Deuteronomy Chapter 13
King James Version (KJV)
Other Translations
asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM
1
Take heed to thyself that thou offer not thy burnt-offerings in every place that thou seest;
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but in the place which Jehovah shall choose in one of thy tribes, there thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, and there thou shalt do all that I command thee.
3
Notwithstanding, thou mayest kill and eat flesh within all thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul, according to the blessing of Jehovah thy God which he hath given thee: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof, as of the gazelle, and as of the hart.
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Only ye shall not eat the blood; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water.
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Thou mayest not eat within thy gates the tithe of thy grain, or of thy new wine, or of thine oil, or the firstlings of thy herd or of thy flock, nor any of thy vows which thou vowest, nor thy freewill-offerings, nor the heave-offering of thy hand;
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but thou shalt eat them before Jehovah thy God in the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, thou, and thy son, and thy daughter, and thy man-servant, and thy maid-servant, and the Levite that is within thy gates: and thou shalt rejoice before Jehovah thy God in all that thou puttest thy hand unto.
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Take heed to thyself that thou forsake not the Levite as long as thou livest in thy land.
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When Jehovah thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul desireth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, after all the desire of thy soul.
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If the place which Jehovah thy God shall choose, to put his name there, be too far from thee, then thou shalt kill of thy herd and of thy flock, which Jehovah hath given thee, as I have commanded thee; and thou mayest eat within thy gates, after all the desire of thy soul.
10
Even as the gazelle and as the hart is eaten, so thou shalt eat thereof: the unclean and the clean may eat thereof alike.
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Only be sure that thou eat not the blood: for the blood is the life; and thou shalt not eat the life with the flesh.
12
Thou shalt not eat it; thou shalt pour it out upon the earth as water.
13
Thou shalt not eat it; that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, when thou shalt do that which is right in the eyes of Jehovah.
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Only thy holy things which thou hast, and thy vows, thou shalt take, and go unto the place which Jehovah shall choose;
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and thou shalt offer thy burnt-offerings, the flesh and the blood, upon the altar of Jehovah thy God; and the blood of thy sacrifices shall be poured out upon the altar of Jehovah thy God; and thou shalt eat the flesh.
16
Observe and hear all these words which I command thee, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee for ever, when thou doest that which is good and right in the eyes of Jehovah thy God.
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When Jehovah thy God shall cut off the nations from before thee, whither thou goest in to dispossess them, and thou dispossessest them, and dwellest in their land;
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take heed to thyself that thou be not ensnared to follow them, after that they are destroyed from before thee; and that thou inquire not after their gods, saying, How do these nations serve their gods? even so will I do likewise.
darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext
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If there arise among you a prophet, or one that dreameth dreams, and he give thee a sign or a wonder,
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and the sign or the wonder come to pass that he told unto thee, when he said, Let us go after othergods, whom thou hast not known, and let us serve them,
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— thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams; for Jehovah yourGod proveth you, to know whether ye love Jehovah yourGod with all your heart and with all your soul.
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Ye shall walk after Jehovah yourGod, and ye shall fear him, and his commandments shall ye keep, and his voice shall ye hear; and ye shall serve him, and unto him shall ye cleave.
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And that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death; for he hath spoken revolt against Jehovah yourGod who brought you out of the land of Egypt, and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, — to draw thee out of the way that Jehovah thyGod commanded thee to walk in; and thou shalt put evil away from thy midst.
6
If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, who is to thee as thy soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve othergods (whom thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers;
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of thegods of the peoples which are round about you, near unto thee, or far from thee, from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth),
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thou shalt not consent unto him, nor hearken unto him; neither shall thine eye spare him, neither shalt thou pity him, neither shalt thou screen him,
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but thou shalt in any case kill him: thy hand shall be the first against him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people;
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and thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die; for he hath sought to draw thee away from Jehovah thyGod who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage;
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and all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall do no more any such wicked thing as this in thy midst.
