Discoveries Bible - Genesis 3
3:1There was a creature who became the ancestor of snakes. But, at this time, he did not look like a snake. We have no word in our language for this creature, so I will call him the dragon.
The dragon was enchanting, slick, mesmerizing. He struck up a conversation with the woman. “Is it really true? Did God say you are not allowed eat any fruit from any of the trees in this garden you tend?”3:2-3
The woman tried to set him straight. “We may eat fruit from any of these trees, except this one in the middle of the garden, because God said: 'Don't eat it. Don't touch it. If you do, you die.'”
3:4-5
“Whoa!” said the dragon. “Don't you believe it! You won't die. On the contrary, God Himself knows when you eat it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing – really knowing – good and evil.”
3:6
This caused the woman to rethink. The fruit was beautiful. It looked delicious. And it seemed to her that eating it would make her wise like God. So why not? She took it and ate it.
Then she gave some to her husband who was hanging out with her. He ate it.
3:7
Then their eyes were opened. And they understood that they were exposed and naked, and they needed to hide. So they sewed fig leaves together to make clothing to cover themselves.
3:8
About then they heard God approaching, so they scrambled into a hiding place behind some trees.
3:9
But the Lord sought them out. “Where are you?” He called.
3:10
The man answered, “I heard you coming and I was scared because I was naked. That's why I hid from you.”
3:11
The Lord said, “How did you come to believe that you were naked? Did you eat the forbidden fruit?”
3:12
The man pointed at the woman. “This woman you put here with me – she's the one who gave me the fruit; so I ate it.”
3:13
Then God spoke to the woman, “What have you done?”
The woman replied, “The dragon fooled me into believing a lie. That's why I ate it.”
3:14-15
So God spoke to the dragon: “Because you did this, you lose. I will give you a form in keeping with your character: You will now be a lowly, dirt eating, dirt crawling, squirming snake. The woman and her descendants shall be your enemies. You will strike at her descendant's heel, but He will crush your head.”
3:16
To the woman, God said, “Now childbirth will be much, much more difficult and painful for you. You will cling to your husband, and he will be in charge of you.”
3:17-19
Finally, to Adam, God spoke. “Because you listened to your wife and ate what I had forbidden, finding food will be much, much more difficult. In the place of bounty you will find thorns and thistles. No free rides anymore. Your whole life will be a struggle trying to bring something good from the dirt of the ground. Remember, I formed you from the dirt of the ground. In the end you will fall, die, and decay becoming dirt once again.”
3:20
Adam gave his wife this name: Eve, the mother of all living.
3:21
God made clothes for Adam and his wife. They were made from skins of animals.
3:22-24
Now God had another problem to solve. He said to Himself: “Things have changed. The man is now like us in this respect: he knows good and evil. He must not be allowed to eat from the Tree of Life and live forever.” So God made them leave the Garden, to begin his new life of struggling with the soil from which he had been made. And, to make sure he stayed away from the Tree of Life, the path to it was blocked by an armed angel holding a sword of fire.
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