Genesis 3–6

The First Sin and Its Punishment

³Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”^{* 2}The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, ³but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ”^{* 4}But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die,^{* 5}for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,^k knowing good and evil.” ⁶So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.^{* 7}Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

⁸They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.^{* 9}But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”^{* 11}He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹²The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.”^{* 13}Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”^{* 14}The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you among all animals

and among all wild creatures;

upon your belly you shall go,

and dust you shall eat

all the days of your life.^*

¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman

and between your offspring and hers;

he will strike your head,

and you will strike his heel.”^*

¹⁶To the woman he said,

“I will make your pangs in childbirth exceedingly great;

in pain you shall bring forth children,

yet your desire shall be for your husband,

and he shall rule over you.”^*

¹⁷And to the man^l he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten of the tree

about which I commanded you,

‘You shall not eat of it,’

cursed is the ground because of you;

in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life;^*

¹⁸thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;

and you shall eat the plants of the field.^*

¹⁹By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread

until you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

you are dust,

and to dust you shall return.”^*

²⁰The man named his wife Eve^m because she was the mother of all living. ²¹And the Lord God made garments of skins for the manⁿ and for his wife and clothed them.

²²Then the Lord God said, “See, the humans have become like one of us, knowing good and evil, and now they might reach out their hands and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever”^*—²³therefore the Lord God sent them forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which they were taken.^{* 24}He drove out the humans, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.^*

Cain Murders Abel

⁴Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain,^o saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” ²Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.^{* 3}In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,^{* 4}and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,^{* 5}but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.^{* 6}The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? ⁷If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

⁸Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.”^p And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.^{* 9}Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰And the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen, your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!^{* 11}And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹²When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”^{* 13}Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! ¹⁴Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.”^{* 15}Then the Lord said to him, “Not so!^q Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him.^{* 16}Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod,^r east of Eden.

Beginnings of Civilization

¹⁷Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch, and he built a city and named it Enoch after his son Enoch.^{* 18}To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael the father of Methushael, and Methushael the father of Lamech.^{* 19}Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. ²⁰Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who live in tents and have livestock. ²¹His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all those who play the lyre and pipe. ²²Zillah bore Tubal-cain, who made all kinds of bronze and iron tools. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

²³Lamech said to his wives:

“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:

I have killed a man for wounding me,

a young man for striking me.^*

²⁴If Cain is avenged sevenfold,

truly Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”^*

²⁵Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth,^s for she said, “God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, because Cain killed him.”^{* 26}To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord.^*

Adam’s Descendants to Noah and His Sons

⁵This is the list of the descendants of Adam. When God created humans,^t he made them^u in the likeness of God.^{* 2}Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and called them humans^v when they were created.^*

³When Adam had lived one hundred thirty years, he became the father of a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.^{* 4}The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. ⁵Thus all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years, and he died.^*

⁶When Seth had lived one hundred five years, he became the father of Enosh.^{* 7}Seth lived after the birth of Enosh eight hundred seven years and had other sons and daughters.^{* 8}Thus all the days of Seth were nine hundred twelve years, and he died.

⁹When Enosh had lived ninety years, he became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰Enosh lived after the birth of Kenan eight hundred fifteen years and had other sons and daughters. ¹¹Thus all the days of Enosh were nine hundred five years, and he died.^*

¹²When Kenan had lived seventy years, he became the father of Mahalalel.^{* 13}Kenan lived after the birth of Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴Thus all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

¹⁵When Mahalalel had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Jared.^{* 16}Mahalalel lived after the birth of Jared eight hundred thirty years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷Thus all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety-five years, and he died.

¹⁸When Jared had lived one hundred sixty-two years he became the father of Enoch.^{* 19}Jared lived after the birth of Enoch eight hundred years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰Thus all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty-two years, and he died.

²¹When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah.^{* 22}Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years and had other sons and daughters. ²³Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. ²⁴Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.^*

²⁵When Methuselah had lived one hundred eighty-seven years, he became the father of Lamech. ²⁶Methuselah lived after the birth of Lamech seven hundred eighty-two years and had other sons and daughters.^{* 27}Thus all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years, and he died.

²⁸When Lamech had lived one hundred eighty-two years, he became the father of a son; ²⁹he named him Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands.”^{* 30}Lamech lived after the birth of Noah five hundred ninety-five years and had other sons and daughters. ³¹Thus all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy-seven years, and he died.

³²After Noah was five hundred years old, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.^*

The Wickedness of Humans

⁶When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,^{* 2}the sons of God saw that they were fair, and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.^{* 3}Then the Lord said, “My spirit shall not abide^w in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.”^{* 4}The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the…