Genesis 3
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 3
Origin of Evil.[a] 1 The serpent[b] was the most clever of all the wild animals that the Lord God had made. It said to the woman, “Is it true that God told you not to eat of any of the trees in the garden?”
2 The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but as for the fruit of the tree in the midst of the garden, God said that we must not eat it, nor even touch it, lest we die.”
4 But the serpent said to the woman, “Certainly you shall not die! 5 God knows that when you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will become like God, knowing that which is good and that which is evil.”
6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food and pleasing to look at and desirable for imparting wisdom. She took some fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband who was with her, and he also ate it. 7 Their eyes were opened and they realized that they were naked. They took fig leaves and sewed them together, making themselves a covering.
8 They then heard the Lord God walking in the garden toward the evening. The man and his wife hid themselves from the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called out to the man and said to him, “Where were you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you walking in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid myself.”
11 He said, “Who let you know that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree from which I commanded you not to eat?”
12 The man answered, “The woman whom you put here with me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.”
13 The Lord God said to the woman, “What have you done?”
The woman answered, “The serpent tricked me and I ate it.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent,[c]
“Because you have done this, you will be the most cursed
of all the animals
and of all the wild beasts.
On your belly you shall crawl
and you shall eat dust
for all the days of your life.
15 I will establish hostility
between you and the woman,
between your line and her line.
Her offspring will crush your head
and you will bruise his heel.”[d]
16 To the woman he said,
“I will multiply your sufferings in childbirth;
with pain you shall bear your children.
You shall desire your husband,
but he shall lord it over you.”
17 To the man he said, “Because you listened to the voice of your wife and you ate from the tree from which I had commanded you not to eat,
“Cursed be the soil because of you!
With effort you shall obtain food
all the days of your life.
18 Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth for you,
and you shall eat of the plants of the field.
19 You shall have to sweat
to eat your bread
until the day when you return to the earth,
for from it you were drawn.
You are dust,
and unto dust you shall return.”
20 The man called his wife Eve, for she was the mother of all those who lived.
21 The Lord God made clothing for the man and woman out of animal skins and he clothed them. 22 The Lord God said, “Behold, man has become like one of us, for he has knowledge of that which is good and that which is evil. Now, we must prevent him from reaching out and taking the fruit of the tree of life lest he eat it and live forever.” 23 The Lord God cast him out of the Garden of Eden; henceforth he was to labor tilling the soil from which he had come. 24 When he expelled him, he placed cherubim[e] to the east of the Garden of Eden with flaming swords to keep watch over the way to the tree of life.
Footnotes
- Genesis 3:1 When human beings reject union with God, the source of being and good, they must inevitably perish. This is the meaning of the tragedy that overwhelms the human condition. Envious of human beings and their happiness, another being, like them a creature, urges them to doubt the divine word, thereby putting out the light of their faith. The biblical tradition will call this other being the “adversary” and “the father of lies” (Wis 2:24; Jn 8:44; Rev 12:9). Our author, anxious to combat pagan nature-centered cults that used the serpent as a symbol and strongly attracted the Israelites, presents the adversary under the form of a serpent.
Despite the victory of evil a hope dawns, a light in which the Christian tradition sees the Savior being already announced, a Savior with whom Mary, model of womanhood, is especially associated. The Lord does not abandon fallen humankind that has barred itself from the paradise of friendship with God; but it will have to struggle to win back its happiness. - Genesis 3:1 The Semitic world attributed superhuman qualities to the serpent: the sacred serpent, the divine serpent, symbol of the divinities of the vegetative realm, protector of sanctuaries and borders, symbol of the way, guardian of life-giving plants, effective in divining the future and in black and diabolic magic. The sacred writer speaks of him instead as one of the animals that the Lord God had made, but also as the most clever of all [of them]; the connection with magic makes the serpent an appropriate symbol of activities directed against God; in addition, the serpent’s special way of entering in a hidden manner and striking by surprise makes it an appropriate and instructive image of the tempter.
- Genesis 3:14 The biblical tradition uses the serpent to represent Satan; the divine punishment is aimed at the demon. On your belly you shall crawl and you shall eat dust is a customary Semitic way of describing enemies defeated in battle and compelled to acknowledge the power of their conqueror (see Ps 72:9; Isa 49:23; Mic 7:17).
