1Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array. 2And by the seventh day God had finished the work He had been doing; so on that day He rested from all His work.#2:2 Cited in Hebrews 4:4

3Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because on that day He rested from all the work of creation that He had accomplished.

Man and Woman in the Garden

4This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord #2:4 Lord or GOD, with capital letters, represents the proper name of the God of Israel and the one true God, transliterated from the Hebrew as YHWH; here and throughout the Scriptures. God made them.

5Now no shrub of the field had yet appeared on the earth, nor had any plant of the field sprouted; for the Lord God had not yet sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to cultivate the ground. 6But springs #2:6 Or mist welled up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground.

7Then the Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being.#2:7 Or a living soul; cited in 1 Corinthians 15:45

8And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east, where He placed the man He had formed. 9Out of the ground the Lord God gave growth to every tree that is pleasing to the eye and good for food. And in the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

10Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it branched into four headwaters:

11The name of the first river is Pishon; it winds through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12And the gold of that land is pure, and bdellium and onyx are found there.

13The name of the second river is Gihon; it winds through the whole land of Cush.

14The name of the third river is Hiddekel; it runs along the east side of Assyria.

And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15Then the Lord God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

16And the Lord God commanded him, “You may eat freely from every tree of the garden, 17but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil; for in the day that you eat of it, you will surely die.”

18The Lord God also said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make for him a suitable helper.”

19And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and He brought them to the man to see what he would name each one. And whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20The man gave names to all the livestock, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam #2:20 Or the man, as in verses 19 and 21 no suitable helper was found.

21So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he slept, He took one of the man’s ribs #2:21 Or took part of the man’s side; similarly in verse 22 and closed up the area with flesh. 22And from the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man, He made a woman and brought her to him. 23And the man said:

“This is now bone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called ‘woman,’

for out of man she was taken.”

24For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.#2:24 LXX and the two will become one flesh; cited in Matthew 19:5, Mark 10:7–8, 1 Corinthians 6:16, and Ephesians 5:31

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

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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