Chapter 3

The Fall of Man

1 Now athe serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from 1any tree of the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “aFrom the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat;

3 but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’ ”

4 aThe serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die!

5 “For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and ayou will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

6 aWhen the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate.

7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they aknew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves 1loin coverings.

8 They heard the sound of athe Lord God walking in the garden in the 1cool of the day, band the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

9 Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “aWhere are you?”

10 He said, “aI heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

12 aThe man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.”

13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “aThe serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

“aBecause you have done this,

Cursed are you more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you will go,

And bdust you will eat

All the days of your life;

15 And I will put aenmity

Between you and the woman,

And between your seed and her seed;

bHe shall 1bruise you on the head,

And you shall bruise him on the heel.”

16 To the woman He said,

“I will greatly multiply

Your pain 1in childbirth,

In pain you will abring forth children;

Yet your desire will be for your husband,

And bhe will rule over you.”

17 Then to Adam He said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat from it’;

aCursed is the ground because of you;

bIn 1toil you will eat of it

All the days of your life.

18 “Both thorns and thistles it shall grow for you;

And you will eat the 1plants of the field;

19 By the sweat of your face

You will eat bread,

Till you areturn to the ground,

Because bfrom it you were taken;

For you are dust,

And to dust you shall return.”

20 Now the man called his wife’s name 1aEve, because she was the mother of all the living.

21 The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of aUs, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from bthe tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—

23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken.

24 So aHe drove the man out; and at the beast of the garden of Eden He stationed the ccherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to dthe tree of life.