Day 2 of 730

¹Now the serpent was more subtle than any animal of the field which the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, "Has God really said, 'You shall not eat of any tree of the garden?'"

²The woman said to the serpent, "Of the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat,

³but of the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden, God has said, 'You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.'"

⁴The serpent said to the woman, "You won't surely die,

⁵for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil."

⁶When 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, she took of its fruit, and ate; and she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate.

⁷The eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons.

⁸They heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

⁹The Lord God called to the man, and said to him, "Where are you?"

¹⁰The man said, "I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself."

¹¹God said, "Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree that I commanded you not to eat from?"

¹²The man said, "The woman whom you gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate."

¹³The Lord God said to the woman, "What is this you have done?" The woman said, "The serpent deceived me, and I ate."

¹⁴The Lord God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. On your belly you shall go, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.

¹⁵I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel."

¹⁶To the woman he said, "I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. In pain you will bring forth children. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you."

¹⁷To Adam he said, "Because you have listened to your wife's voice, and have eaten of the tree, of which I commanded you, saying, 'You shall not eat of it,' cursed is the ground for your sake. In toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

¹⁸Thorns also and thistles will it bring forth to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.

¹⁹By the sweat of your face will you eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

²⁰The man called his wife Eve, because she was the mother of all living.

²¹The Lord God made coats of skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.

²²The Lord God said, "Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he put forth his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever..."

²³Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.

²⁴So he drove out the man; and he placed Cherubs at the east of the garden of Eden, and the flame of a sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.

¹The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man with the Lord's help."

²Again she gave birth, to Cain's brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

³As time passed, it happened that Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit of the ground.

⁴Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. The Lord respected Abel and his offering,

⁵but he did not respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell.

⁶The Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen?

⁷If you do well, will it not be lifted up? If you do not do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it."

⁸Cain said to Abel, his brother, "Let's go into the field." It happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.

⁹The Lord said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?" He said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

¹⁰The Lord said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground.

¹¹Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

¹²From now on, when you till the ground, it won't yield its strength to you. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth."

¹³Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.

¹⁴Behold, you have driven me out this day from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. It will happen that whoever finds me will kill me."

¹⁵The Lord said to him, "Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." the Lord appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should strike him.

¹⁶Cain went out from the Lord's presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

¹⁷Cain knew his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.

¹⁸To Enoch was born Irad. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech.

¹⁹Lamech took two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.

²⁰Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.

²¹His brother's name was Jubal, who was the father of all who handle the harp and pipe.

²²Zillah also gave birth to Tubal Cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron. Tubal Cain's sister was Naamah.

²³Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, hear my voice. You wives of Lamech, listen to my speech, for I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me.

²⁴If Cain will be avenged seven times, truly Lamech seventy-seven times."

²⁵Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, "for God has appointed me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him."

²⁶There was also born a son to Seth, and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on the Lord's name.

¹Why do the nations rage, and the peoples plot a vain thing?

²The kings of the earth take a stand, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against his Anointed, saying,

³"Let's break their bonds apart, and cast their cords from us."

⁴He who sits in the heavens will laugh. The Lord will have them in derision.

⁵Then he will speak to them in his anger, and terrify them in his wrath:

⁶"Yet I have set my king on my holy hill of Zion."

⁷I will tell of the decree. The Lord said to me, "You are my son. Today I have become your father.

⁸Ask of me, and I will give the nations for your inheritance, the uttermost parts of the earth for your possession.

⁹You shall rule them with a rod of iron. You shall dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel."

¹⁰Now therefore be wise, you kings. Be instructed, you judges of the earth.

¹¹Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling.

¹²Kiss the son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath will soon be kindled. Blessed are all those who take refuge in him.

¹My son, if you will receive my words, and store up my commandments within you;

²So as to turn your ear to wisdom, and apply your heart to understanding;

³Yes, if you call out for discernment, and lift up your voice for understanding;

⁴If you seek her as silver, and search for her as for hidden treasures:

⁵then you will understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God.

⁶For the Lord gives wisdom. Out of his mouth comes knowledge and understanding.

⁷He lays up sound wisdom for the upright. He is a shield to those who walk in integrity;

⁸that he may guard the paths of justice, and preserve the way of his holy ones.

⁹Then you will understand righteousness and justice, equity and every good path.

¹⁰For wisdom will enter into your heart. Knowledge will be pleasant to your soul.

¹¹Discretion will watch over you. Understanding will keep you,

¹²to deliver you from the way of evil, from the men who speak perverse things;

¹³who forsake the paths of uprightness, to walk in the ways of darkness;

¹⁴who rejoice to do evil, and delight in the perverseness of evil;

¹⁵who are crooked in their ways, and wayward in their paths:

¹⁶To deliver you from the strange woman, even from the foreigner who flatters with her words;

¹⁷who forsakes the friend of her youth, and forgets the covenant of her God:

¹⁸for her house leads down to death, her paths to the dead.

¹⁹None who go to her return again, neither do they attain to the paths of life:

²⁰that you may walk in the way of good men, and keep the paths of the righteous.

²¹For the upright will dwell in the land. The perfect will remain in it.

²²But the wicked will be cut off from the land. The treacherous will be rooted out of it.