Bible / Genesis
Genesis 3
World English Bible, Catholic edition, in plain modern English. About the translations
Douay-Rheims Bible, Challoner revision, the traditional Catholic English Bible. About the translations
1 Now 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’?”
2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees of the garden,
3 but not the fruit of the tree which is in the middle of the garden. God has said, ‘You shall not eat of it. You shall not touch it, lest you die.’”
4 The serpent said to the woman, “You won’t really die,
5 for God knows that in the day you eat it, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”
6 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, she took some of its fruit, and ate. Then she gave some to her husband with her, and he ate it, too.
7 Their eyes were opened, and they both knew that they were naked. They sewed fig leaves together, and made coverings for themselves.
8 They heard the LORD God’s voice 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.
9 The LORD God called to the man, and said to him, “Where are you?”
10 The man said, “I heard your voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; so I hid myself.”
11 God 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 whom you gave to be with me, she gave me fruit from the tree, and I ate it.”
13 The LORD God said to the woman, “What have you done?” The woman said, “The serpent deceived me, and I ate.”
14 The LORD God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, you are cursed above all livestock, and above every animal of the field. You shall go on your belly and you shall eat dust all the days of your life.
15 I will put hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will bruise your head, and you will bruise his heel.”
16 To the woman he said, “I will greatly multiply your pain in childbirth. You will bear children in pain. Your desire will be for your husband, and he will rule over you.”
17 To Adam he said, “Because you have listened to your wife’s voice, and have eaten from the tree, about which I commanded you, saying, ‘You shall not eat of it,’ the ground is cursed for your sake. You will eat from it with much labor all the days of your life.
18 It will yield thorns and thistles to you; and you will eat the herb of the field.
19 You will eat bread by the sweat of your face until you return to the ground, for you were taken out of it. For you are dust, and you shall return to dust.”
20 The man called his wife Eve because she would be the mother of all the living.
21 The LORD God made garments of animal skins for Adam and for his wife, and clothed them.
22 The LORD God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of us, knowing good and evil. Now, lest he reach out his hand, and also take of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever –”
23 Therefore the LORD God sent him out from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken.
24 So he drove out the man; and he placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
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?
2 And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat:
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.
4 And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death.
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.
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.
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.
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.
9 And the Lord God called Adam, and said to him: Where art thou?
10 And he said: I heard thy voice in paradise; and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.
11 And he said to him: And who hath told thee that thou wast naked, but that thou hast eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat?
12 And Adam said: The woman, whom thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the Lord God said to the woman: Why hast thou done this? And she answered: The serpent deceived me, and I did eat.
14 And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
15 I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.
16 To the woman also he said: I will multiply thy sorrows, and thy conceptions: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thou shalt be under thy husband’s power, and he shall have dominion over thee.
17 And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee, that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work: with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life.
18 Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth.
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.
20 And Adam called the name of his wife Eve: because she was the mother of all the living.
21 And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.
22 And he said: Behold Adam is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now therefore lest perhaps he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.
23 And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken.
24 And he cast out Adam: and placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubims, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
This chapter in the Catechism and the early Church
Where the Catechism of the Catholic Church cites these verses (from its footnotes on vatican.va), and where the earliest Church Fathers quote them (Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1, public domain). Short quotes only; follow the links for the full text. The Catechism uses modern verse numbers, so these are listed by chapter.
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 391 “Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out…”
- CCC 397 “Man, tempted by the devil, let his trust in his Creator die in his heart and, abusing his freedom, disobeyed God's command.…”
“… that ye shall eat of it, ye shall die by death;" he then, lying against the Lord, tempted man, as the Scripture says that the serpent said to the woman: "Has God indeed said this, Ye shall not eat from every tree of the garden?”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book V, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XXIII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
- Genesis 3:2 in modern BiblesCCC 391
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 391 “Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out…”
“… as He had said, "From every tree of the garden we shall eat; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die:”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book V, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XXIII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 391 “Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out…”
- CCC 1008 “Death is a consequence of sin. the Church's Magisterium, as authentic interpreter of the affirmations of Scripture and Tradition, teaches that death…”
“… as He had said, "From every tree of the garden we shall eat; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die:”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book V, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XXIII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
- Genesis 3:4 in modern BiblesCCC 391
Read the Catechism
- CCC 391 “Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out…”
Read the Catechism
- CCC 391 “Behind the disobedient choice of our first parents lurks a seductive voice, opposed to God, which makes them fall into death out…”
- CCC 392 “Scripture speaks of a sin of these angels. This "fall" consists in the free choice of these created spirits, who radically and…”
- CCC 398 “In that sin man preferred himself to God and by that very act scorned him. He chose himself over and against God,…”
- CCC 399 “Scripture portrays the tragic consequences of this first disobedience. Adam and Eve immediately lose the grace of original holiness. They become afraid…”
- CCC 1850 “Sin is an offense against God: "Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in your sight."…”
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- CCC 399 “Scripture portrays the tragic consequences of this first disobedience. Adam and Eve immediately lose the grace of original holiness. They become afraid…”
- CCC 2541 “The economy of law and grace turns men's hearts away from avarice and envy. It initiates them into desire for the Sovereign…”
