¹⁷ And ^(A)he is before all things, and in him all things ^(B)hold together. ¹⁸ And ^(C)he is the head of the body, the church. He is ^(D)the beginning, ^(E)the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

The Creation of the World

1 In the ^(A)beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. ² The earth was ^(B)without form and void, and darkness was over the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters.

³ And God said, ^(C)“Let there be light,” and there was light.

⁶ Are not five sparrows sold for two pennies?^[a] And ^(A)not one of them is forgotten before God. ⁷ Why, ^(B)even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not; ^(C)you are of more value than many sparrows.

¹² For ^(A)the word of God is living and ^(B)active, ^(C)sharper than any ^(D)two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and ^(E)discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

¹⁷ They said to him, “We have only five loaves here and two fish.”