1And so the whole universe was completed. 2#Heb 4.4, 10#Ex 20.11By the seventh day God finished what he had been doing and stopped working. 3He blessed the seventh day and set it apart as a special day, because by that day he had completed his creation#2.3 by that day he had completed his creation; or on that day he completed his creation. and stopped working. 4And that is how the universe was created.

The Garden of Eden

When the LORD#2.4 the LORD: See LORD in Word List. God made the universe, 5there were no plants on the earth and no seeds had sprouted, because he had not sent any rain, and there was no one to cultivate the land; 6but water would come up from beneath the surface and water the ground.

7 # 1 Cor 15.45 Then the LORD God took some soil from the ground and formed a man#2.7 ground… man: The Hebrew words for “man” and “ground” have similar sounds. out of it; he breathed life-giving breath into his nostrils and the man began to live.

8Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden, in the East, and there he put the man he had formed. 9#Rev 2.7; 22.2, 14He made all kinds of beautiful trees grow there and produce good fruit. In the middle of the garden stood the tree that gives life and the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad.#2.9; 2.17 knowledge of what is good and what is bad; or knowledge of everything.

10A stream flowed in Eden and watered the garden; beyond Eden it divided into four rivers. 11The first river is the Pishon; it flows round the country of Havilah. 12(Pure gold is found there and also rare perfume and precious stones.) 13The second river is the Gihon; it flows round the country of Cush.#2.13 Cush (of Mesopotamia); or Ethiopia. 14The third river is the Tigris, which flows east of Assyria, and the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15Then the LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to cultivate it and guard it. 16He said to him, “You may eat the fruit of any tree in the garden, 17except the tree that gives knowledge of what is good and what is bad.#2.17; 2.9 knowledge of what is good and what is bad; or knowledge of everything. You must not eat the fruit of that tree; if you do, you will die the same day.”

18Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to live alone. I will make a suitable companion to help him.” 19So he took some soil from the ground and formed all the animals and all the birds. Then he brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and that is how they all got their names. 20So the man named all the birds and all the animals; but not one of them was a suitable companion to help him.

21Then the LORD God made the man fall into a deep sleep, and while he was sleeping, he took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the flesh. 22He formed a woman out of the rib and brought her to him. 23Then the man said,

“At last, here is one of my own kind —

Bone taken from my bone, and flesh from my flesh.

‘Woman’ is her name because she was taken out of man.”#2.23 woman… man: The Hebrew words for “woman” and “man” have similar sounds.

24 # Mt 19.5; Mk 10.7–8; 1 Cor 6.16; Eph 5.31 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united with his wife, and they become one.

25The man and the woman were both naked, but they were not embarrassed.

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Genesis 2

1And the heavens and the earth and all their host were finished. 2And God#GodHebrew: Elohim had finished on the seventh day his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. 3And God#GodHebrew: Elohim blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it, because that on it he rested from all his work which God#GodHebrew: Elohim had created in making it.

4These are the histories of the heavens and the earth, when they were created, in the day that Jehovah Elohim made earth and heavens, 5and every shrub of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew; for Jehovah Elohim had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to till the ground. 6But a mist went up from the earth, and moistened the whole surface of the ground. 7And Jehovah Elohim formed Man, dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and Man became a living soul.

8And Jehovah Elohim planted a garden in Eden eastward, and there put Man whom he had formed. 9And out of the ground Jehovah Elohim made every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; and the tree of life, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. 10And a river went out of Eden, to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four main streams. 11The name of the one is Pison: that is it which surrounds the whole land of Havilah, where the gold is. 12And the gold of that land is good; bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13And the name of the second river is Gihon: that is it which surrounds the whole land of Cush. 14And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which flows forward toward Asshur. And the fourth river, that is Euphrates. 15And Jehovah Elohim took Man, and put him into the garden of Eden, to till it and to guard it.

16And Jehovah Elohim commanded Man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou shalt freely eat; 17but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest of it thou shalt certainly die.

18And Jehovah Elohim said, It is not good that Man should be alone; I will make him a helpmate, his like. 19And out of the ground Jehovah Elohim had formed every animal of the field and all fowl of the heavens, and brought them to Man, to see what he would call them; and whatever Man called each living soul, that was its name. 20And Man gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; but as for Adam, he found no helpmate, his like.

21And Jehovah Elohim caused a deep sleep to fall upon Man; and he slept. And he took one of his ribs and closed up flesh in its stead. 22And Jehovah Elohim built the rib that he had taken from Man into a woman; and brought her to Man. 23And Man said, This time it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh: this shall be called Woman, because this was taken out of a man. 24Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and cleave to his wife; and they shall become one flesh. 25And they were both naked, Man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.

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Genesis 2

Genesis 2