Genesis 3

The Serpent’s Deception

(Romans 5:12–21)

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.

Genesis 3

1And the serpent hath been subtile above every beast of the field which Jehovah God hath made, and he saith unto the woman, ‘Is it true that God hath said, Ye do not eat of every tree of the garden?’

2And the woman saith unto the serpent, ‘Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we do eat,

3and of the fruit of the tree which [is] in the midst of the garden God hath said, Ye do not eat of it, nor touch it, lest ye die.’

4And the serpent saith unto the woman, ‘Dying, ye do not die,

5for God doth know that in the day of your eating of it — your eyes have been opened, and ye have been as God, knowing good and evil.’

6And the woman seeth that the tree [is] good for food, and that it [is] pleasant to the eyes, and the tree is desirable to make [one] wise, and she taketh of its fruit and eateth, and giveth also to her husband with her, and he doth eat;

7and the eyes of them both are opened, and they know that they [are] naked, and they sew fig-leaves, and make to themselves girdles.

8And they hear the sound of Jehovah God walking up and down in the garden at the breeze of the day, and the man and his wife hide themselves from the face of Jehovah God in the midst of the trees of the garden.

9And Jehovah God calleth unto the man, and saith to him, ‘Where [art] thou?’

10and he saith, ‘Thy sound I have heard in the garden, and I am afraid, for I am naked, and I hide myself.’

11And He saith, ‘Who hath declared to thee that thou [art] naked? of the tree of which I have commanded thee not to eat, hast thou eaten?’

12and the man saith, ‘The woman whom Thou didst place with me — she hath given to me of the tree — and I do eat.’

13And Jehovah God saith to the woman, ‘What [is] this thou hast done?’ and the woman saith, ‘The serpent hath caused me to forget — and I do eat.’

14And Jehovah God saith unto the serpent, ‘Because thou hast done this, cursed [art] thou above all the cattle, and above every beast of the field: on thy belly dost thou go, and dust thou dost eat, all days of thy life;

15and enmity I put between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he doth bruise thee — the head, and thou dost bruise him — the heel.’

16Unto the woman He said, ‘Multiplying I multiply thy sorrow and thy conception, in sorrow dost thou bear children, and toward thy husband [is] thy desire, and he doth rule over thee.’

17And to the man He said, ‘Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and dost eat of the tree concerning which I have charged thee, saying, Thou dost not eat of it, cursed [is] the ground on thine account; in sorrow thou dost eat of it all days of thy life,

18and thorn and bramble it doth bring forth to thee, and thou hast eaten the herb of the field;

19by the sweat of thy face thou dost eat bread till thy return unto the ground, for out of it hast thou been taken, for dust thou [art], and unto dust thou turnest back.’

20And the man calleth his wife's name Eve: for she hath been mother of all living.

21And Jehovah God doth make to the man and to his wife coats of skin, and doth clothe them.

22And Jehovah God saith, ‘Lo, the man was as one of Us, as to the knowledge of good and evil; and now, lest he send forth his hand, and have taken also of the tree of life, and eaten, and lived to the age,’ —

23 Jehovah God sendeth him forth from the garden of Eden to serve the ground from which he hath been taken;

24yea, he casteth out the man, and causeth to dwell at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubs and the flame of the sword which is turning itself round to guard the way of the tree of life.

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Genesis 3

Genesis 3