The First Sin
1 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?”
2 The woman answered, “God said we could eat fruit from any tree in the garden, 3 except 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.”
6 The 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. 7 At once they saw what they had done, and they realized they were naked. Then they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.
8 Late 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
9 The Lord God called out to the man and asked, “Where are you?”
10 The 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 The Lord God then asked the woman, “What have you done?”
“The snake tricked me,” she answered, “and I ate some of that fruit.”
14 So 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 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.”
16 Then 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 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.
18 Your food will be plants,
but the ground will produce
thorns and thistles.
19 You will sweat all your life
to earn a living;
you were made out of soil,
and you will once again
turn into soil.”
20 The man Adam named his wife Eve because she would become the mother of all who live.
21 Then the Lord God made clothes out of animal skins for the man and his wife.
22 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.” 23 So 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. 24 Then God put winged creatures at the entrance to the garden and a flaming, flashing sword to guard the way to the life-giving tree.
1 Now the serpent was more subtill then any beast of the fielde, which the Lord God had made: and he said to the woman, Yea, hath God in deede said, Ye shall not eate of euery tree of the garden? 2 And the woman said vnto the serpent, We eate of the fruite of the trees of the garden, 3 But of the fruite of the tree which is in the middes of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eate of it, neither shall ye touche it, lest ye die. 4 Then the serpent said to the woman, Ye shall not die at all, 5 But God doeth knowe, that when ye shall eate thereof, your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and euill. 6 So the woman (seeing that the tree was good for meate, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to get knowledge) tooke of the fruite thereof, and did eate, and gaue also to her husband with her, and he did eate. 7 Then the eyes of them both were opened, and they knewe that they were naked, and they sewed figge tree leaues together, and made them selues breeches. 8 Afterward they heard the voyce of the Lord God walking in the garden in the coole of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselues from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man, and said vnto him, Where art thou? 10 Who saide, I heard thy voyce in the garden, and was afraide: because I was naked, therefore I hid my selfe. 11 And he saide, Who tolde thee, that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eate? 12 Then the man saide, The woman which thou gauest to be with me, she gaue me of the tree, and I did eate. 13 And the Lord God saide to the woman, Why hast thou done this? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eate. 14 Then the Lord God said to the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed aboue all cattell, and aboue euery beast of the fielde: vpon thy belly shalt thou goe, and dust shalt thou eate all the dayes of thy life. 15 I will also put enimitie betweene thee and the woman, and betweene thy seede and her seede. He shall breake thine head, and thou shalt bruise his heele. 16 Vnto the woman he said, I will greatly increase thy sorowes, and thy conceptions. In sorowe shalt thou bring foorth children, and thy desire shalbe subiect to thine husband, and he shall rule ouer thee. 17 Also to Adam he said, Because thou hast obeyed the voyce of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, (whereof I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eate of it) cursed is the earth for thy sake: in sorowe shalt thou eate of it all the dayes of thy life. 18 Thornes also, and thistles shall it bring foorth to thee, and thou shalt eate the herbe of the fielde. 19 In the sweate of thy face shalt thou eate bread, till thou returne to the earth: for out of it wast thou taken, because thou art dust, and to dust shalt thou returne. 20 (And the man called his wiues name Heuah, because she was the mother of all liuing) 21 Vnto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coates of skinnes, and clothed them. 22 And the Lord God said, Beholde, the man is become as one of vs, to knowe good and euill. And nowe lest he put foorth his hand, and take also of ye tree of life and eate and liue for euer, 23 Therefore the Lord God sent him foorth from the garden of Eden, to till ye earth, whence he was taken. 24 Thus he cast out man, and at the East side of the garden of Eden he set the Cherubims, and the blade of a sworde shaken, to keepe the way of the tree of life.