Genesis 3
1 Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman: Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?
The serpent was more cunning than any of the other wild animals that the Lord God had made. He asked Eve, “Did God really say that you can't eat fruit from every tree in the garden?”
2 And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat:
Eve replied to the serpent, “We can eat from the trees in the garden, but not the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden.
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.
God told us, ‘You mustn't eat from that tree, or even touch it, otherwise you'll die.’”
4 And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death.
“You certainly won't die,” the serpent told Eve.
5 For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil.
“It's because God knows that as soon as you eat it, you'll see things differently, and you'll be like God, knowing both what is good and what is evil.”
6 And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband who did eat.
Eve saw that the fruit of the tree appeared good to eat. It looked very attractive. She really wanted it so she could become wise. So she took some of its fruit and ate it, and she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it too.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons.
Immediately they saw everything differently and realized they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves up.
8 And when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise at the afternoon air, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God, amidst the trees of paradise.
Later they heard the Lord walking in the garden in the evening when the breeze was blowing. Adam and Eve went and hid out of sight of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 And the Lord God called Adam, and said to him: Where art thou?
The Lord God called out to Adam, “Where are you?”
10 And he said: I heard thy voice in paradise; and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.
“I heard you walking in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid,” he replied.
11 And he said to him: And who hath told thee that thou wast naked, but that thou hast eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat?
“Who told you that you were naked?” asked the Lord God. “Did you eat fruit from the tree I ordered you not to?”
12 And Adam said: The woman, whom thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
“It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit from the tree, and I ate it,” Adam replied.
13 And the Lord God said to the woman: Why hast thou done this? And she answered: The serpent deceived me, and I did eat.
The Lord God asked Eve, “Why have you done this?” “The serpent tricked me, and so I ate it,” she replied.
14 And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
Then the Lord God told the serpent, “Because of what you've done, you are cursed more than any of the other animals. You will slide along on your belly and eat dust as long as you live.
15 I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.
I will make sure you and your children, and the woman and her children, are enemies. One of her children will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
16 To the woman also he said: I will multiply thy sorrows, and thy conceptions: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thou shalt be under thy husband’s power, and he shall have dominion over thee.
He told Eve, “I will make pregnancy much more difficult, and giving birth will be very painful. However, you will still desire your husband, but he will have control over you.”
17 And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work; with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life.
He told Adam, “Because you did what your wife told you, and ate fruit from the tree after I ordered you, ‘Don't eat fruit from this tree,’ the ground is now cursed because of you. You will have to work painfully hard to grow food from it throughout your whole life.
18 Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth.
It will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you will have to eat wild plants.
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.
You will have to sweat to grow enough food to eat until you die and return to the ground. For you were made from dust and you will return to dust.”
20 And Adam called the name of his wife Eve: because she was the mother of all the living.
Adam named his wife Eve, because she was to be the mother of all human beings.
21 And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife, garments of skins, and clothed them.
The Lord God made Adam and Eve clothes from animal skins and dressed them.
22 And he said: Behold Adam is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now, therefore, lest perhaps he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.
Then the Lord God observed, “Look, the human beings have become like one of us, knowing both what is good and what is evil. Now if they take the fruit from the tree of life and eat it, then they'll live forever!”
23 And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken.
So the Lord God expelled them from the Garden of Eden. He sent Adam to cultivate the ground from which he'd been made.
24 And he cast out Adam; and placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubims, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
After he drove them out, the Lord God placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden angels and a sword that flashed in every direction. They were to prevent access to the tree of life.
