Genesis 3
3
The Beginning of Sin
1Now the snake was the most clever of all the wild animals the Lord God had made. One day the snake spoke to the woman. He said, “Did God really say that you must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden?”
2The woman answered the snake, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden. 3But God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch it, or you will die.’”
4But the snake said to the woman, “You will not die. 5God knows that if you eat the fruit from that tree, you will learn about good and evil. Then you will be like God!”
6The woman saw that the tree was beautiful. She saw that its fruit was good to eat and that it would make her wise. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of the fruit to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.
7Then, it was as if the man’s and the woman’s eyes were opened. They realized they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made something to cover themselves.
8Then they heard the Lord God walking in the garden. This was during the cool part of the day. And the man and his wife hid from the Lord God among the trees in the garden. 9But the Lord God called to the man. The Lord said, “Where are you?”
10The man answered, “I heard you walking in the garden. I was afraid because I was naked. So I hid.”
11God said to the man, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat fruit from that tree? I commanded you not to eat from that tree.”
12The man said, “You gave this woman to me. She gave me fruit from the tree. So I ate it.”
13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What have you done?”
She answered, “The snake tricked me. So I ate the fruit.”
14The Lord God said to the snake,
“Because you did this,
a curse will be put on you.
You will be cursed more than any tame animal or wild animal.
You will crawl on your stomach,
and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
15I will make you and the woman
enemies to each other.
Your descendants and her descendants
will be enemies.
Her child will crush your head.
And you will bite his heel.”
16Then God said to the woman,
“I will cause you to have much trouble
when you are pregnant.
And when you give birth to children,
you will have great pain.
You will greatly desire your husband,
but he will rule over you.”
17Then God said to the man, “You listened to what your wife said. And you ate fruit from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from.
“So I will put a curse on the ground.
You will have to work very hard for food.
In pain you will eat its food
all the days of your life.
18The ground will produce thorns and weeds for you.
And you will eat the plants of the field.
19You will sweat and work hard
for your food.
Later you will return to the ground.
This is because you were taken from the ground.
You are dust.
And when you die, you will return to the dust.”
20The man named his wife Eve.# This name sounds like the Hebrew word meaning “alive.” This is because she is the mother of everyone who ever lived.
21The Lord God made clothes from animal skins for the man and his wife. And so the Lord dressed them. 22Then the Lord God said, “Look, the man has become like one of us. He knows good and evil. And now we must keep him from eating some of the fruit from the tree of life. If he does, he will live forever.” 23So the Lord God forced the man out of the garden of Eden. He had to work the ground he was taken from. 24God forced the man out of the garden. Then God put angels on the east side of the garden. He also put a sword of fire there. It flashed around in every direction. This kept people from getting to the tree of life.
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Genesis 3: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Genesis 3
3
The Fall
1Now #Matt. 10:16; 2 Cor. 11:3; Rev. 12:9; 20:2the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You#3:1 In Hebrew you is plural in verses 1–5 shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3but God said, #ch. 2:17‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4#ver. 13; John 8:44; [2 Cor. 11:3]But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, 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,#3:6 Or to give insight she took of its fruit #1 Tim. 2:14 and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, #ver. 12, 17; Hos. 6:7and he ate. 7#ver. 5 Then the eyes of both were opened, #ch. 2:25and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool#3:8 Hebrew wind of the day, and the man and his wife #[Ps. 139:1-12; Jer. 23:23, 24]hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”#3:9 In Hebrew you is singular in verses 9 and 11 10And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, #ver. 7; ch. 2:25because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12The man said, #ch. 2:18; Job 31:33“The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, #ver. 4; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and #Isa. 65:25; Mic. 7:17dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring#3:15 Hebrew seed; so throughout Genesis and #Isa. 7:14; Mic. 5:3; Matt. 1:23, 25; Luke 1:34, 35; Gal. 4:4; 1 Tim. 2:15 her offspring;
#
Rom. 16:20; Heb. 2:14; Rev. 20:1-3, 10 he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
16To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
# [John 16:21] in pain you shall bring forth children.
# ch. 4:7; Song 7:10 Your desire shall be contrary to#3:16 Or shall be toward (see 4:7) your husband,
but he shall #1 Cor. 11:3; 14:34; Eph. 5:22-24; Col. 3:18; 1 Tim. 2:11, 12; Titus 2:5; 1 Pet. 3:1, 5, 6rule over you.”
17And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
# ch. 2:17 of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
# ch. 5:29; [Rom. 8:20-22] cursed is the ground because of you;
#
Eccles. 2:22, 23 in pain 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,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
# ch. 2:7; Ps. 103:14 for you are dust,
and #Job 34:15; Ps. 104:29; Eccles. 3:20; 12:7; Rom. 5:12to dust you shall return.”
20The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.#3:20 Eve sounds like the Hebrew for life-giver and resembles the word for living 21And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
22Then the Lord God said, #ver. 5 “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand #ch. 2:9and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden #ch. 2:5to work the ground from which he was taken. 24He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the #Ps. 18:10; 104:4; Heb. 1:7; [Ex. 25:18-22; Ezek. 28:11-16]cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
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