood, and it will devour them.

15 Behold, I will bring a nation on you from far away, house of Israel,” says the LORD. “It is a mighty nation. It is an ancient nation, a nation whose language you don’t know and don’t understand what they say.

16 Their quiver is an open tomb. They are all mighty men.

17 They will eat up your harvest and your bread, which your sons and your daughters should eat. They will eat up your flocks and your herds. They will eat up your vines and your fig trees. They will beat down your fortified cities in which you trust with the sword.

18 “But even in those days,” says the LORD, “I will not make a full end of you.

19 It will happen when you say, ‘Why has the LORD our God done all these things to us?’ Then you shall say to them, ‘Just as you have forsaken me and served foreign gods in your land, so you will serve strangers in a land that is not yours.’

20 “Declare this in the house of Jacob, and publish it in Judah, saying,

21 ‘Hear this now, foolish people without understanding, who have eyes, and don’t see, who have ears, and don’t hear:

22 Don’t you fear me?’ says the LORD; ‘Won’t you tremble at my presence, who have placed the sand for the bound of the sea by a perpetual decree, that it can’t pass it? Though its waves toss themselves, yet they can’t prevail. Though they roar, they still can’t pass over it.’

23 “But this people has a revolting and a rebellious heart. They have revolted and gone.

24 They don’t say in their heart, ‘Let’s now fear the LORD our God, who gives rain, both the former and the latter, in its season, who preserves to us the appointed weeks of the harvest.’

25 “Your iniquities have turned away these things, and your sins have withheld good from you.

26 For wicked men are found among my people. They watch, as fowlers lie in wait. They set a trap. They catch men.

27 As a cage is full of birds, so are their houses full of deceit. Therefore they have become great, and grew rich.

28 They have grown fat. They shine; yes, they excel in deeds of wickedness. They don’t plead the cause, the cause of the fatherless, that they may prosper; and they don’t defend the rights of the needy.

29 “Shouldn’t I punish for these things?” says the LORD. “Shouldn’t my soul be avenged on such a nation as this?

30 “An astonishing and horrible thing has happened in the land.

31 The prophets prophesy falsely, and the priests rule by their own authority; and my people love to have it so. What will you do in the end of it?

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 Go to and fro in streets of Jerusalem, And see, I pray you, and know, And seek in her broad places, if ye find a man, If there be one doing judgment, seeking stedfastness--Then am I propitious to her.

2 And if they say, `Jehovah liveth,' Surely to a falsehood they swear.

3 Jehovah, Thine eyes, are they not on stedfastness? Thou hast smitten them, and they have not grieved, Thou hast consumed them, They have refused to receive instruction, They made their faces harder than a rock, They have refused to turn back.

4 And I--I said, `Surely these <FI>are<Fi> poor, They have been foolish, For they have not known the way of Jehovah, The judgment of their God.

5 I get me to the great, and I speak with them, For they have known the way of Jehovah, The judgment of their God.' Surely they together have broken the yoke, They have drawn away the bands.

6 Therefore smitten them hath a lion out of the forest, A wolf of the deserts doth spoil them, A leopard is watching over their cities, Every one who is going out of them is torn, For many have been their transgressions, Mighty have been their backslidings.

7 For this I am not propitious to thee, Thy sons have forsaken Me, And are satisfied by that which is not god, I satisfy them, and they commit adultery, And at the house of a harlot They gather themselves together.

8 Fed horses--they have been early risers, Each to the wife of his neighbour they neigh.

9 For these do I not lay a charge? An affirmation of Jehovah, And on a nation such as this, Doth not My soul avenge itself?

10 Go ye up on her walls, and destroy, And a completion make not, Turn aside her branches, for they <FI>are<Fi> not Jehovah's,

11 For dealt treacherously against Me have the house of Israel, And the house of Judah, an affirmation of Jehovah.

12 They have lied against Jehovah, And they say, `<FI> It is<Fi> not He, Nor come in against us doth evil, Yea, sword and famine we do not see.

13 And the prophets become wind, And the word is not in them,' --thus it is done by them.

14 Therefore, thus said Jehovah, God of Hosts, Because of your speaking this word, Lo, I am making My words in thy mouth become fire, And this people wood, and it hath devoured them.

15 Lo, I am bringing against you a nation from afar, O house of Israel, an affirmation of Jehovah, A nation--strong it <FI>is<Fi> , a nation--from of old it <FI>is<Fi> , A nation--thou knowest not its tongue, Nor understandest what it speaketh.

16 Its quiver <FI>is<Fi> as an open sepulchre, All of them--mighty ones.

17 And it hath consumed thy harvest and thy bread, They consume thy sons, and thy daughters, It consumeth thy flock, and thy herd, It consumeth thy vine, and thy fig-tree, It maketh poor thy fenced cities, In which thou art trusting--by the sword.

18 And even in those days, an affirmation of Jehovah, I do not make you a completion.

19 And it hath come to pass, when ye say, `For what hath Jehovah our God done to us all these?' That thou hast said unto them, `As ye have forsaken Me, And serve the gods of a foreigner in your land, So do ye serve strangers in a land not yours.

20 Declare ye this in the house of Jacob, And sound ye it in Judah, saying,

21 Hear ye, I pray you, this, O people, foolish and without heart, Eyes they have, and they see not, Ears they have, and they hear not.

22 Me do ye not fear, an affirmation of Jehovah? From My presence are ye not pained? Who hath made sand the border of the sea, A limit age-during, and it passeth not over it, They shake themselves, and they are not able, Yea, sounded have its billows, and they pass not over.

23 And this people hath an apostate and rebellious heart, They have turned aside, and they go on.

24 And they have not said in their heart, `Let us fear, we pray you, Jehovah our God, who is giving rain, The sprinkling and the gathered, in its season, The appointed weeks of harvest He keepeth for us.'

25 Your iniquities have turned these away, And your sins have kept the good from you.

26 For the wicked have been found among My people. It looketh about the covering of snares, They have set up a trap--men they capture.

27 As a cage full of fowls, So their houses are full of deceit, Therefore they have been great, and are rich.

28 They have been fat, they have shone, Yea, they have overpassed the acts of the evil, Judgment they have not judged, The judgment of the fatherless--and they prosper, And the judgment of the needy they have not judged.

29 For these do not I inspect, an affirmation of Jehovah, On a nation such as this, Doth not My soul avenge itself?

30 An astonishing and horrible thing hath been in the land.

31 The prophets have prophesied falsely, And the priests bear rule by their means, And My people have loved <FI>it<Fi> so, And what do they at its latter end?

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).