The Creation of Man and Woman

2 So the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their hosts (inhabitants). ² 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) 3} 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)

⁴ 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— ⁵ 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, ⁶ but a ^[c]mist (fog, dew, vapor) used to rise from the land and water the entire surface of the ground— ⁷ 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) 8} 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. ⁹ 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,

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.

The Fall of Man

3 Now the serpent was more crafty (subtle, skilled in deceit) than any living creature of the field which the Lord God had made. And ^[a]the serpent (Satan) said to the woman, “Can it really be that God has said, ‘You shall not eat from ^[b]any tree of the garden’?”^{(A) 2} And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden, ³ except the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God said, ‘You shall not eat from it nor touch it, otherwise you will die.’” ⁴ But the serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die!^{(B) 5} For God knows that on the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened [that is, you will have greater awareness], and you will be like God, knowing [the difference between] good and evil.” ⁶ And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was delightful to look at, and a tree to be desired in order to make one wise and insightful, she took some of its fruit and ate it; and she also gave some to her husband ^[c]with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of the two of them were opened [that is, their awareness increased], and they knew that they were naked; and they fastened fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

⁸ And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool [afternoon breeze] of the day, so the man and his wife hid and kept themselves hidden from the ^[d]presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ But the Lord God called to Adam, and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ He said, “I heard the sound of You [walking] in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” ¹¹ God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten [fruit] from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ¹² And the man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me—she gave me [fruit] from the tree, and I ate it.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” And the woman said, “The serpent beguiled and deceived me, and I ate [from the forbidden tree].”^{(C) 14} The Lord God said to the serpent,

¹⁷ Then to Adam the Lord God said, “Because you have listened [attentively] to the voice of your wife, and have eaten [fruit] from the tree about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’;

²⁰ The man named his wife Eve (life spring, life giver), because she was the mother of all the living. ²¹ The Lord God made tunics of [animal] skins for Adam and his wife and clothed them.

²² And the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us (Father, Son, Holy Spirit), knowing [how to distinguish between] good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take from the tree of life as well, and eat [its fruit], and live [in this fallen, sinful condition] forever”— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent Adam away from the Garden of Eden, to till and cultivate the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So God drove the man out; and at the east of the Garden of Eden He [permanently] stationed the ^[f]cherubim and the sword with the flashing blade which turned round and round [in every direction] to protect and guard the way (entrance, access) to the tree of life.^(E)