Genesis 2

1Heaven and Earth were finished,

down to the last detail.

2-4By the seventh day

God had finished his work.

On the seventh day

he rested from all his work.

God blessed the seventh day.

He made it a Holy Day

Because on that day he rested from his work,

all the creating God had done.

This is the story of how it all started,

of Heaven and Earth when they were created.

Adam and Eve

5-7At the time God made Earth and Heaven, before any grasses or shrubs had sprouted from the ground—God hadn’t yet sent rain on Earth, nor was there anyone around to work the ground (the whole Earth was watered by underground springs)—God formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul!

8-9Then God planted a garden in Eden, in the east. He put the Man he had just made in it. God made all kinds of trees grow from the ground, trees beautiful to look at and good to eat. The Tree-of-Life was in the middle of the garden, also the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil.

10-14A river flows out of Eden to water the garden and from there divides into four rivers. The first is named Pishon; it flows through Havilah where there is gold. The gold of this land is good. The land is also known for a sweet-scented resin and the onyx stone. The second river is named Gihon; it flows through the land of Cush. The third river is named Hiddekel and flows east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 God took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.

16-17 God commanded the Man, “You can eat from any tree in the garden, except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don’t eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you’re dead.”

18-20 God said, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion.” So God formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn’t find a suitable companion.

21-22 God put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. God then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man.

23-25The Man said,

“Finally! Bone of my bone,

flesh of my flesh!

Name her Woman

for she was made from Man.”

Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh.

The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they felt no shame.

Genesis 2

CHAPTER 2

1Therefore heavens and earth be made perfect, and all the ornament of those [or them].

2And God [ful] filled in the seventh day his work which he made; and he rested in the seventh day from all his work which he had made;

3and he blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it; for in that day God ceased of all his work which he made of nought, that he should make.

4These be the generations of heaven and of earth, in the day wherein the Lord God made heaven and earth,

5and each little tree of [the] earth before that it sprang out in [the] earth; and he made each herb of the field before that it burgeoned. For the Lord God had not rained on the earth, and no man there was that wrought [or might work] the earth;

6but a well went out of [the] earth, and moisted all the higher part of the earth.

7Therefore the Lord God formed man of the slime of [the] earth, and breathed into his face the breathing of life; and man was made into a living soul.

8Forsooth the Lord God planted at the beginning paradise of liking or the garden of Eden, wherein he set man whom he had formed.

9And the Lord God brought forth of the earth each tree fair in sight, and sweet to eat; also he brought forth the tree of life in the midst of paradise, and the tree of knowing of good and of evil.

10And a river went out from the place of liking or Eden to moist paradise or the garden, which river is parted from thence into four heads.

11The name of the one river is Pishon, that it is that encompasseth all the land of Havilah, where gold cometh forth,

12and the gold of that land is the best, and there is found bdellium, that is, a tree of spicery, and the stone onyx;

13and the name of the second river is Gihon, that it is that encompasseth all the land of Ethiopia;

14forsooth the name of the third river is Tigris, that goeth against Assyrians; soothly the fourth river is that Euphrates.

15Therefore the Lord God took man, and set him in paradise of liking, that he should work and keep it.

16And God commanded to him and said, Eat thou of each tree of paradise;

17forsooth eat thou not of the tree of knowing of good and of evil; for in whatever day thou shalt eat thereof, thou shalt die by death.

18And the Lord God said, It is not good that a man be alone; make we to him an helper like to himself.

19And therefore when all living beasts of [the] earth, and all the volatiles of heaven, were formed of [the] earth, the Lord God brought those [or them] to Adam, that he should see what he should call those [or them]; for all thing that Adam called of living soul, that is the name thereof.

20And Adam called by their names all living things, and all volatiles [of heavens], and all unreasonable beasts of [the] earth. Forsooth to Adam was not found an helper like him.

21Therefore the Lord God sent sleep into Adam, and when he slept, God took one of his ribs, and filled flesh for it.

22And the Lord God builded the rib which he had taken from Adam into a woman, and brought her to Adam.

23And Adam said, This is now a bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; this shall be called virago, for she is taken of man.

24Wherefore a man shall forsake [his] father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be twain [or two] in one flesh.

25Forsooth ever either was naked, that is, Adam and his wife, and they were not ashamed.

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The Message

Genesis 2

Genesis 2