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

¹⁰ A river^(E) watering the garden flowed from Eden;^(F) 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,^(G) where there is gold. ¹² (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin^[a](H) and onyx are also there.) ¹³ The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush.^{[b] 14} The name of the third river is the Tigris;^(I) it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.^(J)

¹⁵ The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden^(K) 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;^{(L) 17} but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil,^(M) for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”^(N)

²³ So the Lord God banished him from the Garden of Eden^(A) to work the ground^(B) from which he had been taken.

²⁴ After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side^[a] of the Garden of Eden^(A) cherubim^(B) and a flaming sword^(C) flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.^(D)

¹⁶ So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence^(A) and lived in the land of Nod,^[a] east of Eden.^(B)