Genesis, A Royal Epic. Loren R. Fisher

      and they were not ashamed.

      3:1 Now the serpent was the wisest (‘arum) of all

      the wild animals that Yahweh-Elohim had made;

      he said to the woman:

      “Indeed, did Elohim really say,

      ‘From every tree of the garden

      you shall not eat?’ ”

      2 The woman said to the serpent:

      “From the fruit of the trees of the garden we may eat,

      3 but from the fruit of the tree that is in the midst of the garden,

      Elohim said, ‘You shall not eat from it,

      and you shall not touch it,

      or you shall die.’”

      4 The serpent said to the woman:

      “Surely, you shall not die;

      5 Elohim knows that when you eat from it

      your eyes will be opened;

      you will be like gods—ones who know good and evil.”24

      6 The woman saw that the tree was good for food,

      that it was a delight to the eyes,

      and that the tree was desired to make one wise.

      She took from its fruit; she ate.

      Also when she gave [some] to her husband,

      who was with her, he ate.

      7 The eyes of both of them were opened;

      they knew that they were naked (‘erummim).

      They sewed together fig leaves;

      they made for themselves loincloths.

      8 They heard the voice of Yahweh-Elohim,

      who was walking about in the garden at the windy time of day;

      the human and his wife hid from Yahweh-Elohim,

      among the trees of the garden.

      9 Yahweh-Elohim called to the human.

      He said to him:

      “Where are you?”

      10 He said:

      “I heard your voice in the garden;

      I was afraid,

      because I was naked (‘erom).

      I hid.”

      11 He said:

      “Who told you that you were naked (‘erom)?

      Did you eat from the tree that I had commanded you not to

       eat?”

      12 The human said:

      “The woman, whom you gave to be with me,

      she gave to me from the tree! I ate.”

      13 Yahweh-Elohim said to the woman:

      “What is this that you have done?”

      The woman said:

      “The serpent deceived me! I ate.”

      14 Yahweh-Elohim said to the serpent:

      “Because you have done this,

      Cursed (’arur) are you—

      More than all domestic animals,

      More than all wild animals.

      On your belly you shall go,25

      And dirt26 you shall eat—

      All the days of your life.

      15 Hostility I will put between you

      And between the woman—

      Between your descendants,

      And between her descendants.

      They shall attack you frontally;

      You shall attack them from behind.”

      16 To the woman he said:

      “I will multiply your pains from your pregnancies;

      In labor27 you will bear children.

      Your desire is for your husband,

      But he will rule you.”28

      17 To the29 human he said:

      “Because you listened to the voice of your wife,30

      You ate from the tree

      About which I had commanded you saying,

      ‘You shall not eat from it.’

      Cursed (’arurah) be the ground on account of you;

      In labor31 you shall eat it32—

      All the days of your life.

      18 Thorns and thistles it shall sprout for you.

      You shall eat the wild grass.

      19 By the sweat of your brow you shall eat food,

      Until you return to the ground,

      For from it you were taken.

      For you are clay,

      And to clay you shall return.”33

      20 The human called forth the name of his wife, “Eve” (hawwah),34

      because she was the mother of all living (hay).

      21 Yahweh-Elohim made for the human and his wife garments of

       skins;

      he clothed them.

      22 Yahweh-Elohim said:

      “Yes, the human has become like one of us,35

      knowing good and evil, so now,

      he must not reach out his hand,

      taking also from the tree of life,

      he would eat and live forever!”36

      23 Yahweh-Elohim sent him from the garden of Eden,

      to till the ground from which he was taken;

      24 he drove out the human;

      he stationed, east of the garden of Eden,

      the cherubim and the flaming sword,

      which turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life.

      4:1 Now the human knew Eve, his wife.

      She conceived; she bore Cain (qayin).

      She said:

      “I have procreated (qaniti) a man with Yahweh.”

      2 Next she gave birth to his brother Abel.

      Abel became a keeper of flocks,

      and Cain became a tiller of the ground.

      3 In the course of time,

      Cain brought from the fruit of the ground an offering to Yahweh,

      4 and Abel, he also brought from the firstborn of his flock

      and from their choice portions.

      Yahweh paid attention to Abel and to his offering,

      5 but to Cain and to his offering he paid no attention.

      Cain became very angry; he became downcast.

      6 Yahweh said to Cain:

      “Why are you angry?

      Why are you so down?

      7