Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden

Adam and Eve

Where the first chapter detailed the events of the Creation, this chapter takes a closer look at the creation events that took place, focusing on the creation of man and woman.

In just five days God created the heavens, the earth, and light.  After creating the animals, he recognized that he needed someone to watch over them, someone to reign at the top of the food chain.  He created man.  God took dirt, formed a man from it, and breathed life into him.  He named the first man, Adam.

God created a beautiful garden in a place he called Eden.  In this garden, he put trees, plants, lakes, and animals.  Flowing from Eden was a river that split into four separate rivers – Pishon, Gihon, Tigris, and Euphrates.

God placed Adam in the Garden of Eden and instructed him to care for it.  He asked Adam to watch over and give names to all of the animals.  In the middle of the garden, there was a tree that God called the Tree of Life and another called the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.  Adam (and later) Eve could eat fruit from the Tree of Life and live forever.  However, God told Adam that he could not eat fruit that grew on the Tree of Knowledge.  He explained to Adam that if he ate from the Tree of Knowledge, he would die.

After watching Adam for a while, God realized that it was not good for Adam to be alone.  This time, rather than using dirt, he put Adam to sleep and took a rib from his body while he was sleeping.  From this rib, God create a woman named Eve.

Adam and Eve wore no clothes but were not ashamed.

The serpent tricks Adam and Eve

In the Garden of Eden was a snake that was deceitful and evil.  The snake saw Eve in the garden one day and asked her,

“Did God really tell you not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge?”

Eve explained to the snake that God had indeed told them they could eat anything they wanted but not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge or they would surely die.

The snake told Eve,

“You surely will not die.  God just doesn’t want you to eat the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge because he knows if you do, your eyes will be opened and you will understand the difference between good and evil.  Eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge will make you just like him.”

The snake succeeded in tricking the Eve – she ate fruit from the forbidden tree.  The fruit looked good and Eve thought it would be nice to know the difference between good and evil.  Eve convinced Adam to eat some of the fruit too.  As the name of the tree implies, after eating fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, Adam and Eve’s eyes were opened and they suddenly felt that being naked was uncomfortable.  They sewed leaves from a fig tree together to make clothes to cover themselves up with.

Adam and Eve knew that they had made a big mistake.  They heard God walking through the Garden of Eden so they hid.  God called out to them.  Adam explained that they were afraid and that they felt ashamed because they were naked.

God asked them,

“Who told you that you were naked?  Did you eat from the Tree of Knowledge?”.

Adam and Eve explained to God how the snake had tricked Eve into eating the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge and how Adam had also eaten some too.

Gold told the snake that because he tricked Adam and Eve into eating the fruit, the snake would forever crawl around on its belly and that animals and people would forever be afraid of it and try to kill it.

As with all decisions, there are consequences for the decisions that we make.  The consequences that God put on Adam and Eve would forever change the way people act, feel, and behave.  Women from this point onward would feel pain during childbirth, men must forever work hard for their food and shelter, and people would no longer live forever but instead, would grow old and die.

God made clothes for Adam and Eve and covered them up.  Then he sent them from the Garden of Eden and put an Angel at the Garden’s entrance to keep them from returning.

What the story means to us today

All people have responsibilities, things that they need to do or take care of.  In God’s plan, if you fail to meet your responsibilities, then you will be held accountable.  You are the one to blame and must suffer the consequences of your actions yourself.  This is “accountability”.  Adam’s responsibility was to care for the garden and obey God.  Instead, Adam chose to disobey God and as such, was held accountable for his actions.  If we obey God’s rules, he will be pleased with our behavior.

It is important to note that the Devil (the snake) came to Adam and Eve in disguise.  The Devil is devious and his presence is not always so matter of fact.

Additional thoughts and considerations

Some may find it funny, or puzzling, that God created animals and people out of dust (or dirt).  However, note that after we die, our bodies decay and turn back into dust, completing God’s wondrous cycle.

The creation of the first man was unique – Adam was formed from dirt or “nothing”.  Eve however, was formed from a part of Adam, a rib containing human DNA.  Going forward, the process of human creation involved natural procreation, an judicious biological mechanism to replicate life.

When considering the story of Adam and Eve, it helps to recognize that the Bible story begins in paradise where there is no sin, transforms into a world with sin, and concludes with a return to paradise and no sin (i.e. Heaven).  Genesis is the opening of our story, the beginning of Man’s struggle between wrong and right.

Finally, note that God states that Adam will die if he eats fruit from the Tree of Knowledge.  This did not meant that he would instantly drop dead the moment he consumed the forbidden fruit but rather, Adam will become mortal and regardless of the Garden of Eden’s Tree of Life (which grants immortality), he will now age and die.

