Genesis 3
3
The fall
1Now the snake was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat from any tree in the garden”?’
2The woman said to the snake, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3but God did say, “You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.” ’
4‘You will not certainly die,’ the snake said to the woman. 5‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’
6When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realised that they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9But the Lord God called to the man, ‘Where are you?’
10He answered, ‘I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.’
11And he said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?’
12The man said, ‘The woman you put here with me – she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.’
13Then the Lord God said to the woman, ‘What is this you have done?’
The woman said, ‘The snake deceived me, and I ate.’
14So the Lord God said to the snake, ‘Because you have done this,
‘Cursed are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
15And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring#3:15 Or seed and hers;
he will crush#3:15 Or strike your head,
and you will strike his heel.’
16To the woman he said,
‘I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labour you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.’
17To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, “You must not eat from it,”
‘Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
18It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.’
20Adam#3:20 Or The man named his wife Eve,#3:20 Eve probably means living. because she would become the mother of all the living.
21The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22And the Lord God said, ‘The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live for ever.’ 23So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side#3:24 Or placed in front of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing to and fro to guard the way to the tree of life.
The Holy Bible, New International Version® (Anglicised), NIV®
Copyright © 1979, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.®
Used by permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.
Genesis 3
3
1And the serpent was more crafty than any animal of the field which Jehovah Elohim had made. And it said to the woman, Is it even so, that God#GodHebrew: Elohim has said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? 2And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; 3but of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, God#GodHebrew: Elohim has said, Ye shall not eat of it, and ye shall not touch it, lest ye die. 4And the serpent said to the woman, Ye will not certainly die; 5but God#GodHebrew: Elohim knows that in the day ye eat of it, your eyes will be opened, and ye will be as God#GodHebrew: Elohim knowing good and evil.
6And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a pleasure for the eyes, and the tree was to be desired to give intelligence; and she took of its fruit, and ate, and gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. 7And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons. 8And they heard the voice of Jehovah Elohim, walking in the garden in the cool of the day. And Man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of Jehovah Elohim, in the midst of the trees of the garden.
9And Jehovah Elohim called to Man, and said to him, Where art thou? 10And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I feared, because I am naked; and I hid myself.
11And he said, Who told thee that thou art naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee not to eat? 12And Man said, The woman, whom thou hast given to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate. 13And Jehovah Elohim said to the woman, What is this thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.
14And Jehovah Elohim said to the serpent, Because thou hast done this, be thou cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. On thy belly shalt thou go, and eat dust all the days of thy life. 15And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; he shall crush thy head, and thou shalt crush his heel.
16To the woman he said, I will greatly increase thy travail and thy pregnancy; with pain thou shalt bear children; and to thy husband shall be thy desire, and he shall rule over thee.
17And to Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed be the ground on thy account; with toil shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; 18and thorns and thistles shall it yield thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. 19In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, until thou return to the ground: for out of it wast thou taken. For dust thou art; and unto dust shalt thou return.
20And Man called his wife's name Eve; because she is the mother of all living.
21And Jehovah Elohim made Adam and his wife coats of skin, and clothed them.
22And Jehovah Elohim said, Behold, Man is become as one of us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he stretch out his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever...! 23Therefore Jehovah Elohim sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. 24And he drove out Man; and he set the Cherubim, and the flame of the flashing sword, toward the east of the garden of Eden, to guard the way to the tree of life.
First published in 1890. This edition is maintained by the British and Foreign Bible Society.