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3
1 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* “Every”: the word could also be translated “any,” however this would then mean that the serpent was suggesting that God had told Adam and Eve not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden, which seems less likely. tree in the garden?”
2 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 God told us, ‘You mustn't eat from that tree, or even touch it, otherwise you'll die.’ ”† “Otherwise you'll die.” The word used for “otherwise,” can indicate a possibility of something happening, rather than absolute certainty. So the phrase could be translated, “otherwise you might die,” a difference from God's clear prohibition, also claiming that God had said the fruit was not to be touched.
4 “You certainly won't die,” the serpent told Eve. 5 “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 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 Immediately they saw everything differently and realized they were naked. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves up.
8 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 The Lord God called out to Adam, “Where are you?”
10 “I heard you walking in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid,” he replied.
11 “Who told you that you were naked?” asked the Lord God. “Did you eat fruit from the tree I ordered you not to?”
12 “It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit from the tree, and I ate it,” Adam replied.
13 The Lord God asked Eve, “Why have you done this?”
“The serpent tricked me, and so I ate it,” she replied.
14 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 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 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.”‡ “But he will have control over you” or “and he will also desire you.”
17 He told Adam, “Because you did§ “Did”: the word is “listened to,” but not in the sense of only hearing something. It means acting on what has been heard, obeying. 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 It will grow thorns and thistles for you, and you will have to eat wild plants.* Plants were originally allocated to the animals. See 1:30. 19 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 Adam named his wife Eve, because she was to be the mother of all human beings. 21 The Lord God made Adam and Eve clothes from animal skins and dressed them.
22 Then the Lord God observed, “Look, the human beings† “The human beings”: literally, “the man,” but this must be understood inclusively since Eve had also fallen. 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 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 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.

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*3:1 “Every”: the word could also be translated “any,” however this would then mean that the serpent was suggesting that God had told Adam and Eve not to eat fruit from any tree in the garden, which seems less likely.

†3:3 “Otherwise you'll die.” The word used for “otherwise,” can indicate a possibility of something happening, rather than absolute certainty. So the phrase could be translated, “otherwise you might die,” a difference from God's clear prohibition, also claiming that God had said the fruit was not to be touched.

‡3:16 “But he will have control over you” or “and he will also desire you.”

§3:17 “Did”: the word is “listened to,” but not in the sense of only hearing something. It means acting on what has been heard, obeying.

*3:18 Plants were originally allocated to the animals. See 1:30.

†3:22 “The human beings”: literally, “the man,” but this must be understood inclusively since Eve had also fallen.

© 2018 Dr. Jonathan Gallagher