Genesis 3

New International Reader’s Version

1 The snake was more clever than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. The snake said to the woman, ‘Did God really say, “You must not eat fruit from any tree in the garden”?’2 The woman said to the snake, ‘We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden.3 But God did say, “You must not eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden. Do not even touch it. If you do, you will die.” ’4 ‘You will certainly not die,’ the snake said to the woman.5 ‘God knows that when you eat fruit from that tree, you will know things you have never known before. Like God, you will be able to tell the difference between good and evil.’6 The woman saw that the tree’s fruit was good to eat and pleasing to look at. She also saw that it would make a person wise. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her. And he ate it.7 Then both of them knew things they had never known before. They realised they were naked. So they sewed together fig leaves and made clothes for themselves.8 Then the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking in the garden. It was during the coolest time of the day. They hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.9 But the LORD God called out to the man. ‘Where are you?’ he asked.10 ‘I heard you in the garden,’ the man answered. ‘I was afraid, because I was naked. So I hid.’11 The LORD God said, ‘Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten fruit from the tree I commanded you not to eat from?’12 The man said, ‘It’s the fault of 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 have you done?’ The woman said, ‘The snake tricked me. That’s why I ate the fruit.’14 So the LORD God spoke to the snake. He said, ‘Because you have done this, ‘You are set apart from all livestock and all wild animals. I am putting a curse on you. You will crawl on your belly. You will eat dust all the days of your life.15 I will make you and the woman hate each other. Your children and her children will be enemies. Her son will crush your head. And you will bite his heel.’16 The LORD God said to the woman, ‘I will increase your pain when you give birth. You will be in great pain when you have children. You will long for your husband. And he will rule over you.’17 The LORD God said to Adam, ‘You listened to your wife’s suggestion. You ate fruit from the tree I warned you about. I said, “You must not eat its fruit.” ‘So I am putting a curse on the ground because of what you did. All the days of your life you will have to work hard. It will be painful for you to get food from the ground.18 You will eat plants from the field, even though the ground produces thorns and prickly weeds.19 You will have to work hard and sweat a lot to produce the food you eat. You were made out of the ground. You will return to it when you die. You are dust, and you will return to dust.’20 Adam named his wife Eve. She would become the mother of every living person.21 The LORD God made clothes out of animal skins for Adam and his wife to wear.22 The LORD God said, ‘Just like one of us, the man can now tell the difference between good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out and pick fruit from the tree of life and eat it. If he does, he will live for ever.’23 So the LORD God drove the man out of the Garden of Eden. He sent the man to farm the ground he had been made from.24 The LORD God drove him out and then placed angels on the east side of the garden. He also placed there a flaming sword that flashed to and fro. The angels and the sword guarded the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3

English Standard Version

1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You[1] shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” (Mt 10:16; 2Co 11:3; Re 12:9; Re 20:2)2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden,3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” (Ge 2:17)4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. (Ge 3:13; Joh 8:44; 2Co 11:3)5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”6 So 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 to be desired to make one wise,[2] she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate. (Ge 3:12; Ge 3:17; Ho 6:7; 1Ti 2:14)7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. (Ge 2:25; Ge 3:5)8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool[3] of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. (Ps 139:1; Jer 23:23)9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”[4]10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” (Ge 2:25; Ge 3:7)11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”12 The man said, “The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” (Ge 2:18; Job 31:33)13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.” (Ge 3:4; 2Co 11:3; 1Ti 2:14)14 The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. (Isa 65:25; Mic 7:17)15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring[5] and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.” (Isa 7:14; Mic 5:3; Mt 1:23; Mt 1:25; Lu 1:34; Ro 16:20; Ga 4:4; 1Ti 2:15; Heb 2:14; Re 20:1; Re 20:10)16 To the woman he said, “I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing; in pain you shall bring forth children. Your desire shall be contrary to[6] your husband, but he shall rule over you.” (Ge 4:7; So 7:10; Joh 16:21; 1Co 11:3; 1Co 14:34; Eph 5:22; Col 3:18; 1Ti 2:11; Tit 2:5; 1Pe 3:1; 1Pe 3:5)17 And to Adam he said, “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten of the tree of which I commanded you, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ cursed is the ground because of you; in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life; (Ge 2:17; Ge 5:29; Ec 2:22; Ro 8:20)18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you; and you shall eat the plants of the field.19 By the sweat of your face you shall eat bread, till you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken; for you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” (Ge 2:7; Job 34:15; Ps 103:14; Ps 104:29; Ec 3:20; Ec 12:7; Ro 5:12)20 The man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.[7]21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” (Ge 2:9; Ge 3:5)23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. (Ge 2:5)24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life. (Ex 25:18; Ps 18:10; Ps 104:4; Eze 28:11; Heb 1:7)