Now, the snake was the most subtle of all the wild animals that Yahweh God had made. It asked the woman, 'Did God really say you were not to eat from any of the trees in the garden?'

The woman answered the snake, 'We may eat the fruit of the trees in the garden.

But of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden God said, "You must not eat it, nor touch it, under pain of death." '

Then the snake said to the woman, 'No! You will not die!

God knows in fact that the day you eat it your eyes will be opened and you will be like gods, knowing good from evil.'

The woman saw that the tree was good to eat and pleasing to the eye, and that it was enticing for the wisdom that it could give. So she took some of its fruit and ate it. She also gave some to her husband who was with her, and he ate it.

Then the eyes of both of them were opened and they realised that they were naked. So they sewed fig-leaves together to make themselves loin-cloths.

The man and his wife heard the sound of Yahweh God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and they hid from Yahweh God among the trees of the garden.

But Yahweh God called to the man. 'Where are you?' he asked.

'I heard the sound of you in the garden,' he replied. 'I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid.'

'Who told you that you were naked?' he asked. 'Have you been eating from the tree I forbade you to eat?'

The man replied, 'It was the woman you put with me; she gave me some fruit from the tree, and I ate it.'

Then Yahweh God said to the woman, 'Why did you do that?' The woman replied, 'The snake tempted me and I ate.'

Then Yahweh God said to the snake, 'Because you have done this, Accursed be you of all animals wild and tame! On your belly you will go and on dust you will feed as long as you live.

I shall put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; it will bruise your head and you will strike its heel.'

To the woman he said: I shall give you intense pain in childbearing, you will give birth to your children in pain. Your yearning will be for your husband, and he will dominate you.

To the man he said, 'Because you listened to the voice of your wife and ate from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat, Accursed be the soil because of you! Painfully will you get your food from it as long as you live.

It will yield you brambles and thistles, as you eat the produce of the land.

By the sweat of your face will you earn your food, until you return to the ground, as you were taken from it. For dust you are and to dust you shall return.'

The man named his wife 'Eve' because she was the mother of all those who live.

Yahweh God made tunics of skins for the man and his wife and clothed them.

Then Yahweh God said, 'Now that the man has become like one of us in knowing good from evil, he must not be allowed to reach out his hand and pick from the tree of life too, and eat and live for ever!'

So Yahweh God expelled him from the garden of Eden, to till the soil from which he had been taken.

He banished the man, and in front of the garden of Eden he posted the great winged creatures and the fiery flashing sword, to guard the way to the tree of life.

The man had intercourse with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. 'I have acquired a man with the help of Yahweh,' she said.

She gave birth to a second child, