Genesis 3-4

New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition

The First Sin and Its Punishment

3 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?”^{(A) 2} 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 middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ”^{(B) 4} But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die,^{(C) 5} for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,^[a] 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, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate.^{(D) 7} Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

⁸ They heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden at the time of the evening breeze, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.^{(E) 9} But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” ¹⁰ He said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.”^{(F) 11} He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from 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 from the tree, and I ate.”^{(G) 13} Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, “The serpent tricked me, and I ate.”^{(H) 14} The Lord God said to the serpent,

¹⁶ To the woman he said,

¹⁷ And to the man^[b] he said,

²⁰ The man named his wife Eve^[c] because she was the mother of all living. ²¹ And the Lord God made garments of skins for the man^[d] and for his wife and clothed them.

²² Then the Lord God said, “See, the humans have become like one of us, knowing good and evil, and now they might reach out their hands and take also from the tree of life and eat and live forever”^(O)— ²³ therefore the Lord God sent them forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which they were taken.^{(P) 24} He drove out the humans, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a sword flaming and turning to guard the way to the tree of life.^(Q)

Cain Murders Abel

4 Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain,^[e] saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” ² Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.^{(R) 3} In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,^{(S) 4} and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,^{(T) 5} but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.^{(U) 6} The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? ⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

⁸ Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.”^[f] And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.^{(V) 9} Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰ And the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen, your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!^{(W) 11} And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”^{(X) 13} Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! ¹⁴ Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.”^{(Y) 15} Then the Lord said to him, “Not so!^[g] Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him.^{(Z) 16} Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod,^[h] east of Eden.

Beginnings of Civilization

¹⁷ Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch, and he built a city and named it Enoch after his son Enoch.^{(AA) 18} To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael the father of Methushael, and Methushael the father of Lamech.^{(AB) 19} Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. ²⁰ Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who live in tents and have livestock. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all those who play the lyre and pipe. ²² Zillah bore Tubal-cain, who made all kinds of bronze and iron tools. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives:

²⁵ Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth,^[i] for she said, “God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, because Cain killed him.”^{(AE) 26} To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord.^(AF)