Print Page Options Listen to Genesis 2

The Garden of Eden

Thus the heavens and the earth, and (A)all the host of them, were finished. (B)And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then God (C)blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created and made.

(D)This is the [a]history of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, before any (E)plant of the field was in the earth and before any herb of the field had grown. For the Lord God had not (F)caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man (G)to till the ground; but a mist went up from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground.

And the Lord God formed man of the (H)dust of the ground, and (I)breathed into his (J)nostrils the breath of life; and (K)man became a living being.

Life in God’s Garden

The Lord God planted (L)a garden (M)eastward in (N)Eden, and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground the Lord God made (O)every tree grow that is pleasant to the sight and good for food. (P)The tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and (Q)evil.

10 Now a river went out of Eden to water the garden, and from there it parted and became four riverheads. 11 The name of the first is Pishon; it is the one which skirts (R)the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 And the gold of that land is good. (S)Bdellium and the onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it is the one which goes around the whole land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is (T)Hiddekel;[b] it is the one which goes toward the east of [c]Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 Then the Lord God took [d]the man and put him in the garden of Eden to [e]tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil (U)you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it (V)you[f] shall surely (W)die.”

18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; (X)I will make him a helper comparable to him.” 19 (Y)Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the air, and (Z)brought them to [g]Adam to see what he would call them. And whatever Adam called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So Adam gave names to all cattle, to the birds of the air, and to every beast of the field. But for Adam there was not found a helper comparable to him.

21 And the Lord God caused a (AA)deep sleep to fall on Adam, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place. 22 Then the rib which the Lord God had taken from man He [h]made into a woman, (AB)and He (AC)brought her to the man.

23 And Adam said:

“This is now (AD)bone of my bones
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called [i]Woman,
Because she was (AE)taken out of [j]Man.”

24 (AF)Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and (AG)be[k] joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.

25 (AH)And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not (AI)ashamed.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 2:4 Heb. toledoth, lit. generations
  2. Genesis 2:14 Or Tigris
  3. Genesis 2:14 Heb. Ashshur
  4. Genesis 2:15 Or Adam
  5. Genesis 2:15 cultivate
  6. Genesis 2:17 Lit. dying you shall die
  7. Genesis 2:19 Or the man
  8. Genesis 2:22 Lit. built
  9. Genesis 2:23 Heb. Ishshah
  10. Genesis 2:23 Heb. Ish
  11. Genesis 2:24 Lit. cling

The Creation of Man and Woman

So the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts (inhabitants). And by the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and He rested (ceased) on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.(A) So God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it [as His own, that is, set it apart as holy from other days], because in it He rested from all His work which He had created and done.(B)

This is the history of [the origin of] the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day [that is, days of creation] that the [a]Lord God made the earth and the heavens— no shrub or plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprouted, for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth, and there was no man to [b]cultivate the ground, but a [c]mist (fog, dew, vapor) used to rise from the land and water the entire surface of the ground— then the Lord God [d]formed [that is, created the body of] man from the [e]dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living being [an individual complete in body and spirit].(C) And the Lord God [f]planted a garden (oasis) in the east, in Eden (delight, land of happiness); and He put the man whom He had formed (created) there. And [in that garden] the Lord God caused to grow from the ground every tree that is desirable and pleasing to the sight and good (suitable, pleasant) for food; the tree of life was also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the [experiential] knowledge (recognition) of [the difference between] good and evil.(D)

10 Now a river flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four [branching] rivers. 11 The first [river] is named Pishon; it flows around the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 The gold of that land is good; bdellium (a fragrant, valuable resin) and the [g]onyx stone are found there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it flows around the entire land of Cush [in Mesopotamia]. 14 The third river is named Hiddekel (Tigris); it flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.

15 So the Lord God took the man [He had made] and settled him in the Garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “You may freely (unconditionally) eat [the fruit] from every tree of the garden; 17 but [only] from the tree of the knowledge (recognition) of good and evil you shall not eat, otherwise on the day that you eat from it, you shall most certainly [h]die [because of your disobedience].”

18 Now the Lord God said, “It is not good (beneficial) for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper [one who balances him—a counterpart who is] [i]suitable and complementary for him.” 19 So the Lord God formed out of the ground every animal of the field and every bird of the air, and brought them to Adam to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. 20 And the man gave names to all the livestock, and to the birds of the air, and to every animal of the field; but for Adam there was not found a helper [that was] suitable (a companion) for him. 21 So the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam; and while he slept, He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. 22 And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man He made (fashioned, formed) into a woman, and He brought her and presented her to the man. 23 Then Adam said,

“This is now bone of my bones,
And flesh of my flesh;
She shall be called Woman,
Because she was taken out of Man.”

