3
Knowledge, not eternal life
1The snake was the most intelligent#3.1 Heb sounds like naked. of all the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say that you shouldn’t eat from any tree in the garden?”
2The woman said to the snake, “We may eat the fruit of the garden’s trees 3but not the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden. God said, ‘Don’t eat from it, and don’t touch it, or you will die.’”
4The snake said to the woman, “You won’t die! 5God knows that on the day you eat from it, you will see clearly and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6The woman saw that the tree was beautiful with delicious food and that the tree would provide wisdom, so she took some of its fruit and ate it, and also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7Then they both saw clearly and knew that they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together and made garments for themselves.
8During that day’s cool evening breeze, they heard the sound of the LORD God walking in the garden; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the LORD God in the middle of the garden’s trees. 9The LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”
10The man#3.10 Or He replied, “I heard your sound in the garden; I was afraid because I was naked, and I hid myself.”
11He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree, which I commanded you not to eat?”
12The man said, “The woman you gave me, she gave me some fruit#3.12 Heb lacks some fruit. from the tree, and I ate.”
13The LORD God said to the woman, “What have you done?!”
And the woman said, “The snake tricked me, and I ate.”
14The LORD God said to the snake,
“Because you did this,
you are the one cursed
out of all the farm animals,
out of all the wild animals.
On your belly you will crawl,
and dust you will eat
every day of your life.
15I will put contempt
between you and the woman,
between your offspring and hers.
They will strike your head,
but you will strike at their heels.”
16To the woman he said,
“I will make your pregnancy very painful;
in pain you will bear children.
You will desire your husband,
but he will rule over you.”
17To the man he said, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and you ate from the tree that I commanded, ‘Don’t eat from it,’
cursed is the fertile land because of you;
in pain you will eat from it
every day of your life.
18Weeds and thistles will grow for you,
even as you eat the field’s plants;
19by the sweat of your face you will eat bread—
until you return to the fertile land,
since from it you were taken;
you are soil,
to the soil you will return.”
20The man named his wife Eve#3.20 Heb sounds like live. because she is the mother of everyone who lives. 21The LORD God made the man and his wife leather clothes and dressed them. 22The LORD God said, “The human being#3.22 Or man (Heb adam) has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil.” Now, so he doesn’t stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever, 23the LORD God sent him out of the garden of Eden to farm the fertile land from which he was taken. 24He drove out the human. To the east of the garden of Eden, he stationed winged creatures wielding flaming swords to guard the way to the tree of life.