Genesis 3-4
New King James Version
The Temptation and Fall of Man(A)
3 Now (B)the serpent was (C)more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, “Has God indeed said, ‘You shall not eat of every tree of the garden’?”
2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat the (D)fruit of the trees of the garden; 3 but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, ‘You shall not eat it, nor shall you (E)touch it, lest you die.’ ”
4 (F)Then the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 So when the woman (G)saw that the tree was good for food, that it was [a]pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit (H)and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, (I)and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves [b]coverings.
8 And they heard (J)the [c]sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the [d]cool of the day, and Adam and his wife (K)hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.
9 Then the Lord God called to Adam and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 So he said, “I heard Your voice in the garden, (L)and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.”
11 And He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree of which I commanded you that you should not eat?”
12 Then the man said, (M)“The woman whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.”
13 And the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this you have done?”
The woman said, (N)“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 So the Lord God said to the serpent:
“Because you have done this,
You are cursed more than all cattle,
And more than every beast of the field;
On your belly you shall go,
And (O)you shall eat dust
All the days of your life.
15 And I will put enmity
Between you and the woman,
And between (P)your seed and (Q)her Seed;
(R)He shall bruise your head,
And you shall bruise His heel.”
16 To the woman He said:
“I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception;
(S)In pain you shall bring forth children;
(T)Your desire shall be [e]for your husband,
And he shall (U)rule over you.”
17 Then to Adam He said, (V)“Because you have heeded the voice of your wife, and have eaten from the tree (W)of which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it’:
(X)“Cursed is the ground for your sake;
(Y)In toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life.
18 Both thorns and thistles it shall [f]bring forth for you,
And (Z)you shall eat the herb of the field.
19 (AA)In the sweat of your face you shall eat bread
Till you return to the ground,
For out of it you were taken;
(AB)For dust you are,
And (AC)to dust you shall return.”
20 And Adam called his wife’s name (AD)Eve,[g] because she was the mother of all living.
21 Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever”— 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden (AE)to till the ground from which he was taken. 24 So (AF)He drove out the man; and He placed (AG)cherubim (AH)at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of (AI)life.
Cain Murders Abel(AJ)
4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore [h]Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” 2 Then she bore again, this time his brother [i]Abel. Now (AK)Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3 And [j]in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit (AL)of the ground to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought of (AM)the firstborn of his flock and of (AN)their fat. And the Lord (AO)respected Abel and his offering, 5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So 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 lies at the door. And its desire is [k]for you, but you should rule over it.”
8 Now Cain [l]talked with Abel his [m]brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and (AP)killed him.
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, (AQ)“I do not know. Am I (AR)my brother’s keeper?”
10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood (AS)cries out to Me from the ground. 11 So now (AT)you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
13 And Cain said to the Lord, “My [n]punishment is greater than I can bear! 14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; (AU)I shall be (AV)hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that (AW)anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15 And the Lord said to him, [o]“Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him (AX)sevenfold.” And the Lord set a (AY)mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
The Family of Cain
16 Then Cain (AZ)went out from the (BA)presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of [p]Nod on the east of Eden. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he built a city, (BB)and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.
19 Then Lamech took for himself (BC)two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and [q]flute. 22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
23 Then Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!
For I have [r]killed a man for wounding me,
Even a young man [s]for hurting me.
24 (BD)If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
A New Son
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and (BE)named him [t]Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26 And as for Seth, (BF)to him also a son was born; and he named him [u]Enosh. Then men began (BG)to call on the name of the Lord.
Footnotes
- Genesis 3:6 Lit. a desirable thing
- Genesis 3:7 girding coverings
- Genesis 3:8 Or voice
- Genesis 3:8 Or wind, breeze
- Genesis 3:16 Lit. toward
- Genesis 3:18 cause to grow
- Genesis 3:20 Lit. Life or Living
- Genesis 4:1 Lit. Acquire
- Genesis 4:2 Lit. Breath or Nothing
- Genesis 4:3 Lit. at the end of days
- Genesis 4:7 Lit. toward
- Genesis 4:8 Lit. said to
- Genesis 4:8 Sam., LXX, Syr., Vg. add “Let us go out to the field.”
- Genesis 4:13 iniquity
- Genesis 4:15 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. Not so;
- Genesis 4:16 Lit. Wandering
- Genesis 4:21 pipe
- Genesis 4:23 slain a man for my wound
- Genesis 4:23 for my hurt
- Genesis 4:25 Lit. Appointed
- Genesis 4:26 Gr. Enos, Luke 3:38
Genesis 3-4
English Standard Version
The Fall
3 Now (A)the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made.
He said to the woman, “Did God actually say, ‘You[a] shall not eat of any tree in the garden’?” 2 And the woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, (B)‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.’” 4 (C)But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die. 5 For God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, 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,[b] she took of its fruit (D)and ate, and she also gave some to her husband who was with her, (E)and he ate. 7 (F)Then the eyes of both were opened, (G)and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool[c] of the day, and the man and his wife (H)hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?”[d] 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, (I)because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?” 12 The man said, (J)“The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, “What is this that you have done?” The woman said, (K)“The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The Lord God said to the serpent,
“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and (L)dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman,
and between your offspring[e] and (M)her offspring;
(N)he shall bruise your head,
and you shall bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman he said,
“I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
(O)in pain you shall bring forth children.