Why a Tree of Knowledge?  Why a Tree of Life?

Whether the story of Adam and Eve is based on historical facts God chose to teach original man or a metaphorical story, it illustrates one of the core concepts in the Bible – the concept of consequences for the decisions we make. You can envision the Tree of Life as God’s good grace, his blessings bestowed on us if we follow his teachings and stay true to his word.  The Tree of Knowledge can be thought of as Man’s god-given right to choose a secular life.  God instructed Adam and Eve to avoid the Tree of Knowledge but he left them the choice to obey his command or satisfy their curiosity. The choice was simple: stay in God’s graces and he will watch over you or choose to think for yourself and become responsible for your actions.

The science behind the story

What is Eden?

Eden literally means “delight” or “place of much water” and suggests that the Garden of Eden was a paradise surrounded by water.

Where was the Garden of Eden located?

The Bible gives a few clues to where the Garden of Eden is located.  The Bible says:

a river flowed out of Eden

the river split into four rivers

Pishon river – the river that flows around “Havilah” (which the Bible says has gold in it)

Gihon river – the river that flow around the land of “Cush”

Tigris river – the river that flows east of Assyria

and the Euphrates river

Given the references to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers, some people put the location of the Garden of Eden in Iraq (Mesopotamia), somewhere between the cities of Najaf and Kufa.  Others think the Garden of Eden was located in Africa because there’s an area there known as Cush and a river called Gihon (although this theory is generally discounted today). Still others theorize that the Garden of Eden was located in Turkey or Syria.

Two of the rivers named, Pishon and Gihon, are unknown.  It is likely that “Pishon” is derived from push meaning “to spring up”.  Similarly, Gihon is likely based on the verb that means “to burst forth”.  Both names seem to hint towards a body of water springing from within the earth, i.e. natural spring waters.

It is hard to pinpoint the location because of confusion on the names of the rivers given in the Bible.  Some rivers with those same names exist today while other rivers with those names exist in other areas of the world.  Many think it can never be found because the Flood of Noah changed the way the rivers flow around the world. Also, the flood probably wiped out the Garden of Eden and may have buried it under dirt and debris.  And finally, the geological movement of the continents may have forever put the true geographical location of the Garden beyond reach.

Did Adam and Eve evolve?

The Theory of Evolution is an oft-debated topic between scientists and theologians.  Scientists believe that man evolved over time – that certain inherited human characteristics changed with successive generations.  Some religious scholars argue that God created Man “as is” while others point out that the Bible really doesn’t take a hard stance either way.  It is worthy to note that the Adam and Eve story clearly points out a notable “evolution” in inherent human characteristics.  The Adam and Eve before partaking of the Tree of Knowledge are dramatically different from the Adam and Eve that knew no sin.

Bible Text

New International Version (NIV)

4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the LORD God made the earth and the heavens.

5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the LORD God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the LORD God formed a man w from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
8 Now the LORD God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.
10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; 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, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin j and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.
15 The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden 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; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”
18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”
19 Now the LORD God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.
But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib x he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.
23 The man said,

“This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”

24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.
25 Adam and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’ ”
4 “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. 5 “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10 He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11 And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12 The man said, “The woman you put here with me—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 Then the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
between you and the woman,
and between your offspring a and hers;
he will crush your head,
and you will strike his heel.”

16 To the woman he said,

“I will make your pains in childbearing very severe;
with painful labor you will give birth to children.
Your desire will be for your husband,
and he will rule over you.”

17 To Adam he said, “Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, ‘You must not eat from it,’

“Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.
18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
and you will eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your brow
you will eat your food
until you return to the ground,
since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
and to dust you will return.”

20 Adam named his wife Eve, p because she would become the mother of all the living.
21 The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them. 22 And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 23 So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken. 24 After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

The New International Version. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2011. Print.

The Message

   This is the story of how it all started,
of Heaven and Earth when they were created.

