Genesis 3

1 Now the serpent was the most cunning of all the animals on the earth that the Lord God had made. And the serpent said to the woman, “Why has God said, ‘You shall not eat from every tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman answered the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden — 3 but as for the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden, God said, ‘You shall not eat from it, or even touch it, or you will die.’” 4 The serpent said to the woman, “You certainly will not die. 5 God knew that on whatever day you eat from it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like gods, knowing good and evil.”

6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasing to the eyes, and that it was beautiful to contemplate. She took its fruit and ate, and she gave some to her husband there with her, and they ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves coverings.

8 They heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the late afternoon, and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 The Lord God called out to Adam: “Adam, where are you?” 10 He answered, “I heard your voice as you walked in the garden, and I was afraid, because I am naked — so I hid.” 11 God said to him, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the one tree I commanded you not to eat from?” 12 Adam said, “The woman you gave to be with me — she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate.” 13 The Lord God said to the woman, “Why have you done this?” And the woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”

14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed beyond all the cattle and all the wild animals of the earth. On your breast and belly you shall go, and you shall eat earth all the days of your life. 15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers. He will watch for your head, and you will watch for his heel.” [a] † 16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your pains and your groaning; in pain you will bring forth children. You will turn toward your husband, and he will rule over you.” 17 And to Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife’s voice and ate from the one tree I commanded you not to eat from, the ground is cursed as you labor over it. In pain you will eat from it all the days of your life. 18 Thorns and thistles it will grow for you, and you will eat the plants of the field. 19 By the sweat of your face you will eat your bread, until you return to the earth you were taken from — for you are earth, and to earth you will return.”

20 Adam named his wife Life, because she was the mother of all the living. [b] 21 And the Lord God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them.

22 Then God said, “Look — Adam has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now he must never reach out his hand and take from the tree of life as well, and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Delight, to work the ground he had been taken from. 24 He drove Adam out and settled him opposite the garden of Delight, and he stationed the cherubim, with the fiery sword that turns every way, to guard the path to the tree of life.