12
If in one of thy cities, which Jehovah thyGod hath given thee to dwell there, thou hearest, saying,
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There are men, children of Belial, gone out from among you, and they have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve othergods, whom ye have not known;
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then shalt thou inquire, and make search, and ask diligently; and if it be truth, [and] the thing be certain, that this abomination hath happened in the midst of thee,
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thou shalt surely smite the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, devoting it to destruction, and all that is therein, and the cattle thereof, with the edge of the sword.
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And all the spoil of it shalt thou gather into the midst of the open place thereof, and shalt burn the city with fire, and all the spoil thereof, wholly to Jehovah thyGod; and it shall be a heap for ever; it shall not be built again.
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And thou shalt not let anything cleave to thy hand of the devoted thing; that Jehovah may turn from the fierceness of his anger, and shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee, as he hath sworn unto thy fathers;
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when thou hearkenest to the voice of Jehovah thyGod, to keep all his commandments which I command thee this day, that thou mayest do what is right in the eyes of Jehovah thyGod.
lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM
1
Every word that I command you this day, it shalt thou observe to do: thou shalt not add to it, nor diminish from it.
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And if there arise within thee a prophet, or one who dreams a dream, and he gives thee a sign or a wonder,
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and the sign or the wonder come to pass which he spoke to thee, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye know not;
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ye shall not hearken to the words of that prophet, or the dreamer of that dream, because the Lord thy God tries you, to know whether ye love your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
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Ye shall follow the Lord your God, and fear him, and ye shall hear his voice, and attach yourselves to him.
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And that prophet or that dreamer of a dream, shall die; for he has spoken to make thee err from the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, who redeemed thee from bondage, to thrust thee out of the way which the Lord thy God commanded thee to walk in: so shalt thou abolish the evil from among you.
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And if thy brother by thy father or mother, or thy son, or daughter, or thy wife in thy bosom, or friend who is equal to thine own soul, entreat thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which neither thou nor thy fathers have known,
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of the gods of the nations that are round about you, who are near thee or at a distance from thee, from one end of the earth to the other;
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thou shalt not consent to him, neither shalt thou hearken to him; and thine eye shall not spare him, thou shalt feel no regret for him, neither shalt thou at all protect him:
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thou shalt surely report concerning him, and thy hands shall be upon him among the first to slay him, and the hands of all the people at the last.
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And they shall stone him with stones, and he shall die, because he sought to draw thee away from the Lord thy God who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
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And all Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not again do according to this evil thing among you.
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And if in one of thy cities which the Lord God gives thee to dwell therein, thou shalt hear men saying,
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Evil men have gone out from you, and have caused all the inhabitants of their land to fall away, saying, Let us go and worship other gods, whom ye knew not,
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then thou shalt enquire and ask, and search diligently, and behold, [if] the thing is clearly true, and this abomination has taken place among you,
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thou shalt utterly destroy all the dwellers in that land with the edge of the sword; ye shall solemnly curse it, and all things in it.
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And all its spoils thou shalt gather into its public ways, and thou shalt burn the city with fire, and all its spoils publicly before the Lord thy God; and it shall be uninhabited for ever, it shall not be built again.
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And there shall nothing of the cursed thing cleave to thy hand, that the Lord may turn from his fierce anger, and shew thee mercy, and pity thee, and multiply thee, as he sware to thy fathers;
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if thou wilt hear the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments, all that I charge thee this day, to do that which is good and pleasing before the Lord thy God.
vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)
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Si surrexerit in medio tui prophetes, aut qui somnium vidisse se dicat, et prædixerit signum atque portentum,
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et evenerit quod locutus est, et dixerit tibi: Eamus, et sequamur deos alienos quos ignoras, et serviamus eis:
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non audies verba prophetæ illius aut somniatoris: quia tentat vos Dominus Deus vester, ut palam fiat utrum diligatis eum an non, in toto corde, et in tota anima vestra.