5       At the time GOD made Earth and Heaven, before any grasses or shrubs had sprouted from the ground—GOD hadn’t yet sent rain on Earth, nor was there anyone around to work the ground 6       (the whole Earth was watered by underground springs)—7       GOD formed Man out of dirt from the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life. The Man came alive—a living soul!
8       Then GOD planted a garden in Eden, in the east. He put the Man he had just made in it. 9       GOD made all kinds of trees grow from the ground, trees beautiful to look at and good to eat. The Tree-of-Life was in the middle of the garden, also the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil.
10       A river flows out of Eden to water the garden and from there divides into four rivers. 11       The first is named Pishon; it flows through Havilah where there is gold. 12       The gold of this land is good. The land is also known for a sweet-scented resin and the onyx stone. 13       The second river is named Gihon; it flows through the land of Cush. 14       The third river is named Hiddekel and flows east of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
15       GOD took the Man and set him down in the Garden of Eden to work the ground and keep it in order.
16       GOD commanded the Man, “You can eat from any tree in the garden, 17       except from the Tree-of-Knowledge-of-Good-and-Evil. Don’t eat from it. The moment you eat from that tree, you’re dead.”
18       GOD said, “It’s not good for the Man to be alone; I’ll make him a helper, a companion.” 19       So GOD formed from the dirt of the ground all the animals of the field and all the birds of the air. He brought them to the Man to see what he would name them. Whatever the Man called each living creature, that was its name. 20       The Man named the cattle, named the birds of the air, named the wild animals; but he didn’t find a suitable companion.
21       GOD put the Man into a deep sleep. As he slept he removed one of his ribs and replaced it with flesh. 22       GOD then used the rib that he had taken from the Man to make Woman and presented her to the Man.
23       The Man said,
“Finally! Bone of my bone,
flesh of my flesh!
Name her Woman
for she was made from Man.”
24       Therefore a man leaves his father and mother and embraces his wife. They become one flesh.
25       The two of them, the Man and his Wife, were naked, but they felt no shame.

3:1       The serpent was clever, more clever than any wild animal GOD had made. He spoke to the Woman: “Do I understand that God told you not to eat from any tree in the garden?”
2       The Woman said to the serpent, “Not at all. We can eat from the trees in the garden. 3       It’s only about the tree in the middle of the garden that God said, ‘Don’t eat from it; don’t even touch it or you’ll die.’ ”
4       The serpent told the Woman, “You won’t die. 5       God knows that the moment you eat from that tree, you’ll see what’s really going on. You’ll be just like God, knowing everything, ranging all the way from good to evil.”
6       When the Woman saw that the tree looked like good eating and realized what she would get out of it—she’d know everything!—she took and ate the fruit and then gave some to her husband, and he ate.
7       Immediately the two of them did “see what’s really going on”—saw themselves naked! They sewed fig leaves together as makeshift clothes for themselves.
8       When they heard the sound of GOD strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from GOD.
9       GOD called to the Man: “Where are you?”
10       He said, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid.”
11       GOD said, “Who told you you were naked? Did you eat from that tree I told you not to eat from?”
12       The Man said, “The Woman you gave me as a companion, she gave me fruit from the tree, and, yes, I ate it.”
GOD said to the Woman, “What is this that you’ve done?”
13       “The serpent seduced me,” she said, “and I ate.”
14       GOD told the serpent:
“Because you’ve done this, you’re cursed,
cursed beyond all cattle and wild animals,
Cursed to slink on your belly
and eat dirt all your life.
15       I’m declaring war between you and the Woman,
between your offspring and hers.
He’ll wound your head,
you’ll wound his heel.”
16       He told the Woman:
“I’ll multiply your pains in childbirth;
you’ll give birth to your babies in pain.
You’ll want to please your husband,
but he’ll lord it over you.”

17       He told the Man:
“Because you listened to your wife
and ate from the tree
That I commanded you not to eat from,
‘Don’t eat from this tree,’
The very ground is cursed because of you;
getting food from the ground
Will be as painful as having babies is for your wife;
you’ll be working in pain all your life long.
18       The ground will sprout thorns and weeds,
you’ll get your food the hard way,
Planting and tilling and harvesting,
19       sweating in the fields from dawn to dusk,
Until you return to that ground yourself, dead and buried;
you started out as dirt, you’ll end up dirt.”
20       The Man, known as Adam, named his wife Eve because she was the mother of all the living.
21       GOD made leather clothing for Adam and his wife and dressed them.
22       GOD said, “The Man has become like one of us, capable of knowing everything, ranging from good to evil. What if he now should reach out and take fruit from the Tree-of-Life and eat, and live forever? Never—this cannot happen!”
23       So GOD expelled them from the Garden of Eden and sent them to work the ground, the same dirt out of which they’d been made. 24       He threw them out of the garden and stationed angel-cherubim and a revolving sword of fire east of it, guarding the path to the Tree-of-Life.

Peterson, Eugene H. The Message: The Bible in Contemporary Language. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2005. Print.