24 For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh.(E) 25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed or embarrassed.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 2:4 Heb YHWH (Yahweh), the Hebrew name of God which traditionally is not pronounced by the Jews, usually rendered Lord. See front material, Principles of Translation.
  2. Genesis 2:5 Lit work.
  3. Genesis 2:6 Or flow of water.
  4. Genesis 2:7 The word is “formed” (Heb yatsar), but in 1:26, 27 the action is described with the Hebrew word “created” (Heb bara).
  5. Genesis 2:7 The essential chemical elements found in soil are also found in humans and animals. This scientific fact was not discovered until recent times, but God is displaying it here.
  6. Genesis 2:8 This is a reference, not to the creation of plant life in general, but to the planting of specific plants in the Garden of Eden (2:8, 9).
  7. Genesis 2:12 It is often difficult to match the names or descriptions of ancient gems and other materials with their contemporary equivalents. Modern research indicates this may instead be carnelian, a red gemstone.
  8. Genesis 2:17 Both spiritually and physically, physical death in the sense of becoming mortal; they were created immortal.
  9. Genesis 2:18 Lit like his opposite.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 and the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 15 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.

18 And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19 And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21 And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

2 God resteth the seventh day, and sanctifieth it. 15 He setteth man in the garden. 22 He createth the woman. 24 Marriage is ordained.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the [a]host of them.

For in the seventh day God ended his work which he had made, (A)and the seventh day he [b]rested from all his work, which he had made.

So God blessed the seventh day, and [c]sanctified it, because that in it he had rested from all his work, which God created and made.

¶ These are the [d]generations of the heavens and of the earth, when they were created, in the day, that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens,

And every [e]plant of the field, before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field, before it grew, for the Lord God had not caused it to [f]rain upon the earth, neither was there a man to till the ground,

But a mist went up from the earth, and watered all the earth.

¶ The Lord God also [g]made the man [h]of the dust of the ground, and breathed in his face breath of life, (B)and the man was a living soul.

And the Lord God planted a garden Eastward in [i]Eden, and there he put the man whom he had made.

(For out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree pleasant to the sight, and good for meat: the [j]tree of life also in the midst of the garden, [k]and the tree of knowledge of good and of evil.

10 And out of Eden went a river to water the garden, and from thence it was divided, and became into four heads.

11 The name of one is Pishon: the same compasseth the whole land of [l]Havilah, where is gold.

12 And the gold of that land is good: there is [m]Bdellium, and the Onyx stone.

13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same compasseth the whole land of [n]Cush.

14 And the name of the [third] river is [o]Hiddekel: this goeth toward the East side of [p]Ashshur: and the fourth river is [q]Parah)

15 ¶ Then the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden, that he might [r]dress it, and keep it.

16 And the Lord God [s]commanded the man, saying, [t]Thou shalt eat freely of every tree of the garden,

17 But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for [u]in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt die the [v]death.

18 Also the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be himself alone: I will make him an help [w]meet for him.

19 So the Lord God formed of the earth every beast of the field, and every fowl of the heaven, and brought them unto the [x]man to see how he would call them: for howsoever the man named the living creature, so was the name thereof.

20 The man therefore gave names unto all cattle, and to the fowl of the heaven, and to every beast of the field: but for Adam found he not an helper meet for him.

21 ¶ Therefore the Lord God caused an heavy sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in stead thereof.

22 And the rib which the Lord God had taken from the man, [y]made he a [z]woman, and brought her to the man.

23 Then the man said, (C)This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called [aa]woman, because she was taken out of the man.

24 (D)Therefore shall man leave [ab]his father and his mother, and shall cleave to his wife, and they shall be one flesh.

25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and they were not [ac]ashamed.

