2By the seventh day God had finished his work, and so he rested.#Ex 20.11.#He 4.4,10. 3God blessed the seventh day and made it special because on that day he rested from his work.

4That's how God created the heavens and the earth.

The Garden of Eden

When the LORD God made the heavens and the earth, 5no grass or plants were growing anywhere. God had not yet sent any rain, and there was no one to work the land. 6But streams#2.6 streams: Or “mist”. came up from the ground and watered the earth.

7The LORD God took a handful of soil and made a man.#2.7 man: In Hebrew “man” comes from the same word as “soil”. God breathed life into the man, and the man started breathing.#1 Co 15.45. 8The LORD made a garden in a place called Eden, which was in the east, and he put the man there.

9The LORD God placed all kinds of beautiful trees and fruit trees in the garden. Two other trees were in the middle of the garden. One of the trees gave life—the other gave the power to know the difference between right and wrong.#Rev 2.7; 22.2,14.

10From Eden a river flowed out to water the garden, then it divided into four rivers. 11The first one is the River Pishon that flows through the land of Havilah, 12where pure gold, rare perfumes, and precious stones are found. 13The second is the River Gihon that winds through Ethiopia.#2.13 Ethiopia: The Hebrew text has “Cush”, which was a region south of Egypt that included parts of the present countries of Ethiopia and Sudan. 14The River Tigris that flows east of Assyria is the third, and the fourth is the River Euphrates.

15The LORD God put the man in the Garden of Eden to take care of it and to look after it. 16But the LORD told him, “You may eat fruit from any tree in the garden, 17except the one that has the power to let you know the difference between right and wrong. If you eat any fruit from that tree, you will die before the day is over!”

18The LORD God said, “It isn't good for the man to live alone. I need to make a suitable partner for him.” 19-20So the LORD took some soil and made animals and birds. He brought them to the man to see what names he would give each of them. Then the man named the tame animals and the birds and the wild animals. That's how they got their names.

None of these was the right kind of partner for the man. 21So the LORD God made him fall into a deep sleep, and he took out one of the man's ribs. Then after closing the man's side, 22the LORD made a woman out of the rib.

The LORD God brought her to the man, 23and the man exclaimed,

“Here is someone like me!

She is part of my body,

my own flesh and bones.

She came from me, a man.

So I will name her Woman!”#2.23 a man…woman: In Hebrew the words “man” and “woman” are similar.

24That's why a man will leave his own father and mother. He marries a woman, and the two of them become like one person.#Mt 19.5; Mk 10.7,8; 1 Co 6.16; Eph 5.31.

25Although the man and his wife were both naked, they were not ashamed.

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Genesis 2

CHAPTER 2

1Therefore heavens and earth be made perfect, and all the ornament of those [or them].

2And God [ful] filled in the seventh day his work which he made; and he rested in the seventh day from all his work which he had made;

3and he blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; for in that day God ceased of all his work which he made of nought, that he should make.

4These be the generations of heaven and of earth, in the day wherein the Lord God made heaven and earth,

5and each little tree of [the] earth before that it sprang out in [the] earth; and he made each herb of the field before that it burgeoned. For the Lord God had not rained on the earth, and no man there was that wrought [or might work] the earth;

6but a well went out of [the] earth, and moisted all the higher part of the earth.

7Therefore the Lord God formed man of the slime of [the] earth, and breathed into his face the breathing of life; and man was made into a living soul.

8Forsooth the Lord God planted at the beginning paradise of liking or the garden of Eden, wherein he set man whom he had formed.

9And the Lord God brought forth of the earth each tree fair in sight, and sweet to eat; also he brought forth the tree of life in the midst of paradise, and the tree of knowing of good and of evil.

10And a river went out from the place of liking or Eden to moist paradise or the garden, which river is parted from thence into four heads.

11The name of the one river is Pishon, that it is that encompasseth all the land of Havilah, where gold cometh forth,

12and the gold of that land is the best, and there is found bdellium, that is, a tree of spicery, and the stone onyx;

13and the name of the second river is Gihon, that it is that encompasseth all the land of Ethiopia;

14forsooth the name of the third river is Tigris, that goeth against Assyrians; soothly the fourth river is that Euphrates.

15Therefore the Lord God took man, and set him in paradise of liking, that he should work and keep it.

16And God commanded to him and said, Eat thou of each tree of paradise;

17forsooth eat thou not of the tree of knowing of good and of evil; for in whatever day thou shalt eat thereof, thou shalt die by death.

18And the Lord God said, It is not good that a man be alone; make we to him an helper like to himself.

19And therefore when all living beasts of [the] earth, and all the volatiles of heaven, were formed of [the] earth, the Lord God brought those [or them] to Adam, that he should see what he should call those [or them]; for all thing that Adam called of living soul, that is the name thereof.

20And Adam called by their names all living things, and all volatiles [of heavens], and all unreasonable beasts of [the] earth. Forsooth to Adam was not found an helper like him.

21Therefore the Lord God sent sleep into Adam, and when he slept, God took one of his ribs, and filled flesh for it.

22And the Lord God builded the rib which he had taken from Adam into a woman, and brought her to Adam.

23And Adam said, This is now a bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; this shall be called virago, for she is taken of man.

24Wherefore a man shall forsake [his] father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be twain [or two] in one flesh.

25Forsooth ever either was naked, that is, Adam and his wife, and they were not ashamed.

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Genesis 2

Genesis 2