I Am Hugh
Researcher
Introduction
As brief and painless as possible I would like to explain. I've translated Genesis chapter one before, with a slightly different modern perspective, an attempt to avoid iconic religious language, but with footnotes, formatting, annotations and reference scriptures I've only gotten to the first 3 verses as far as translation this time around:
[1:1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
[1:2] At that time the earth was a dark and barren desolation; and God's dynamic energy was concentrated on the surface of the primeval ocean.
[1:3] And then God commanded that light should come to be and it began to appear.
Basically, in a sense, the rule of thumb has been that a Bible translation simply strives to strictly translate the text from word to word as much as possible, whereas a version allows for more creative license. That rule, I don't think, is etched in stone. Compare the King James Version and the Darby Translation. Still, this is a version, but it isn't me making stuff up, only putting it into a less iconic language. The meaning is still the same. Perhaps it's more of an explanation or annotation. Ideally, I can back it all up with the traditional Bible if challenged. This isn't a compromise designed to appeal but rather simply a modern translation.
This post by @F1fan bugged me, inspiring me to try this, because I see the admittedly aforementioned archaic iconic religious language and the sometimes-nonsensical primitive concepts that have become modern theology as being - well - off-putting to the modern rational skeptic. Frustrating to me because the off-putting is understandable due to having been misled. This version is an accurate but more modern take.
Each verse number appears in bold and is also linked to the corresponding verse comparison on Bible Hub.
Genesis Chapter 1
1 The beginning of earthling man began when a highly intelligent extraterrestrial being created the universe, including the earth. 2 The earth was at first dark and desolate, but his dynamic energy was concentrated on the surface of the waters. 3 Then he arranged it so that light could be utilized on the planet, and so light gradually began to appear.
4 He saw that the light was good but decided that there should be a division of light and dark. 5 The period of light he called "day" and the period of darkness he called "night." There was evening and morning, the first period of creation. 6 He then decided an expanse should occur in between two waters, the water on the surface below and a water canopy above. 7 So, he made the atmosphere in the middle of the divided waters. 8 He called the expanse "sky" and so was the second period of creation. 9 He decided the waters below the sky should be gathered together in one place, allowing dry land to appear. 10 He called the dry land "earth" and the waters he called "seas." He thought this was good.
11 He decided the earth should produce vegetation, with its seeds, and fruit trees should produce fruit specifically of their kind, including their seeds, and so it was. 12 The land produced vegetation, with seeds, and the trees bore fruit of their own kind, and he thought it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third creative period.
14 Next he decided to arrange the luminaries in the expanse so that they separated the day from the night and so that they would serve to mark time, days and years, 15 and so that they would provide light on earth. 16 He arranged the two primary luminaries - the greater to govern the day and the lesser to rule the night, and he arranged the stars as well. 17 He set them in the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to dominate the day and night, and separate light from darkness. And he thought this was good. 19 This marked the evening, then the morning, the fourth creative period.
20 And then he decided that the water should fill with living creatures, and fly above the earth in the sky. 21 So, he created the great sea creatures and all living creatures that swim around in the waters according to their kinds as well as every flying creature according to its kind, and he thought it was good. 22 So he felicitated the creatures of the sea and sky, and adjured them to be fruitful and multiply. 23 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth creative period.
24 Then he established that the land should produce living creatures according to their kinds, for domesticating, to migrate and feral. And so, it was. 25 He proceeded to make the wild, domestic and migrating animals of their own kinds and he thought it was good.
26 Then he and his master worker decided to make man in their image, to be like them, giving mankind authority over the creatures of the land, sea and sky, the domestic, feral and migrating animals. 27 And so he went on to create mankind in his image, he created them male and female. 28 He also felicitated them, and said to them "Be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth as steward over the creatures of land, sea and sky."
29 Then he said "I am giving you all the vegetation and fruit bearing trees on the entire earth as food for you. 30 And to every wild animal, flying creature of the sky and migrating animal alive, I am giving all vegetation for food." And so, it was. 31 He looked over all that he had made, and it looked very good to him. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth creative period.
