Genesis 2:18–4:16

18 Then the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; nI will make him a helper fit for1 him. 19 oNow out of the ground the Lord God had formed2 every beast of the field and every bird of the heavens and pbrought them to the man to see what he would call them. And whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name. 20 The man gave names to all livestock and to the birds of the heavens and to every beast of the field. But for Adam3 there was not found a helper fit for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a qdeep sleep to fall upon the man, and while he slept took one of his ribs and closed up its place with flesh. 22 And the rib that the Lord God had taken from the man he made4 into a woman and brought her to the man. 23 Then the man said,

This at last is rbone of my bones

and flesh of my flesh;

she shall be called Woman,

because she was staken out of Man.5

24 tTherefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and they shall become one flesh. 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

Now uthe serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.

He said to the woman, Did God actually say, You6 shall not eat of any tree in the garden? And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, but God said, vYou shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die. wBut the serpent said to the woman, You will not surely die. For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,7 she took of its fruit xand ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, yand he ate. zThen the eyes of both were opened, aand they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.

And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool8 of the day, and the man and his wife bhid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, Where are you?9 10 And he said, I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, cbecause I was naked, and I hid myself. 11 He said, Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat? 12 The man said, dThe woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate. 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, What is this that you have done? The woman said, eThe serpent deceived me, and I ate.

14 The Lord God said to the serpent,

Because you have done this,

cursed are you above all livestock

and above all beasts of the field;

on your belly you shall go,

and fdust you shall eat

all the days of your life.

15  I will put enmity between you and the woman,

and between your offspring10 and gher offspring;

hhe shall bruise your head,

and you shall bruise his heel.

16 To the woman he said,

I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;

iin pain you shall bring forth children.

jYour desire shall be for11 your husband,

and he shall krule over you.

17 And to Adam he said,

Because you have listened to the voice of your wife

and have eaten of the tree

lof which I commanded you,

You shall not eat of it,

mcursed is the ground because of you;

nin pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

18  thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;

and you shall eat the plants of the field.

19  By the sweat of your face

you shall eat bread,

till you return to the ground,

for out of it you were taken;

ofor you are dust,

and pto dust you shall return.

20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.12 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.

22 Then the Lord God said, qBehold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand rand take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden sto work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the tcherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, I have gotten13 a man with the help of the Lord. And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of uthe fruit of the ground, and Abel also brought of vthe firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord whad regard for Abel and his offering, but xfor Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. The Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? yIf you do well, will you not be accepted?14 And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. zIts desire is for15 you, and you must rule over it.

Cain spoke to Abel his brother.16 And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and akilled him. Then the Lord said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? He said, bI do not know; am I my brother’s keeper? 10 And the Lord said, What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cis crying to me from the ground. 11 And now dyou are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth. 13 Cain said to the Lord, My epunishment is greater than I can bear.17 14 Behold, fyou have driven me today away from the ground, and gfrom your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, hand whoever finds me will kill me. 15 Then the Lord said to him, Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him isevenfold. And the Lord jput a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod,18 east of Eden.

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2 View All Leviticus 19:27