Genesis 3
Open in the reader1Now the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field that He-Who-Is 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 the woman.
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.
8Then the man and his wife heard the voice of He-Who-Is God walking in the garden in the breeze of the day, and they hid themselves from the presence of He-Who-Is God among the trees of the garden.
9But He-Who-Is 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 He-Who-Is 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 He-Who-Is God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” “The serpent deceived me,” she replied, “and I ate.”
14So He-Who-Is 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.”
16To the woman He said: “I will sharply increase your toil and your conception; in toil you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
17And to Ground 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 Ground named his wife Life, because she would be the mother of all the living.
21And He-Who-Is God made garments of skin for Ground and his wife, and He clothed them.
22Then He-Who-Is 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 He-Who-Is God banished him from the Garden of Delight 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 Delight, along with a whirling sword of flame to guard the way to the tree of life.