NIV
New International Version · 1978 (rev. 2011)
God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning—the first day.
21 words · Balance of accuracy and readability
Genesis 1:5 — Compare Translations
Read this verse in 6 Bible translations — from word-for-word to thought-for-thought.
Dynamic equivalence
KJV
King James Version · 1611
And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. <sup>And the evening: Heb. And the evening was, and the morning was</sup>
34 words · Formal / word-for-word
ESV
English Standard Version · 2001 (rev. 2016)
God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And there was evening and there was morning, the first day.
22 words · Essentially literal
NLT
New Living Translation · 1996 (rev. 2015)
God called the light “day” and the darkness “night.” And evening passed and morning came, marking the first day.
19 words · Thought-for-thought clarity
MSG
The Message · 2002
God named the light Day, he named the dark Night. It was evening, it was morning— Day One.
18 words · Contemporary paraphrase
NASB
New American Standard Bible · 1971 (rev. 2020)
God called the light day, and the darkness He called night. And there was evening and there was morning, one day.
21 words · Most literal English translation
Translation Length Comparison
NIV
21 words
KJV
34 words
ESV
22 words
NLT
19 words
MSG
18 words
NASB
21 words
Frequently Asked Questions
How many Bible translations are there for Genesis 1:5?
Bible Verse Randomizer offers Genesis 1:5 in 6 translations: New International Version, King James Version, English Standard Version, New Living Translation, The Message, New American Standard Bible. Each uses a different translation philosophy — from word-for-word (KJV, ESV, NASB) to thought-for-thought (NIV, NLT) to paraphrase (MSG).
Which translation of Genesis 1:5 is best?
No single translation is "best" — it depends on your purpose. For deep study, use the ESV or NASB (word-for-word). For devotional reading, the NIV balances accuracy and readability. The NLT and MSG are excellent for understanding the general meaning in modern English. Comparing multiple translations helps grasp the full richness of the text.
What is the difference between literal and dynamic Bible translations?
Literal (formal equivalence) translations like KJV, ESV, and NASB translate word-for-word from the original Hebrew/Greek. Dynamic equivalence translations like NIV and NLT translate thought-for-thought for clarity. The MSG is a paraphrase that captures the spirit in contemporary language. Each approach has strengths — that's why comparing translations is valuable.