Bible Question: Who is the "us" that God is talking about in Genesis 1:26?

Bible Question:I was reading my Bible today and I had a question about something in Genesis. In chapter 1, verse 26 it states "Then God said, 'Let us make people in our image, to be like ourselves. They will be masters over all life- the fish in the sea, the birds in the sky, and all the livestock, wild animals, and small animals.'" My first question is who is the "us" that God is talking about and who was He talking about when He said they would be created to be like "ourselves," who is the "us" and "ourselves?" Then in verse 27 it says God created male and female, and then in Chapter 2, verses 18-22 scripture talks about God making woman. I don't understand that.

Then God said, "Let Us make man in Our image, according to Our likeness; and let them rule over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the sky and over the cattle and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them. (NASB) Genesis 1:26

"Us." The words "us" and "our" in this conversation are plural in verse 26. Then in verse 27, the words "in His own image" (BESALMO) and "in the image of " (BESELEM) are all singular. How can we explain a plural conversation and a singular God? The answer to this question is that the Trinity is talking. It is common in scripture to find a conversation within the Trinity (Ps. 2:7; Ps. 45:7; Ps. 110:1; Isa. 48:16; Matt. 11:27; John 8:42; and John 17:24).

Male and Female. Genesis 1:27 is a summary of God's creation of mankind on the sixth day. In chapter 2, we have a flash back and fuller explanation of the events on the sixth day.

Conclusion:God desired that man would be like Him. And so He gave us will, emotion, intelligence and moral character. We were made for His glory (Isa. 43:7). Since the fall our moral character has turned evil; but by depending on Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of our sins, we can be declared to be holy and have the Holy Spirit start changing us,

. . . and put on the new self, which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth. (NASB) Ephesians 4:24