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Dominum Deum vestrum sequimini, et ipsum timete, et mandata illius custodite, et audite vocem eius: ipsi servietis, et ipsi adhærebitis.
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Propheta autem ille aut fictor somniorum interficietur: quia locutus est ut vos averteret a Domino Deo vestro, qui eduxit vos de Terra Ægypti, et redemit vos de domo servitutis: ut errare te faceret de via, quam tibi præcepit Dominus Deus tuus: et auferes malum de medio tui.
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Si tibi voluerit persuadere frater tuus filius matris tuæ, aut filius tuus vel filia, sive uxor quæ est in sinu tuo, aut amicus, quem diligis ut animam tuam, clam dicens: Eamus, et serviamus diis alienis, quos ignoras tu, et patres tui,
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cunctarum in circuitu gentium, quæ iuxta vel procul sunt, ab initio usque ad finem terræ,
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non acquiescas ei, nec audias, neque parcat ei oculus tuus ut miserearis et occultes eum,
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sed statim interficies. sit primum manus tua super eum, et postea omnis populus mittat manum.
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Lapidibus obrutus necabitur: quia voluit te abstrahere a Domino Deo tuo, qui eduxit te de Terra Ægypti de domo servitutis:
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ut omnis Israel audiens timeat, et nequaquam ultra faciat quippiam huius rei simile.
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Si audieris in una urbium tuarum, quas Dominus Deus tuus dabit tibi ad habitandum, dicentes aliquos:
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Egressi sunt filii Belial de medio tui, et averterunt habitatores urbis suæ, atque dixerunt: Eamus, et serviamus diis alienis quos ignoratis:
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quare solicite et diligenter, rei veritate perspecta, si inveneris certum esse quod dicitur, et abominationem hanc opere perpetratam,
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statim percuties habitatores urbis illius in ore gladii, et delebis eam ac omnia quæ in illa sunt, usque ad pecora.
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quidquid etiam supellectilis fuerit, congregabis in medio platearum eius, et cum ipsa civitate succendes, ita ut universa consumas Domino Deo tuo, et sit tumulus sempiternus. non ædificabitur amplius,
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et non adhærebit de illo anathemate quidquam in manu tua: ut avertatur Dominus ab ira furoris sui, et misereatur tui, multiplicetque te sicut iuravit patribus tuis,
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quando audieris vocem Domini Dei tui, custodiens omnia præcepta eius, quæ ego præcipio tibi hodie, ut facias quod placitum est in conspectu Domini Dei tui.
web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV
1
If a prophet or a dreamer of dreams arises among you, and he gives you a sign or a wonder,
2
and the sign or the wonder comes to pass, of which he spoke to you, saying, “Let’s go after other gods” (which you have not known) “and let’s serve them,”
3
you shall not listen to the words of that prophet, or to that dreamer of dreams; for the LORD your God is testing you, to know whether you love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul.
4
You shall walk after the LORD your God, fear him, keep his commandments, and obey his voice. You shall serve him, and cling to him.
5
That prophet, or that dreamer of dreams, shall be put to death, because he has spoken rebellion against the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt and redeemed you out of the house of bondage, to draw you aside out of the way which the LORD your God commanded you to walk in. So you shall remove the evil from among you.
6
If your brother, the son of your mother, or your son, or your daughter, or the wife of your bosom, or your friend who is as your own soul, entices you secretly, saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods”—which you have not known, you, nor your fathers;
7
of the gods of the peoples who are around you, near to you, or far off from you, from the one end of the earth even to the other end of the earth—
8
you shall not consent to him nor listen to him; neither shall your eye pity him, neither shall you spare, neither shall you conceal him;
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but you shall surely kill him. Your hand shall be first on him to put him to death, and afterwards the hands of all the people.
