The Bible | Page 4

tree of life. . .So called because it had that quality, that by eating of the fruit of it, man would have been preserved in a constant state of health, vigour, and strength, and would not have died at all. The tree of knowledge. . .To which the deceitful serpent falsely attributed the power of imparting a superior kind of knowledge, beyond that which God was pleased to give.
2:10. And a river went out of the place of pleasure to water paradise, which from thence is divided into four heads.
2:11. The name of the one is Phison: that is it which compasseth all the land of Hevilath, where gold groweth.
2:12. And the gold of that land is very good: there is found bdellium, and the onyx stone.
2:13. And the name of the second river is Gehon: the same is it that compasseth all the land of Ethiopia.
2:14. And the name of the third river is Tigris: the same passeth along by the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
2:15. And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it.
2:16. And he commanded him, saying: Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat:
2:17. But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death.
2:18. And the Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone: let us make him a help like unto himself.
2:19. And the Lord God having formed out of the ground all the beasts of the earth, and all the fowls of the air, brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: for whatsoever Adam called any living creature the same is its name.
2:20. And Adam called all the beasts by their names, and all the fowls of the air, and all the cattle of the field: but for Adam there was not found a helper like himself.
2:21. Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it.
2:22. And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam.
2:23. And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.
2:24. Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh.
2:25. And they were both naked: to wit, Adam and his wife: and were not ashamed.

Genesis

Chapter 3
The serpent's craft. The fall of our first parents. Their punishment. The promise of a Redeemer.
3:1. Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman: Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?
3:2. And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat:
3:3. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.
3:4. And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death.
3:5. For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil.
3:6. And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, who did eat.
3:7. And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons.
And the eyes, etc. . .Not that they were blind before, (for the woman saw that the tree was fair to the eyes, ver. 6.) nor yet that their eyes were opened to any more perfect knowledge of good; but only to the unhappy experience of having lost the good of original grace and innocence, and incurred the dreadful evil of sin. From whence followed a shame of their being naked; which they minded not before; because being now stript of original grace, they quickly began to be subject to the shameful rebellions of the flesh.
3:8. And when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise at the afternoon air, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God, amidst the trees of paradise.
3:9. And the Lord God called Adam, and said