The Fall

3 Now the serpent^(A) was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?^(B)”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,^{(C) 3} but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”^(D)

⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.^{(E) 5} “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God,^(F) knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable^(G) for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband,^(H) who was with her, and he ate it.^{(I) 7} Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked;^(J) so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.^(K)

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

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

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

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

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

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

⁶ Then God said to him in the dream, “Yes, I know you did this with a clear conscience, and so I have kept^(A) you from sinning against me.^(B) That is why I did not let you touch her.

¹² Be careful not to make a treaty^(A) with those who live in the land where you are going, or they will be a snare^(B) among you. ¹³ Break down their altars, smash their sacred stones and cut down their Asherah poles.^{[a](C) 14} Do not worship any other god,^(D) for the Lord, whose name^(E) is Jealous, is a jealous God.^(F)

¹⁵ “Be careful not to make a treaty^(G) with those who live in the land; for when they prostitute^(H) themselves to their gods and sacrifice to them, they will invite you and you will eat their sacrifices.^{(I) 16} And when you choose some of their daughters as wives^(J) for your sons and those daughters prostitute themselves to their gods,^(K) they will lead your sons to do the same.

²⁵ The images of their gods you are to burn^(A) in the fire. Do not covet^(B) the silver and gold on them, and do not take it for yourselves, or you will be ensnared^(C) by it, for it is detestable^(D) to the Lord your God.

¹¹ Be careful that you do not forget^(A) the Lord your God, failing to observe his commands, his laws and his decrees that I am giving you this day. ¹² Otherwise, when you eat and are satisfied, when you build fine houses and settle down,^{(B) 13} and when your herds and flocks grow large and your silver and gold increase and all you have is multiplied, ¹⁴ then your heart will become proud and you will forget^(C) the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

¹⁷ You may say to yourself,^(A) “My power and the strength of my hands^(B) have produced this wealth for me.”