10
You shall stone him to death with stones, because he has sought to draw you away from the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
11
All Israel shall hear, and fear, and shall not do any more wickedness like this among you.
12
If you hear about one of your cities, which the LORD your God gives you to dwell there, that
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certain wicked fellows have gone out from among you and have drawn away the inhabitants of their city, saying, “Let’s go and serve other gods,” which you have not known,
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then you shall inquire, investigate, and ask diligently. Behold, if it is true, and the thing certain, that such abomination was done among you,
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you shall surely strike the inhabitants of that city with the edge of the sword, destroying it utterly, with all that is therein and its livestock, with the edge of the sword.
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You shall gather all its plunder into the middle of its street, and shall burn with fire the city, with all of its plunder, to the LORD your God. It shall be a heap forever. It shall not be built again.
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Nothing of the devoted thing shall cling to your hand, that the LORD may turn from the fierceness of his anger and show you mercy, and have compassion on you and multiply you, as he has sworn to your fathers,
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when you listen to the LORD your God’s voice, to keep all his commandments which I command you today, to do that which is right in the LORD your God’s eyes.
ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8
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`When there ariseth in your midst a prophet, or a dreamer of a dream, and he hath given unto thee a sign or wonder,
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and the sign and the wonder hath come which he hath spoken of unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods (which thou hast not known), and serve them,
3
thou dost not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or unto that dreamer of the dream, for Jehovah your God is trying you, to know whether ye are loving Jehovah your God with all your heart, and with all your soul;
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after Jehovah your God ye walk, and Him ye fear, and His commands ye keep, and to His voice ye hearken, and Him ye serve, and to Him ye cleave.
5
`And that prophet, or that dreamer of the dream, is put to death, for he hath spoken apostasy against Jehovah your God (who is bringing you out of the land of Egypt, and hath ransomed you out of a house of servants), to drive you out of the way in which Jehovah thy God hath commanded thee to walk, and thou hast put away the evil thing from thy midst.
6
`When thy brother--son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend who <FI>is<Fi> as thine own soul--doth move thee, in secret, saying, Let us go and serve other gods--(which thou hast not known, thou and thy fathers,
7
of the gods of the peoples who <FI>are<Fi> round about you, who are near unto thee, or who are far off from thee, from the end of the earth even unto the end of the earth) --
8
thou dost not consent to him, nor hearken unto him, nor doth thine eye have pity on him, nor dost thou spare, nor dost thou cover him over.
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`But thou dost surely kill him; thy hand is on him, in the first place, to put him to death, and the hand of all the people last;
10
and thou hast stoned him with stones, and he hath died, for he hath sought to drive thee away from Jehovah thy God, who is bringing thee out of the land of Egypt, out of a house of servants;
11
and all Israel do hear and fear, and add not to do like this evil thing in thy midst.
12
`When thou hearest, in one of thy cities which Jehovah thy God is giving to thee to dwell there, <FI>one<Fi> saying,
13
Men, sons of worthlessness, have gone out of thy midst, and they force away the inhabitants of their city, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which ye have not known--
14
and thou hast enquired, and searched, and asked diligently, and lo, truth; the thing is established; this abomination hath been done in thy midst:
15
`Thou dost surely smite the inhabitants of that city by the mouth of the sword; devoting it, and all that <FI>is<Fi> in it, even its cattle, by the mouth of the sword;
16
and all its spoil thou dost gather unto the midst of its broad place, and hast burned with fire the city and all its spoil completely, before Jehovah thy God, and it hath been a heap age-during, it is not built any more;
17
and there doth not cleave to thy hand any of the devoted thing, so that Jehovah doth turn back from the fierceness of His anger, and hath given to thee mercies, and loved thee, and multiplied thee, as He hath sworn to thy fathers,
18
when thou dost hearken to the voice of Jehovah thy God, to keep all his commands which I am commanding thee to-day, to do that which <FI>is<Fi> right in the eyes of Jehovah thy God.
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).