The Temptation and Fall of Man
1 Nowthe serpent wasmore cunning than any beast of the field which theLordGod had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat thefruit of the trees of the garden;
3 but of the fruit of the tree whichisin the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall youtouch it, lest you die.’ ”
4 Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die.
5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the womansaw that the treewasgood for food, that itwaspleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to makeonewise, she took of its fruitand ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened,and they knew that theywerenaked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.
8 And they heardthe sound of theLordGod walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wifehid themselves from the presence of theLordGod among the trees of the garden.
9 Then theLordGod called to Adam and said to him, “Whereareyou?”
10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden,and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
11 And He said, “Who told you that youwerenaked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
12 Then the man said,“The woman whom You gavetobewith me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
13 And theLordGod said to the woman, “Whatisthis you have done?”
# The woman said,“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So theLordGod said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this,
Youarecursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
# Andyou shall eat dust
All the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
# And betweenyour seed andher Seed;
# He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
16 To the woman He said:
“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
# In pain you shall bring forth children;
# Your desireshallbefor your husband,
# And he shallrule over you.”
17 Then to Adam He said,“Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the treeof which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:
# “Cursedisthe ground for your sake;
# In toil you shall eatofit
All the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,
# Andyou shall eat the herb of the field.
19 In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
# For dust youare,
# Andto dust you shall return.”
20 And Adam called his wife’s nameEve, because she was the mother of all living.
21 Also for Adam and his wife theLordGod made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
22 Then theLordGod said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”—
23 therefore theLordGod sent him out of the garden of Edento till the ground from which he was taken.
24 SoHe drove out the man; and He placedcherubimat the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree oflife.