Genesis 2:4-3:24

New International Version

Adam and Eve

⁴ This is the account^(A) of the heavens and the earth when they were created,^(B) when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

⁵ Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth^[a] and no plant had yet sprung up,^(C) for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth^(D) and there was no one to work the ground, ⁶ but streams^[b] came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. ⁷ Then the Lord God formed^(E) a man^[c](F) from the dust^(G) of the ground^(H) and breathed into his nostrils the breath^(I) of life,^(J) and the man became a living being.^(K)

⁸ Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden;^(L) and there he put the man he had formed. ⁹ The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees^(M) that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life^(N) and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.^(O)

¹⁰ A river^(P) watering the garden flowed from Eden;^(Q) from there it was separated into four headwaters. ¹¹ The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah,^(R) where there is gold. ¹² (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin^[d](S) and onyx are also there.) ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.^{[e] 14} The name of the third river is the Tigris;^(T) it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.^(U)

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden^(V) to work it and take care of it. ¹⁶ And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden;^{(W) 17} but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,^(X) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”^(Y)

¹⁸ The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”^(Z)

¹⁹ Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals^(AA) and all the birds in the sky.^(AB) He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called^(AC) each living creature,^(AD) that was its name. ²⁰ So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.

But for Adam^[f] no suitable helper^(AE) was found. ²¹ So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep;^(AF) and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs^[g] and then closed up the place with flesh. ²² Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib^[h](AG) he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

²³ The man said,

²⁴ That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united^(AK) to his wife, and they become one flesh.^(AL)

²⁵ Adam and his wife were both naked,^(AM) and they felt no shame.

The Fall

3 Now the serpent^(AN) 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’?^(AO)”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,^{(AP) 3} but 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.’”^(AQ)

⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.^{(AR) 5} “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,^(AS) knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable^(AT) for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband,^(AU) who was with her, and he ate it.^{(AV) 7} Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked;^(AW) so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.^(AX)

⁸ Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking^(AY) in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid^(AZ) from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”^(BA)

¹⁰ He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid^(BB) because I was naked;^(BC) so I hid.”

¹¹ And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?^(BD) Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?^(BE)”

¹² The man said, “The woman you put here with me^(BF)—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me,^(BG) and I ate.”

¹⁴ So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

¹⁶ To the woman he said,

¹⁷ To 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,’^(BO)

²⁰ Adam^[k] named his wife Eve,^[l](BY) because she would become the mother of all the living.

²¹ The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.^{(BZ) 22} And the Lord God said, “The man has now become like one of us,^(CA) knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life^(CB) and eat, and live forever.” ²³ So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden^(CC) to work the ground^(CD) from which he had been taken. ²⁴ After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side^[m] of the Garden of Eden^(CE) cherubim^(CF) and a flaming sword^(CG) flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.^(CH)