Genesis 3:8-19

Contemporary English Version

⁸Late in the afternoon, when the breeze began to blow, the man and woman heard the Lord God walking in the garden. So they hid behind some trees.

Sin Brings a Curse

⁹The Lord God called out to the man and asked, “Where are you?”

¹⁰The man answered, “I was naked, and when I heard you walking through the garden, I was frightened and hid!”

¹¹“How did you know you were naked?” God asked. “Did you eat any fruit from that tree in the middle of the garden?”

¹²“It was the woman you put here with me,” the man said. “She gave me some of the fruit, and I ate it.”

¹³^(A) The Lord God then asked the woman, “What have you done?”

“The snake tricked me,” she answered, “and I ate some of that fruit.”

¹⁴So the Lord God said to the snake:

“Because of what you have done,
you will be the only animal
    to suffer this curse—
For as long as you live,
you will crawl on your stomach
    and eat dirt.
¹⁵^(B) You and this woman
    will hate each other;
your descendants and hers
    will always be enemies.
One of hers will strike you
    on the head,
and you will strike him
    on the heel.”

¹⁶Then the Lord God said to the woman,

“You will suffer terribly
when you give birth.
But you will still desire
your husband,
and he will rule over you.”

¹⁷^(C) The Lord said to the man,

“You listened to your wife
and ate the fruit
    I told you not to eat.
And so, the ground
will be under a curse
    because of what you did.
As long as you live,
you will have to struggle
    to grow enough food.
¹⁸Your food will be plants,
but the ground will produce
    thorns and thistles.
¹⁹You will sweat all your life
    to earn a living;
you were made out of soil,
and you will once again
    turn into soil.”

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Genesis 3:8-19

New International Version

⁸Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the Lord God as he was walking^(A) in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid^(B) from the Lord God among the trees of the garden. ⁹But the Lord God called to the man, “Where are you?”^(C)

¹⁰He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid^(D) because I was naked;^(E) so I hid.”

¹¹And he said, “Who told you that you were naked?^(F) Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?^(G)”

¹²The man said, “The woman you put here with me^(H)—she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”

¹³Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”

The woman said, “The serpent deceived me,^(I) and I ate.”

¹⁴So the Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this,

“Cursed^(J) are you above all livestock
    and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
    and you will eat dust^(K)
    all the days of your life.
¹⁵And I will put enmity
    between you and the woman,
    and between your offspring^[a]^(L) and hers;^(M)
he will crush^[b] your head,^(N)
    and you will strike his heel.”

¹⁶To the woman he said,

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

¹⁷To 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,’^(Q)

“Cursed^(R) is the ground^(S) because of you;
    through painful toil^(T) you will eat food from it
    all the days of your life.^(U)
¹⁸It will produce thorns and thistles^(V) for you,
    and you will eat the plants of the field.^(W)
¹⁹By the sweat of your brow^(X)
    you will eat your food^(Y)
until you return to the ground,
    since from it you were taken;
for dust you are
    and to dust you will return.”^(Z)