יח) כִּי כֹה אָמַר ה' בּוֹרֵא הַשָּׁמַיִם הוּא הָאֱלֹקִים יֹצֵר הָאָרֶץ וְעֹשָׂהּ הוּא כוֹנְנָהּ לֹא תֹהוּ בְרָאָהּ לָשֶׁבֶת יְצָרָהּ אֲנִי ה' וְאֵין עוֹד:
For thus says Adonai that created the heavens; G-d himself that formed the earth and made it; he has established it, he did not create it a waste land, he formed to be inhabited: I am Adonai, and there is none else. [Translation by Rabbi Daniel Brown, edited for gender neutrality]
Suggested Discussion Questions:
Why was the earth formed "to be inhabited"?
Why does it say G-d created the heavens before telling us of the creation of the earth?
Time Period: Biblical (early ancestors to 165 BCE)