Day 88 of 365

¹The heavens and the earth were finished, and all their vast array.

²On the sixth day God finished his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made.

³God blessed the seventh day, and made it holy, because he rested in it from all his work which he had created and made.

⁴This is the history of the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.

⁵No plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no herb of the field had yet sprung up; for the Lord God had not caused it to rain on the earth. There was not a man to till the ground,

⁶but a mist went up from the earth, and watered the whole surface of the ground.

⁷The Lord God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

⁸The Lord God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

⁹Out of the ground the Lord God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the middle of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became four heads.

¹¹The name of the first is Pishon: this is the one which flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

¹²and the gold of that land is good. There is aromatic resin and the onyx stone.

¹³The name of the second river is Gihon: the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush.

¹⁴The name of the third river is Hiddekel: this is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵The Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.

¹⁶The Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat;

¹⁷but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat of it; for in the day that you eat of it you will surely die."

¹⁸The Lord God said, "It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him."

¹⁹Out of the ground the Lord God formed every animal of the field, and every bird of the sky, and brought them to the man to see what he would call them. Whatever the man called every living creature, that was its name.

²⁰The man gave names to all livestock, and to the birds of the sky, and to every animal of the field; but for man there was not found a helper suitable for him.

²¹The Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall on the man, and he slept; and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh in its place.

²²He made the rib, which the Lord God had taken from the man, into a woman, and brought her to the man.

²³The man said, "This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh. She will be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man."

²⁴Therefore a man will leave his father and his mother, and will join with his wife, and they will be one flesh.

²⁵They were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed.

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.

¹Lord, the God of my salvation, I have cried day and night before you.

²Let my prayer enter into your presence. Turn your ear to my cry.

³For my soul is full of troubles. My life draws near to Sheol.

⁴I am counted among those who go down into the pit. I am like a man who has no help,

⁵set apart among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, whom you remember no more. They are cut off from your hand.

⁶You have laid me in the lowest pit, in the darkest depths.

⁷Your wrath lies heavily on me. You have afflicted me with all your waves. Selah.

⁸You have taken my friends from me. You have made me an abomination to them. I am confined, and I can't escape.

⁹My eyes are dim from grief. I have called on you daily, Lord. I have spread out my hands to you.

¹⁰Do you show wonders to the dead? Do the dead rise up and praise you? Selah.

¹¹Is your loving kindness declared in the grave? Or your faithfulness in Destruction?

¹²Are your wonders made known in the dark? Or your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

¹³But to you, Lord, I have cried. In the morning, my prayer comes before you.

¹⁴Lord, why do you reject my soul? Why do you hide your face from me?

¹⁵I am afflicted and ready to die from my youth up. While I suffer your terrors, I am distracted.

¹⁶Your fierce wrath has gone over me. Your terrors have cut me off.

¹⁷They came around me like water all day long. They completely engulfed me.

¹⁸You have put lover and friend far from me, and my friends into darkness.

¹Like snow in summer, and as rain in harvest, so honor is not fitting for a fool.

²Like a fluttering sparrow, like a darting swallow, so the undeserved curse doesn't come to rest.

³A whip is for the horse, a bridle for the donkey, and a rod for the back of fools!

⁴Do not answer a fool according to his folly, lest you also be like him.

⁵Answer a fool according to his folly, lest he be wise in his own eyes.

⁶One who sends a message by the hand of a fool is cutting off feet and drinking violence.

⁷Like the legs of the lame that hang loose: so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

⁸As one who binds a stone in a sling, so is he who gives honor to a fool.

⁹Like a thornbush that goes into the hand of a drunkard, so is a parable in the mouth of fools.

¹⁰As an archer who wounds all, so is he who hires a fool or he who hires those who pass by.

¹¹As a dog that returns to his vomit, so is a fool who repeats his folly.

¹²Do you see a man wise in his own eyes? There is more hope for a fool than for him.

¹³The sluggard says, "There is a lion in the road! A fierce lion roams the streets!"

¹⁴As the door turns on its hinges, so does the sluggard on his bed.

¹⁵The sluggard buries his hand in the dish. He is too lazy to bring it back to his mouth.

¹⁶The sluggard is wiser in his own eyes than seven men who answer with discretion.

¹⁷Like one who grabs a dog's ears is one who passes by and meddles in a quarrel not his own.

¹⁸Like a madman who shoots firebrands, arrows, and death,

¹⁹is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, "Am I not joking?"

²⁰For lack of wood a fire goes out. Without gossip, a quarrel dies down.

²¹As coals are to hot embers, and wood to fire, so is a contentious man to kindling strife.

²²The words of a whisperer are as dainty morsels, they go down into the innermost parts.

²³Like silver dross on an earthen vessel are the lips of a fervent one with an evil heart.

²⁴A malicious man disguises himself with his lips, but he harbors evil in his heart.

²⁵When his speech is charming, do not believe him; for there are seven abominations in his heart.

²⁶His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly.

²⁷Whoever digs a pit shall fall into it. Whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him.

²⁸A lying tongue hates those it hurts; and a flattering mouth works ruin.