Genesis 3 (NIV)

The Fall

1. Now the serpent 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’?”
2. The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden,
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.’ ”
4. “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman.
5. “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, 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 for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it.
7. Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.
8. Then the man and his wife heard the sound of the LORD God as he was walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from the LORD God among the trees of the garden.
9. But the LORD God called to the man, “Where are you?”
10. He answered, “I heard you in the garden, and I was afraid because I was naked; so I hid.”
11. And he said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?”
12. The man said, “The woman you put here with me—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, and I ate.”
14. So the LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, “Cursed are you above all livestock and all wild animals! You will crawl on your belly and you will eat dust all the days of your life.
15. And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”
16. To the woman he said, “I will make your pains in childbearing very severe; with painful labor you will give birth to children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
17. To 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,’ “Cursed is the ground because of you; through painful toil you will eat food from it all the days of your life.
18. It will produce thorns and thistles for you, and you will eat the plants of the field.
19. By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.”
20. Adam named his wife Eve, because she would become the mother of all the living.
21. The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.
22. And the LORD God said, “The man has now become like one of us, knowing good and evil. He must not be allowed to reach out his hand and take also from the tree of life and eat, and live forever.”
23. So the LORD God banished him from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he had been taken.
24. After he drove the man out, he placed on the east side of the Garden of Eden cherubim and a flaming sword flashing back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.

Genesis 3 narrates the pivotal story of humanity’s fall from grace. It explains how sin and suffering entered the world and highlights the consequences of disobedience to God.

1. The Temptation: The serpent, described as cunning, questions Eve about God’s command not to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The serpent deceives her by claiming that eating the fruit will not lead to death but will make her like God, knowing good and evil.
2. The Fall: Eve, tempted by the fruit’s appearance and the promise of wisdom, eats it and gives some to Adam, who also eats. Their eyes are opened, and they realize they are naked. In shame, they sew fig leaves together to cover themselves.
3. Confrontation with God: Hearing God walking in the garden, Adam and Eve hide. When God calls out to them, they admit their disobedience. Adam blames Eve, and Eve blames the serpent.
4. The Consequences: God pronounces judgment:
   • The serpent is cursed to crawl on its belly and face hostility from humanity.
   • Eve is told she will experience pain in childbirth and tension in her relationship with Adam.
   • Adam is told he will toil for food, and the ground will be cursed because of him. Death becomes an inevitable part of life.
5. The Promise of Redemption: In God’s judgment on the serpent, He hints at redemption through a future offspring who will crush the serpent’s head, a foreshadowing of Jesus Christ.
6. Exile from Eden: God clothes Adam and Eve in garments of animal skins, symbolizing His care even amidst their punishment. They are banished from the Garden of Eden to prevent them from eating from the Tree of Life and living forever in their fallen state. God places cherubim and a flaming sword to guard the garden.

Genesis 3 is foundational for understanding sin, human nature, and God’s plan for redemption. It portrays humanity’s broken relationship with God while offering a glimpse of hope for restoration.

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