The NET Bible

2:4 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created—when the LORD God made the earth and heavens.
2:5 Now no shrub of the field had yet grown on the earth, and no plant 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 cultivate the ground. 2:6 Springs would well up from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. 2:7 The LORD God formed the man from the soil of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.
2:8 The LORD God planted an orchard in the east, in Eden; and there he placed the man he had formed. 2:9 The LORD God made all kinds of trees grow from the soil, every tree that was pleasing to look at and good for food. (Now the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil were in the middle of the orchard.)
2:10 Now a river flows from Eden to water the orchard, and from there it divides into four headstreams. 2:11 The name of the first is Pishon; it runs through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 2:12 (The gold of that land is pure; pearls and lapis lazuli are also there). 2:13 The name of the second river is Gihon; it runs through the entire land of Cush. 2:14 The name of the third river is Tigris; it runs along the east side of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.
2:15 The LORD God took the man and placed him in the orchard in Eden to care for it and to maintain it. 2:16 Then the LORD God commanded the man, “You may freely eat fruit from every tree of the orchard, 2:17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will surely die.”
2:18 The LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a companion for him who corresponds to him.” 2:19 The LORD God formed out of the ground every living animal of the field and every bird of the air. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them, and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 2:20 So the man named all the animals, the birds of the air, and the living creatures of the field, but for Adam no companion who corresponded to him was found. 2:21 So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep, and while he was asleep, he took part of the man’s side and closed up the place with flesh. 2:22 Then the LORD God made a woman from the part he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 2:23 Then the man said,
“This one at last is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
this one will be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.”
2:24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and unites with his wife, and they become a new family. 2:25 The man and his wife were both naked, but they were not ashamed.

3:1 Now the serpent was more shrewd than any of the wild animals that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Is it really true that God said, ‘You must not eat from any tree of the orchard’?” 3:2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit from the trees of the orchard; 3:3 but concerning the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the orchard God said, ‘You must not eat from it, and you must not touch it, or else you will die.’ ”  3:4 The serpent said to the woman, “Surely you will not die, 3:5 for God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will open and you will be like divine beings who know good and evil.”
3:6 When the woman saw that the tree produced fruit that was good for food, was attractive to the eye, and was desirable for making one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some of it to her husband who was with her, and he ate it. 3:7 Then the eyes of both of them opened, and they knew they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

3:8 Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God moving about in the orchard at the breezy time of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the orchard. 3:9 But the LORD God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 3:10 The man replied, “I heard you moving about in the orchard, and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.” 3:11 And the LORD God said, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?” 3:12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave me, she gave me some fruit from the tree and I ate it.” 3:13 So the LORD God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?” And the woman replied, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”
3:14 The LORD God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all the wild beasts
and all the living creatures of the field!
On your belly you will crawl
and dust you will eat all the days of your life.
3:15 And I will put hostility between you and the woman
and between your offspring and her offspring;
her offspring will attack your head,
and you will attack her offspring’s heel.”
3:16 To the woman he said,
“I will greatly increase your labor pains;
with pain you will give birth to children.
You will want to control your husband,
but he will dominate you.”
3:17 But to Adam he said,
“Because you obeyed your wife
and ate from the tree about which I commanded you,
‘You must not eat from it,’
cursed is the ground thanks to you;
in painful toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.
3:18 It will produce thorns and thistles for you,
but you will eat the grain of the field.
3:19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat food
until you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
for you are dust, and to dust you will return.”
3:20 The man named his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all the living. 3:21 The LORD God made garments from skin for Adam and his wife, and clothed them. 3:22 And the LORD God said, “Now that the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil, he must not be allowed to stretch out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.” 3:23 So the LORD God expelled him from the orchard in Eden to cultivate the ground from which he had been taken. 3:24 When he drove the man out, he placed on the eastern side of the orchard in Eden angelic sentries who used the flame of a whirling sword to guard the way to the tree of life.

Biblical Studies Press. The NET Bible First Edition; Bible. English. NET Bible.; The NET Bible. Biblical Studies Press, 2006. Print.

King James Version

4 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the LORD God made the earth and the heavens, 5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew: for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. 6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.
8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. 9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 10 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became into four heads. 11 The name of the first is Pison: that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; 12 And the gold of that land is good: there is bdellium and the onyx stone. 13 And the name of the second river is Gihon: the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia. 14 And the name of the third river is Hiddekel: that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria. And the fourth river is Euphrates. 15 And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. 16 And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: 17 But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
18 And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. 19 And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. 20 And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him. 21 And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; 22 And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. 23 And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. 24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. 25 And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.
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.

The Holy Bible: King James Version. Electronic Edition of the 1900 Authorized Version. Bellingham, WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 2009. Print.

Sources: NIV
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