- Genesis 3:15 This verse has traditionally been regarded as the protoevangelium, the first announcement of the salvation of the human race. The offspring of the woman refers to the human race but at a higher level to Jesus Christ who is source and cause of the common victory. Consequently, the woman, while certainly signifying Eve, the mother of the human race, refers at a higher level to Mary, the mother of Jesus and the new Eve.
- Genesis 3:24 The cherubim and the flaming swords symbolize the divine prohibition. In fact, the mythical winged colossi, half animal, half human, that stood guard at palaces, temples, and thrones of gods and kings in ancient Mesopotamia (known there as karibu; in the Bible see Ex 25:20; 1 Ki 6:27; Ezek 10:14), as well as the lightning represented in the form of flames or a wavy sword on stones marking the borders of territories, meant that access to the place in question was forbidden to profane persons and defended by the gods.
创世记 3
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
始祖被引诱而违主命
3 在耶和华 神所造野地所有的活物中，蛇是最狡猾的。蛇对女人说：“ 神真的说过，你们不可吃园中任何树上的果子吗？” 2 女人对蛇说：“园中树上的果子，我们都可以吃； 3 只有园中那棵树上的果子， 神曾经说过：‘你们不可吃，也不可摸，免得你们死。’” 4 蛇对女人说：“你们决不会死； 5 因为 神知道你们吃那果子的时候，你们的眼睛就开了；你们会像 神一样，能知道善恶。” 6 于是，女人见那棵树的果子好作食物，又悦人的眼目，而且讨人喜爱，能使人有智慧，就摘下果子来吃了；又给了和她在一起的丈夫，他也吃了。 7 二人的眼睛就开了，才知道自己是赤身露体的。于是把无花果树的叶子编缝起来，为自己做裙子。
8 天起凉风的时候，那人和他的妻子听见耶和华 神在园中行走的声音，就藏在园子的树林中，躲避耶和华 神的面。 9 耶和华 神呼唤那人，对他说：“你在哪里？” 10 他回答：“我在园中听见你的声音，就害怕；因为我赤身露体，就藏了起来。” 11 耶和华 神说：“谁告诉你，你是赤身露体呢？难道你吃了我吩咐你不可吃的那树上的果子吗？” 12 那人说：“你所赐给我、和我在一起的那女人，她把树上的果子给我，我就吃了。” 13 耶和华 神对女人说：“你作了甚么事呢？”女人说：“那蛇欺哄我，我就吃了。”
惩罚与应许
14 耶和华 神对蛇说：
“因为你作了这事，
就必在所有的牲畜
和田野的活物中受咒诅；
你要用肚子行走，
一生都吃泥土。
15 我要使你和女人彼此为仇，
你的后裔和女人的后裔，
也彼此为仇，
他要伤你的头，
你要伤他的脚跟。”
16 耶和华 神对女人说：
“我要大大增加你怀胎的痛苦，
你必在痛苦中生产儿女；
你要恋慕你的丈夫，
他却要管辖你。”
17 耶和华 神又对亚当说：“因为你听从了你妻子的话，吃了我吩咐你不可吃的那树上的果子；
地就必因你的缘故受咒诅；
你必终生劳苦，才能从地里得吃的。
18 地要给你长出荆棘和蒺藜来；
你也要吃田间的蔬菜；
19 你必汗流满面，
才有饭吃，
直到你归回地土，
因为你是从地土取出来的；
你既然是尘土，就要归回尘土。”
被逐出伊甸园
20 亚当给他的妻子起名叫夏娃，因为她是众生之母。 21 耶和华 神为亚当和他的妻子做了皮衣，给他们穿上。
22 耶和华 神说：“那人和我们中间的一个相似，能知善恶；现在恐怕他伸出手来，摘取生命树上的果子吃，就永远活着。” 23 耶和华 神就把他赶出伊甸园，去耕种他自己也是从那里出来的地土。 24 于是把亚当驱逐出去，又派基路伯在伊甸园的东边，拿着旋转发火焰的剑，把守到生命树去的路。
Genesis 3
King James Version
3 Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2 And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:
5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
6 And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
8 And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
9 And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
10 And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11 And he said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
12 And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
14 And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life:
15 And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.
16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.
20 And Adam called his wife's name Eve; because she was the mother of all living.
21 Unto Adam also and to his wife did the Lord God make coats of skins, and clothed them.
22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever:
23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
Chinese New Version (CNV). Copyright © 1976, 1992, 1999, 2001, 2005 by Worldwide Bible Society.