1Now the serpent #3:1 Hebrew nachash, translated in this chapter as serpent, is translated in most cases as snake. was more crafty than any beast of the field that the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden?’”

2The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden, 3but about the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You must not eat of it or touch it, or you will die.’”

4“You will not surely die,” the serpent told her. 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.”

6When the woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eyes, and that it was desirable for obtaining wisdom, she took the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

7And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; so they sewed together fig leaves and made coverings for themselves.

God Arraigns Adam and Eve

8Then the man and his wife heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the breeze #3:8 Or at the breezy (time); Hebrew unto the Ruach of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

9But the Lord God called out to the man, “Where are you?”

10“I heard Your voice in the garden,” he replied, “and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.”

11“Who told you that you were naked?” asked the Lord God. “Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

12And the man answered, “The woman whom You gave me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

13Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

“The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”

The Fate of the Serpent

14So the Lord God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,

cursed are you above all livestock

and every beast of the field!

On your belly will you go,

and dust you will eat,

all the days of your life.

15And I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your seed and her seed.

He will crush your head,

and you will strike his heel.#3:15 Or He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel. The same Hebrew root for crush, bruise, or strike appears twice in this verse.”

The Punishment of Mankind

16To the woman He said:

“I will sharply increase your pain in childbirth;

in pain you will bring forth children.

Your desire will be for your husband,#3:16 Or You will desire to control your husband

and he will rule over you.”

17And to Adam He said:

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten from the tree

of which I commanded you not to eat,

cursed is the ground because of you;

through toil you will eat of it

all the days of your life.

18Both thorns and thistles it will yield for you,

and you will eat the plants of the field.

19By the sweat of your brow

you will eat your bread,

until you return to the ground—

because out of it were you taken.

For dust you are,

and to dust you shall return.”

20And Adam named his wife Eve,#3:20 Eve sounds like the Hebrew for giving life or living. because she would be the mother of all the living.

The Expulsion from Paradise

21And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and He clothed them.

22Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, knowing good and evil. And now, lest he reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life, and eat, and live forever...”

23Therefore the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24So He drove out the man and stationed cherubim on the east side of the Garden of Eden, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.

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Genesis 3

The Temptation and Fall of Man

1Now #1 Chr. 21:1; (Rev. 12:9; 20:2, 10)the serpent was #2 Cor. 11:3more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”

2And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the #Gen. 2:16, 17fruit of the trees of the garden; 3but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you #Ex. 19:12, 13; Rev. 22:14touch it, lest you die.’ ”

4#John 8:44; (2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14)Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5For 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.”

6So when the woman #1 John 2:16saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit #1 Tim. 2:14and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, #Gen. 2:25and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

8And they heard #Job 38:1the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and Adam and his wife #Job 31:33; Jer. 23:24hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

9Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”

10So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, #Gen. 2:25; Ex. 3:6; Deut. 9:19; 1 John 3:20and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”

11And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”

12Then the man said, #(Prov. 28:13)“The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”

13And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, #Gen. 3:4; 2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:14“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14So the Lord God said to the serpent:

“Because you have done this,

You are cursed more than all cattle,

And more than every beast of the field;

On your belly you shall go,

And #Deut. 28:15–20; Is. 65:25; Mic. 7:17you shall eat dust

All the days of your life.

15And I will put enmity

Between you and the woman,

And between #John 8:44; Acts 13:10; 1 John 3:8your seed and #Is. 7:14; Luke 1:31, 34, 35; Gal. 4:4her Seed;

#Rom. 16:20; (Rev. 12:7, 17)He shall bruise your head,

And you shall bruise His heel.”

16To the woman He said:

“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;

#Is. 13:8; John 16:21In pain you shall bring forth children;

#Gen. 4:7Your desire shall be for your husband,

And he shall #1 Cor. 11:3; Eph. 5:22; 1 Tim. 2:12, 15rule over you.”

17Then to Adam He said, #1 Sam. 15:23“Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree #Gen. 2:17of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:

#Gen. 5:29; Rom. 8:20–22; Heb. 6:8“Cursed is the ground for your sake;

#Job 5:7; 14:1; Eccl. 2:23In toil you shall eat of it

All the days of your life.

18Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you,

And #Ps. 104:14you shall eat the herb of the field.

19#2 Thess. 3:10In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread

Till you return to the ground,

For out of it you were taken;

#Gen. 2:7; 5:5For dust you are,

And #Job 21:26; Eccl. 3:20to dust you shall return.”

20And Adam called his wife’s name #2 Cor. 11:3; 1 Tim. 2:13Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

21Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.

22Then the Lord God 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”— 23therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden #Gen. 4:2; 9:20to till the ground from which he was taken. 24So #Ezek. 31:3, 11He drove out the man; and He placed #Ex. 25:18–22; Ps. 104:4; Ezek. 10:1–20; Heb. 1:7cherubim #Gen. 2:8at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of #Gen. 2:9; (Rev. 22:2)life.

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Genesis 3

Genesis 3