Genesis 2:1-4:25

New American Standard Bible 1995

The Creation of Man and Woman

2 Thus the heavens and the earth were completed, and all ^(A)their hosts. ² By ^(B)the seventh day God completed His work which He had done, and ^(C)He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. ³ Then God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested from all His work which God had created ^[a]and made.

^4 [b](D)This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, in ^(E)the day that the Lord God made earth and heaven. ^5 (F)Now no shrub of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprouted, ^(G)for the Lord God had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no man to ^[c]cultivate the ground. ⁶ But a ^[d]mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole ^[e]surface of the ground. ⁷ Then the Lord God formed man of ^(H)dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and ^(I)man became a living ^[f]being. ⁸ The Lord God planted a ^(J)garden toward the east, in Eden; and there He placed the man whom He had formed. ⁹ Out of the ground the Lord God caused to grow ^(K)every tree that is pleasing to the sight and good for food; ^(L)the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ Now a ^(M)river ^[g]flowed out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it divided and became four ^[h]rivers. ¹¹ The name of the first is Pishon; it ^[i]flows around the whole land of ^(N)Havilah, where there is gold. ¹² The gold of that land is good; the bdellium and the onyx stone are there. ¹³ The name of the second river is Gihon; it ^[j]flows around the whole land of Cush. ¹⁴ The name of the third river is ^[k](O)Tigris; it ^[l]flows east of Assyria. And the fourth river is the ^[m](P)Euphrates.

¹⁵ Then the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate it and keep it. ¹⁶ The Lord God ^(Q)commanded the man, saying, “From any tree of the garden you may eat freely; ¹⁷ but from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not ^[n]eat, for in the day that you eat from it ^(R)you will surely die.”

¹⁸ Then the Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; ^(S)I will make him a helper ^[o]suitable for him.” ^19 (T)Out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every bird of the ^[p]sky, and ^(U)brought them to the man to see what he would call them; and whatever the man called a living creature, that was its name. ²⁰ The man gave names to all the cattle, and to the birds of the ^[q]sky, and to every beast of the field, but for ^[r]Adam there was not found ^(V)a helper ^[s]suitable for him. ²¹ So the Lord God caused a ^(W)deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; then He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh at that place. ²² The Lord God ^[t]fashioned into a woman ^(X)the rib which He had taken from the man, and brought her to the man. ²³ The man said,

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

The Fall of Man

3 Now ^(AB)the serpent was more crafty than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Indeed, has God said, ‘You shall not eat from ^[y]any tree of the garden’?” ² The woman said to the serpent, “^(AC)From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; ³ but from the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat from it or touch it, or you will die.’” ^4 (AD)The serpent said to the woman, “You surely will not die! ⁵ For God knows that in the day you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and ^(AE)you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” ^6 (AF)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 desirable to make one wise, she took from its fruit and ate; and she gave also to her husband with her, and he ate. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they ^(AG)knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves ^[z]loin coverings.

⁸ They heard the sound of ^(AH)the Lord God walking in the garden in the ^[aa]cool of the day, ^(AI)and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹ Then the Lord God called to the man, and said to him, “^(AJ)Where are you?” ¹⁰ He said, “^(AK)I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid myself.” ¹¹ And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” ^12 (AL)The man said, “The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me from the tree, and I ate.” ¹³ Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman said, “^(AM)The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” ¹⁴ The Lord God said to the serpent,

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

²⁰ Now the man called his wife’s name ^[af](AX)Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. ²¹ The Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

²² Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of ^(AY)Us, knowing good and evil; and now, he might stretch out his hand, and take also from ^(AZ)the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to cultivate the ground from which he was taken. ²⁴ So ^(BA)He drove the man out; and at the ^(BB)east of the garden of Eden He stationed the ^(BC)cherubim and the flaming sword which turned every direction to guard the way to ^(BD)the tree of life.

Cain and Abel

4 Now the man ^[ag]had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to ^[ah]Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a ^[ai]manchild with the help of the Lord.” ² Again, she gave birth to his brother Abel. And ^(BE)Abel was ^(BF)a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³ So it came about ^[aj]in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. ^4 (BG)Abel, on his part also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of their fat portions. And ^(BH)the Lord had regard for Abel and for his offering; ⁵ but ^(BI)for Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So ^(BJ)Cain became very angry and his countenance fell. ⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “^(BK)Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? ^7 (BL)If you do well, ^[ak]will not your countenance be lifted up? ^(BM)And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, ^(BN)but you must master it.” ⁸ Cain ^[al]told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and ^(BO)killed him.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “^(BP)Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰ He said, “What have you done? ^(BQ)The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. ¹¹ Now ^(BR)you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ^12 (BS)When you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; ^(BT)you will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.” ¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is too great to bear! ¹⁴ Behold, You have ^(BU)driven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and ^(BV)I will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and ^(BW)whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵ So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him ^(BX)sevenfold.” And the Lord ^[am](BY)appointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.

¹⁶ Then Cain went out from the presence ^(BZ)of the Lord, and ^[an]settled in the land of ^[ao]Nod, east of Eden.

¹⁷ Cain ^[ap]had relations with his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city, and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son. ¹⁸ Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad ^[aq]became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael ^[ar]became the father of Methushael, and Methushael ^[as]became the father of Lamech. ¹⁹ Lamech took to himself ^(CA)two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. ²² As for Zillah, she also gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives,

^25 (CD)Adam ^[au]had relations with his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him ^[av]Seth, for, she said, “God ^[aw]has appointed me another ^[ax]offspring in place of Abel, ^(CE)for Cain killed him.”