- CCC 2847 “The Holy Spirit makes us discern between trials, which are necessary for the growth of the inner man, and temptation, which leads…”
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- CCC 399 “Scripture portrays the tragic consequences of this first disobedience. Adam and Eve immediately lose the grace of original holiness. They become afraid…”
- CCC 400 “The harmony in which they had found themselves, thanks to original justice, is now destroyed: the control of the soul's spiritual faculties…”
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 399 “Scripture portrays the tragic consequences of this first disobedience. Adam and Eve immediately lose the grace of original holiness. They become afraid…”
- CCC 29 “But this "intimate and vital bond of man to God" (GS 19 # 1) can be forgotten, overlooked, or even explicitly rejected…”
“For Adam, it is said, "heard the voice of the Lord God.”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book V, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XVII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 399 “Scripture portrays the tragic consequences of this first disobedience. Adam and Eve immediately lose the grace of original holiness. They become afraid…”
- CCC 410 “After his fall, man was not abandoned by God. On the contrary, God calls him and in a mysterious way heralds the…”
- CCC 29 “But this "intimate and vital bond of man to God" (GS 19 # 1) can be forgotten, overlooked, or even explicitly rejected…”
- CCC 2568 “In the Old Testament, the revelation of prayer comes between the fall and the restoration of man, that is, between God's sorrowful…”
“Wherefore also the Scripture, pointing out what should come to pass, says, that when Adam had hid himself because of his disobedience, the Lord came to him at eventide, called him forth, and said, "Where art thou?”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book V, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XV. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism
- Genesis 3:11 in modern BiblesCCC 2515
Read the Catechism
- CCC 2515 “Etymologically, "concupiscence" can refer to any intense form of human desire. Christian theology has given it a particular meaning: the movement of…”
- Genesis 3:12 in modern BiblesCCC 1607
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- CCC 1607 “According to faith the disorder we notice so painfully does not stem from the nature of man and woman, nor from the…”
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 1736 “Every act directly willed is imputable to its author: Thus the Lord asked Eve after the sin in the garden: "What is…”
- CCC 2568 “In the Old Testament, the revelation of prayer comes between the fall and the restoration of man, that is, between God's sorrowful…”
“The serpent," says she, "beguiled me, and I did eat.”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book III, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XXIII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
- Genesis 3:14 in modern BiblesCCC 2427
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 2427 “Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing…”
“And God," it is declared, "said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this, cursed art thou above all cattle, and above all the beasts of the earth.”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book III, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XXIII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 410 “After his fall, man was not abandoned by God. On the contrary, God calls him and in a mysterious way heralds the…”
- CCC 489 “Throughout the Old Covenant the mission of many holy women prepared for that of Mary. At the very beginning there was Eve;…”
- CCC 2427 “Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing…”
- CCC 55 “This revelation was not broken off by our first parents' sin. "After the fall, (God) buoyed them up with the hope of…”
“I return answer by anticipation: Could not God have cut off in the beginning the serpent, so that he exist not, rather than have said, And I will put enmity between him and the woman, and between his seed and her seed?”
Quoted in Dialogue with Trypho, St. Justin Martyr (c. AD 160), Chapter CII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
“He shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel.”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book IV, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XL. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
“… perceive in Genesis that God said to the serpent, "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; He shall be on the watch for (observabit ) thy head, and thou on the watch for His heel.”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book V, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XXI. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
Read the Catechism
- CCC 376 “By the radiance of this grace all dimensions of man's life were confirmed. As long as he remained in the divine intimacy,…”
- CCC 1607 “According to faith the disorder we notice so painfully does not stem from the nature of man and woman, nor from the…”
- CCC 1609 “In his mercy God has not forsaken sinful man. the punishments consequent upon sin, "pain in childbearing" and toil "in the sweat…”
- CCC 2427 “Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing…”
Read the Catechism
- CCC 400 “The harmony in which they had found themselves, thanks to original justice, is now destroyed: the control of the soul's spiritual faculties…”
- CCC 1607 “According to faith the disorder we notice so painfully does not stem from the nature of man and woman, nor from the…”
- CCC 2427 “Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing…”
Read the Catechism and Fathers
- CCC 376 “By the radiance of this grace all dimensions of man's life were confirmed. As long as he remained in the divine intimacy,…”
- CCC 400 “The harmony in which they had found themselves, thanks to original justice, is now destroyed: the control of the soul's spiritual faculties…”
- CCC 1008 “Death is a consequence of sin. the Church's Magisterium, as authentic interpreter of the affirmations of Scripture and Tradition, teaches that death…”
- CCC 1607 “According to faith the disorder we notice so painfully does not stem from the nature of man and woman, nor from the…”
- CCC 1609 “In his mercy God has not forsaken sinful man. the punishments consequent upon sin, "pain in childbearing" and toil "in the sweat…”
- CCC 2427 “Human work proceeds directly from persons created in the image of God and called to prolong the work of creation by subduing…”
“And since Adam was moulded from this earth to which we belong, the Scripture tells us that God said to him, "In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat thy bread, until thou turnest again to the dust from whence thou wert taken.”
Quoted in Against Heresies, Book V, St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. AD 180), Chapter XVI. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
- Genesis 3:20 in modern BiblesCCC 489
Read the Catechism
- CCC 489 “Throughout the Old Covenant the mission of many holy women prepared for that of Mary. At the very beginning there was Eve;…”
- Genesis 3:21 in modern BiblesCCC 1608
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- CCC 1608 “Nevertheless, the order of creation persists, though seriously disturbed. To heal the wounds of sin, man and woman need the help of…”
- Genesis 3:22 in modern Bibles
Read the Fathers
“These are the words: And God said, Behold, Adam has become as one of us, to know good and evil.”
Quoted in Dialogue with Trypho, St. Justin Martyr (c. AD 160), Chapter LXII. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
“Again, when the Scripture records that God said in the beginning, Behold, Adam has become like one of Us,”
Quoted in Dialogue with Trypho, St. Justin Martyr (c. AD 160), Chapter CXXIX. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 1
- Genesis 3:24 in modern BiblesCCC 332
Read the Catechism
- CCC 332 “Angels have been present since creation and throughout the history of salvation, announcing this salvation from afar or near and serving the…”