God’s Creation: From the Jewish Holy Tanakh, Book of Genesis, Chapters 1–3, Part 2 of 2

Let us continue with selections from Chapters 2 and 3 from the Book of Genesis. Chapter 2 details the Garden of Eden and God’s creation of Eve from one of Adam’s ribs. Chapter 3 details how the serpent tricked Eve into eating from the forbidden Tree of Knowledge; she later convinced Adam to eat from it too. Thus, when God found out, both had to leave the Garden of Eden.

The First Book of Moses, called Genesis Chapter 2

“The LORD God planted a garden eastward, in Eden; and there He put the man whom He had formed. 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 the knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from thence it was parted, and became four heads. The name of the first is Pishon; that is, it which encompasses the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold; and the gold of that land is good; there is bdellium and the onyx stone. And the name of the second river is Gihon; the same is it that encompasses the whole land of Cush. And the name of the third river is Tigris; that is, it which goes toward the east of Asshur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates. And the LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the LORD God commanded the man, saying: ‘Of every tree of the garden thou may freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shall not eat of it; for in the day that thou eat thereof thou shall surely die.’ And the LORD God said: ‘It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a help meet for him.’ And out of the ground the LORD God formed every creature of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto the man to see what he would call them; and whatsoever the man would call every living creature, that was to be the name thereof. And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every creature of the field; but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him. And the LORD God caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept; and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the place with flesh instead thereof. And the rib, which the LORD God had taken from the man, made He a woman, and brought her unto the man. And the man 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.’ […]”

Chapter 3

Now the serpent was more subtle than any creature of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman: ‘Yea, has God said: Ye shall not eat of any tree of the garden?’ And the woman said unto the serpent: ‘Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said: Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.’ And the serpent said unto the woman: ‘Ye shall not surely die; for God does know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.’ And 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, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat; and she gave also unto her husband with her, and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.

[…] And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden toward the cool of the day; and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden. And the LORD God called unto the man, and said unto him: ‘Where are thou?’ And he said: ‘I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.’ And He said: ‘Who told thee that thou was naked? Have thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou should not eat?’ And unto Adam He said: ‘Because thou have hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying: Thou shall not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in toil shall thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it was thou taken; for dust thou are, and unto dust shall thou return.’ And the man called his wife’s name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. And the LORD God made for Adam and for his wife garments […], and clothed them. 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 forever.’ Therefore, the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way to the tree of life.”