(P)Your desire shall be contrary to[f] your husband,
but he shall (Q)rule over you.”
17 And to Adam he said,
“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
(R)of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
(S)cursed is the ground because of you;
(T)in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;
18 thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you;
and you shall eat the plants of the field.
19 By the sweat of your face
you shall eat bread,
till you return to the ground,
for out of it you were taken;
(U)for you are dust,
and (V)to dust you shall return.”
20 The man called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living.[g] 21 And the Lord God made for Adam and for his wife garments of skins and clothed them.
22 Then the Lord God said, (W)“Behold, the man has become like one of us in knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand (X)and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live forever—” 23 therefore the Lord God sent him out from the garden of Eden (Y)to work the ground from which he was taken. 24 He drove out the man, and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the (Z)cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.
Cain and Abel
4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten[h] a man with the help of the Lord.” 2 And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of (AA)the fruit of the ground, 4 and Abel also brought of (AB)the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord (AC)had regard for Abel and his offering, 5 but (AD)for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. 6 The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? 7 (AE)If you do well, will you not be accepted?[i] And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. (AF)Its desire is contrary to[j] you, but you must rule over it.”
8 Cain spoke to Abel his brother.[k] And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and (AG)killed him. 9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, (AH)“I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” 10 And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood (AI)is crying to me from the ground. 11 And now (AJ)you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. 12 When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My (AK)punishment is greater than I can bear.[l] 14 Behold, (AL)you have driven me today away from the ground, and (AM)from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, (AN)and whoever finds me will kill me.” 15 Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him (AO)sevenfold.” And the Lord (AP)put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. 16 Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod,[m] east of Eden.
17 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 And 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 father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for striking me.
24 (AQ)If Cain's revenge is sevenfold,
then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold.”
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed[n] for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To (AR)Seth also a son was born, and he called his name (AS)Enosh. At that time people began (AT)to call upon the name of the Lord.
Footnotes
- Genesis 3:1 In Hebrew you is plural in verses 1–5
- Genesis 3:6 Or to give insight
- Genesis 3:8 Hebrew wind
- Genesis 3:9 In Hebrew you is singular in verses 9 and 11
- Genesis 3:15 Hebrew seed; so throughout Genesis
- Genesis 3:16 Or shall be toward (see 4:7)
- Genesis 3:20 Eve sounds like the Hebrew for life-giver and resembles the word for living
- Genesis 4:1 Cain sounds like the Hebrew for gotten
- Genesis 4:7 Hebrew will there not be a lifting up [of your face]?
- Genesis 4:7 Or is toward
- Genesis 4:8 Hebrew; Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate add Let us go out to the field
- Genesis 4:13 Or My guilt is too great to bear
- Genesis 4:16 Nod means wandering
- Genesis 4:25 Seth sounds like the Hebrew for he appointed
Matthew 2:13-3:6
New King James Version
The Flight into Egypt
13 Now when they had departed, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14 When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother by night and departed for Egypt, 15 and was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, (A)“Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
Massacre of the Innocents
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had determined from the wise men. 17 Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
18 “A (B)voice was heard in Ramah,
Lamentation, weeping, and great mourning,
Rachel weeping for her children,
Refusing to be comforted,
Because they are no more.”
The Home in Nazareth(C)
19 Now when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 (D)saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who (E)sought the young Child’s life are dead.” 21 Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a (F)dream, he turned aside (G)into the region of Galilee. 23 And he came and dwelt in a city called (H)Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled (I)which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”
John the Baptist Prepares the Way(J)
3 In those days (K)John the Baptist came preaching (L)in the wilderness of Judea, 2 and saying, “Repent, for (M)the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
(N)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(O)‘Prepare the way of the Lord;
Make His paths straight.’ ”
4 Now (P)John himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist; and his food was (Q)locusts and (R)wild honey. 5 (S)Then Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around the Jordan went out to him 6 (T)and were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
Matthew 2:13-3:6
English Standard Version
The Flight to Egypt
13 Now when they had departed, behold, (A)an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Rise, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.” 14 And he rose and took the child and his mother by night and departed to Egypt 15 and remained there until the death of Herod. (B)This was to fulfill what the Lord had spoken by the prophet, (C)“Out of Egypt I called my son.”
Herod Kills the Children
16 Then Herod, when he saw that he had been tricked by the wise men, became furious, and he sent and killed all the male children in Bethlehem and in all that region who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had ascertained from the wise men. 17 (D)Then was fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah:
18 (E)“A voice was heard in Ramah,
weeping and loud lamentation,
Rachel weeping for her children;
she refused to be comforted, because they (F)are no more.”