As brief and painless as possible I would like to explain. I've translated Genesis chapter one before, with a slightly different modern perspective, an attempt to avoid iconic religious language, but with footnotes, formatting, annotations and reference scriptures I've only gotten to the first 3 verses as far as translation this time around:
[1:1] In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
[1:2] At that time the earth was a dark and barren desolation; and God's dynamic energy was concentrated on the surface of the primeval ocean.
[1:3] And then God commanded that light should come to be and it began to appear.
Basically, in a sense, the rule of thumb has been that a Bible translation simply strives to strictly translate the text from word to word as much as possible, whereas a version allows for more creative license. That rule, I don't think, is etched in stone. Compare the King James Version and the Darby Translation. Still, this is a version, but it isn't me making stuff up, only putting it into a less iconic language. The meaning is still the same. Perhaps it's more of an explanation or annotation. Ideally, I can back it all up with the traditional Bible if challenged. This isn't a compromise designed to appeal but rather simply a modern translation.
This post by @F1fan bugged me, inspiring me to try this, because I see the admittedly aforementioned archaic iconic religious language and the sometimes-nonsensical primitive concepts that have become modern theology as being - well - off-putting to the modern rational skeptic. Frustrating to me because the off-putting is understandable due to having been misled. This version is an accurate but more modern take.
Each verse number appears in bold and is also linked to the corresponding verse comparison on Bible Hub.
Genesis Chapter 1
1 The beginning of earthling man began when a highly intelligent extraterrestrial being created the universe, including the earth. 2 The earth was at first dark and desolate, but his dynamic energy was concentrated on the surface of the waters. 3 Then he arranged it so that light could be utilized on the planet, and so light gradually began to appear.
4 He saw that the light was good but decided that there should be a division of light and dark. 5 The period of light he called "day" and the period of darkness he called "night." There was evening and morning, the first period of creation. 6 He then decided an expanse should occur in between two waters, the water on the surface below and a water canopy above. 7 So, he made the atmosphere in the middle of the divided waters. 8 He called the expanse "sky" and so was the second period of creation. 9 He decided the waters below the sky should be gathered together in one place, allowing dry land to appear. 10 He called the dry land "earth" and the waters he called "seas." He thought this was good.
11 He decided the earth should produce vegetation, with its seeds, and fruit trees should produce fruit specifically of their kind, including their seeds, and so it was. 12 The land produced vegetation, with seeds, and the trees bore fruit of their own kind, and he thought it was good. 13 There was evening and there was morning, a third creative period.
14 Next he decided to arrange the luminaries in the expanse so that they separated the day from the night and so that they would serve to mark time, days and years, 15 and so that they would provide light on earth. 16 He arranged the two primary luminaries - the greater to govern the day and the lesser to rule the night, and he arranged the stars as well. 17 He set them in the sky to give light upon the earth, 18 to dominate the day and night, and separate light from darkness. And he thought this was good. 19 This marked the evening, then the morning, the fourth creative period.
20 And then he decided that the water should fill with living creatures, and fly above the earth in the sky. 21 So, he created the great sea creatures and all living creatures that swim around in the waters according to their kinds as well as every flying creature according to its kind, and he thought it was good. 22 So he felicitated the creatures of the sea and sky, and adjured them to be fruitful and multiply. 23 And there was evening, and there was morning, the fifth creative period.
24 Then he established that the land should produce living creatures according to their kinds, for domesticating, to migrate and feral. And so, it was. 25 He proceeded to make the wild, domestic and migrating animals of their own kinds and he thought it was good.
26 Then he and his master worker decided to make man in their image, to be like them, giving mankind authority over the creatures of the land, sea and sky, the domestic, feral and migrating animals. 27 And so he went on to create mankind in his image, he created them male and female. 28 He also felicitated them, and said to them "Be fruitful and multiply, filling the earth as steward over the creatures of land, sea and sky."
29 Then he said "I am giving you all the vegetation and fruit bearing trees on the entire earth as food for you. 30 And to every wild animal, flying creature of the sky and migrating animal alive, I am giving all vegetation for food." And so, it was. 31 He looked over all that he had made, and it looked very good to him. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth creative period.