Footnotes

  1. Genesis 2:1 That is, the innumerable abundance of creatures in heaven and earth.
  2. Genesis 2:2 For he had now finished his creation, but his providence still watcheth over his creatures, and governeth them.
  3. Genesis 2:3 Appointed it to be kept holy, that man might therein consider the excellency of his works and God’s goodness toward him.
  4. Genesis 2:4 Or, the original and beginning.
  5. Genesis 2:5 Or, tree, as Gen. 21:15.
  6. Genesis 2:5 God only openeth the heavens and shutteth them, he sendeth drought and rain according to his good pleasure.
  7. Genesis 2:7 Or, formed.
  8. Genesis 2:7 He showeth whereof man’s body was created, to the intent that man should not glory in the excellency of his own nature.
  9. Genesis 2:8 This was the name of a place, as some think in Mesopotamia, most pleasant and abundant in all things.
  10. Genesis 2:9 Which was a sign of the life received of God.
  11. Genesis 2:9 That is, of miserable experience, which came by disobeying God.
  12. Genesis 2:11 Which Havilah is a country joining to Persia Eastward, and inclineth toward the West.
  13. Genesis 2:12 Or, precious stone, or pearl. Pliny saith it is the name of a tree.
  14. Genesis 2:13 Or, Ethiopia.
  15. Genesis 2:14 Or, Tigris.
  16. Genesis 2:14 Or, Assyria.
  17. Genesis 2:14 Or, Euphrates.
  18. Genesis 2:15 God would not have man idle, though as yet there was no need to labor.
  19. Genesis 2:16 So that man might know there was a sovereign Lord, to whom he owed obedience.
  20. Genesis 2:16 Hebrew, eating thou shalt eat of.
  21. Genesis 2:17 Or, whensoever.
  22. Genesis 2:17 By this death he meaneth the separation of man from God, who is our life and chief felicity: and also that our disobedience is the cause thereof.
  23. Genesis 2:18 Hebrew, before him.
  24. Genesis 2:19 By moving them to come and submit themselves to Adam.
  25. Genesis 2:22 Hebrew, built.
  26. Genesis 2:22 Signifying that mankind was perfect, when the woman was created, which before was like an imperfect building.
  27. Genesis 2:23 Or, Manness, because she cometh of man: for in Hebrew Ish is man, and Ishah the woman.
  28. Genesis 2:24 So that marriage requireth a greater duty of us toward our wives, than otherwise we are bound to show to our parents.
  29. Genesis 2:25 For before sin entered, all things were honest and comely.

And the heavens and the earth are completed, and all their host;

and God completeth by the seventh day His work which He hath made, and ceaseth by the seventh day from all His work which He hath made.

And God blesseth the seventh day, and sanctifieth it, for in it He hath ceased from all His work which God had prepared for making.

These [are] births of the heavens and of the earth in their being prepared, in the day of Jehovah God's making earth and heavens;

and no shrub of the field is yet in the earth, and no herb of the field yet sprouteth, for Jehovah God hath not rained upon the earth, and a man there is not to serve the ground,

and a mist goeth up from the earth, and hath watered the whole face of the ground.

And Jehovah God formeth the man -- dust from the ground, and breatheth into his nostrils breath of life, and the man becometh a living creature.

And Jehovah God planteth a garden in Eden, at the east, and He setteth there the man whom He hath formed;

and Jehovah God causeth to sprout from the ground every tree desirable for appearance, and good for food, and the tree of life in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

10 And a river is going out from Eden to water the garden, and from thence it is parted, and hath become four chief [rivers];

11 the name of the one [is] Pison, it [is] that which is surrounding the whole land of the Havilah where the gold [is],

12 and the gold of that land [is] good, there [is] the bdolach and the shoham stone;

13 and the name of the second river [is] Gibon, it [is] that which is surrounding the whole land of Cush;

14 and the name of the third river [is] Hiddekel, it [is] that which is going east of Asshur; and the fourth river is Phrat.

15 And Jehovah God taketh the man, and causeth him to rest in the garden of Eden, to serve it, and to keep it.

16 And Jehovah God layeth a charge on the man, saying, `Of every tree of the garden eating thou dost eat;

17 and of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou dost not eat of it, for in the day of thine eating of it -- dying thou dost die.'

18 And Jehovah God saith, `Not good for the man to be alone, I do make to him an helper -- as his counterpart.'

19 And Jehovah God formeth from the ground every beast of the field, and every fowl of the heavens, and bringeth in unto the man, to see what he doth call it; and whatever the man calleth a living creature, that [is] its name.

20 And the man calleth names to all the cattle, and to fowl of the heavens, and to every beast of the field; and to man hath not been found an helper -- as his counterpart.

21 And Jehovah God causeth a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he sleepeth, and He taketh one of his ribs, and closeth up flesh in its stead.

22 And Jehovah God buildeth up the rib which He hath taken out of the man into a woman, and bringeth her in unto the man;

23 and the man saith, `This [is] the [proper] step! bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh!' for this it is called Woman, for from a man hath this been taken;

24 therefore doth a man leave his father and his mother, and hath cleaved unto his wife, and they have become one flesh.

25 And they are both of them naked, the man and his wife, and they are not ashamed of themselves.