The Return to Nazareth
19 But when Herod died, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, 20 saying, “Rise, take the child and his mother and go to the land of Israel, for (G)those who sought the child's life are dead.” 21 And he rose and took the child and his mother and went to the land of Israel. 22 But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there, and (H)being warned in a dream he withdrew to the district of Galilee. 23 And he went and lived in a city called (I)Nazareth, (J)so that what was spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he would be called a Nazarene.
John the Baptist Prepares the Way
3 (K)In those days (L)John the Baptist came preaching in (M)the wilderness of Judea, 2 (N)“Repent, for (O)the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”[a] 3 For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah when he said,
(P)“The voice of one crying in the wilderness:
(Q)‘Prepare[b] the way of the Lord;
make his paths straight.’”
4 Now John wore (R)a garment of camel's hair and a leather belt around his waist, and his food was (S)locusts and (T)wild honey. 5 Then Jerusalem and all Judea and all the region about the Jordan were going out to him, 6 and they were baptized by him in the river Jordan, (U)confessing their sins.
Footnotes
- Matthew 3:2 Or the kingdom of heaven has come near
- Matthew 3:3 Or crying: Prepare in the wilderness
Psalm 2
New King James Version
The Messiah’s Triumph and Kingdom(A)
2 Why (B)do the [a]nations [b]rage,
And the people plot a [c]vain thing?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
And the (C)rulers take counsel together,
Against the Lord and against His (D)Anointed,[d] saying,
3 “Let (E)us break Their bonds in pieces
And cast away Their cords from us.”
4 He who sits in the heavens (F)shall laugh;
The Lord shall hold them in derision.
5 Then He shall speak to them in His wrath,
And distress them in His deep displeasure:
6 “Yet I have [e]set My King
[f]On My holy hill of Zion.”
7 “I will declare the [g]decree:
The Lord has said to Me,
(G)‘You are My Son,
Today I have begotten You.
8 Ask of Me, and I will give You
The nations for Your inheritance,
And the ends of the earth for Your possession.
9 (H)You shall [h]break them with a rod of iron;
You shall dash them to pieces like a potter’s vessel.’ ”
10 Now therefore, be wise, O kings;
Be instructed, you judges of the earth.
11 Serve the Lord with fear,
And rejoice with trembling.
12 [i]Kiss the Son, lest [j]He be angry,
And you perish in the way,
When (I)His wrath is kindled but a little.
(J)Blessed are all those who put their trust in Him.
Footnotes
- Psalm 2:1 Gentiles
- Psalm 2:1 throng tumultuously
- Psalm 2:1 worthless or empty
- Psalm 2:2 Christ, Commissioned One, Heb. Messiah
- Psalm 2:6 Lit. installed
- Psalm 2:6 Lit. Upon Zion, the hill of My holiness
- Psalm 2:7 Or decree of the Lord: He said to Me
- Psalm 2:9 So with MT, Tg.; LXX, Syr., Vg. rule (cf. Rev. 2:27)
- Psalm 2:12 LXX, Vg. Embrace discipline; Tg. Receive instruction
- Psalm 2:12 LXX the Lord
Psalm 2
English Standard Version
The Reign of the Lord's Anointed
2 (A)Why do (B)the nations rage[a]
and the peoples plot in vain?
2 The kings of the earth set themselves,
and the rulers take counsel together,
against the Lord and against his (C)Anointed, saying,
3 “Let us (D)burst their bonds apart
and cast away their cords from us.”
4 He who (E)sits in the heavens (F)laughs;
the Lord holds them in derision.
5 Then he will speak to them in his (G)wrath,
and terrify them in his fury, saying,
6 “As for me, I have (H)set my King
on (I)Zion, my (J)holy hill.”
7 I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, (K)“You are my Son;
today I have begotten you.
8 Ask of me, and I will make the nations your heritage,
and (L)the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You shall (M)break[b] them with (N)a rod of iron
and dash them in pieces like (O)a potter's vessel.”
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
be warned, O rulers of the earth.
11 (P)Serve the Lord with (Q)fear,
and (R)rejoice with (S)trembling.
12 (T)Kiss (U)the Son,
lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
for his (V)wrath is quickly kindled.
(W)Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
Proverbs 1:7-9
New King James Version
7 (A)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge,
But fools despise wisdom and instruction.
Shun Evil Counsel
8 (B)My son, hear the instruction of your father,
And do not forsake the law of your mother;
9 For they will be a (C)graceful ornament on your head,
And chains about your neck.
Proverbs 1:7-9
English Standard Version
7 (A)The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge;
fools despise wisdom and instruction.
The Enticement of Sinners
8 (B)Hear, my son, your father's instruction,
and forsake not your mother's teaching,
9 for they are (C)a graceful garland for your head
and (D)pendants for your neck.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
