1 # Ws 2.24; Rev 12.9; 20.2. The snake was sneakier than any of the other wild animals that the Lord God had made. One day it came to the woman and asked, “Did God tell you not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden?”

2The woman answered, “God said we could eat fruit from any tree in the garden, 3except the one in the middle. He told us not to eat fruit from that tree or even to touch it. If we do, we will die.”

4“No, you won't!” the snake replied. 5“God understands what will happen on the day you eat fruit from that tree. You will see what you have done, and you will know the difference between right and wrong, just as God does.”

6The woman stared at the fruit. It looked beautiful and tasty. She wanted the wisdom that it would give her, and she ate some of the fruit. Her husband was there with her, so she gave some to him, and he ate it too. 7At once they saw what they had done, and they realized they were naked. Then they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.

8Late in the afternoon, when the breeze began to blow, the man and woman heard the Lord God walking in the garden. So they hid behind some trees.

Sin Brings a Curse

9The Lord God called out to the man and asked, “Where are you?”

10The man answered, “I was naked, and when I heard you walking through the garden, I was frightened and hid!”

11“How did you know you were naked?” God asked. “Did you eat any fruit from that tree in the middle of the garden?”

12“It was the woman you put here with me,” the man said. “She gave me some of the fruit, and I ate it.”

13 # 2 Co 11.3; 1 Ti 2.14. The Lord God then asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The snake tricked me,” she answered, “and I ate some of that fruit.”

14So the Lord God said to the snake:

“Because of what you have done,

you will be the only animal

to suffer this curse—

For as long as you live,

you will crawl on your stomach

and eat dirt.

15 # Rev 12.17. You and this woman

will hate each other;

your descendants and hers

will always be enemies.

One of hers will strike you

on the head,

and you will strike him

on the heel.”

16Then the Lord God said to the woman,

“You will suffer terribly

when you give birth.

But you will still desire

your husband,

and he will rule over you.”

17 # He 6.8. The Lord said to the man,

“You listened to your wife

and ate the fruit

I told you not to eat.

And so, the ground

will be under a curse

because of what you did.

As long as you live,

you will have to struggle

to grow enough food.

18Your food will be plants,

but the ground will produce

thorns and thistles.

19You will sweat all your life

to earn a living;

you were made out of soil,

and you will once again

turn into soil.”

20The man Adam#3.20 The man Adam: In Hebrew “man” and “Adam” are the same. named his wife Eve#3.20 Eve: In Hebrew “Eve” sounds like “living.” because she would become the mother of all who live.

21Then the Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for the man and his wife.

22 # Rev 22.14. The Lord said, “They now know the difference between right and wrong, just as we do. But they must not be allowed to eat fruit from the tree that lets them live forever.” 23So the Lord God sent them out of the Garden of Eden, where they would have to work the ground from which the man had been made. 24Then God put winged creatures at the entrance to the garden and a flaming, flashing sword to guard the way to the life-giving tree.

Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)

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Genesis 3

The Beginning of Sin

1The snake was the most clever of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. The snake spoke to the woman and said, “Woman, did God really tell you that you must not eat from any tree in the garden?”

2The woman answered the snake, “No, we can eat fruit from the trees in the garden. 3But there is one tree we must not eat from. God told us, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden. You must not even touch that tree, or you will die.’”

4But the snake said to the woman, “You will not die. 5God knows that if you eat the fruit from that tree you will learn about good and evil, and then you will be like God!”

6The woman could see that the tree was beautiful and the fruit looked so good to eat. She also liked the idea that it would make her wise. So she took some of the fruit from the tree and ate it. Her husband was there with her, so she gave him some of the fruit, and he ate it.

7Then it was as if their eyes opened, and they saw things differently. They saw that they were naked. So they got some fig leaves, sewed them together, and wore them for clothes.

8During the cool part of the day, the Lord God was walking in the garden. The man and the woman heard him, and they hid among the trees in the garden. 9The Lord God called to the man and said, “Where are you?”

10The man said, “I heard you walking in the garden, and I was afraid. I was naked, so I hid.”

11God said to the man, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat fruit from that special tree? I told you not to eat from that tree!”

12The man said, “The woman you put here with me gave me fruit from that tree. So I ate it.”

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

She said, “The snake tricked me, so I ate the fruit.”

14So the Lord God said to the snake,

“You did this very bad thing,

so bad things will happen to you.

It will be worse for you

than for any other animal.

You must crawl on your belly

and eat dust all the days of your life.

15I will make you and the woman enemies to each other.

Your children and her children will be enemies.

You will bite her child’s foot,

but he will crush your head.”

16Then God said to the woman,

“I will cause you to have much trouble

when you are pregnant.

And when you give birth to children,

you will have much pain.

You will want your husband very much,

but he will rule over you.”#3:16 You will … over you Or “You will want to rule your husband, but he will rule over you.” In Hebrew this is like the last part of Gen. 4:7.

17Then God said to the man,

“I commanded you not to eat from that tree.

But you listened to your wife and ate from it.

So I will curse the ground because of you.

You will have to work hard all your life for the food the ground produces.

18The ground will grow thorns and weeds for you.

And you will have to eat the plants that grow wild in the fields.#3:18 See Gen. 1:28-29.

19You will work hard for your food,

until your face is covered with sweat.

You will work hard until the day you die,

and then you will become dust again.

I used dust to make you,

and when you die, you will become dust again.”

20Adam#3:20 Adam This name means “man” or “people.” It is like the word meaning “earth” or “red clay.” named his wife Eve.#3:20 Eve This name is like the Hebrew word meaning “life.” He gave her this name because Eve would be the mother of everyone who ever lived.

21The Lord God used animal skins and made some clothes for the man and his wife. Then he put the clothes on them.

22The Lord God said, “Look, the man has become like us—he knows about good and evil. And now the man might take the fruit from the tree of life. If the man eats that fruit, he will live forever.”

23So the Lord God forced the man out of the Garden of Eden to work the ground he was made from. 24God forced the man to leave the garden. Then he put Cherub angels and a sword of fire at the entrance to the garden to protect it. The sword flashed around and around, guarding the way to the tree of life.

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Genesis 3

Genesis 3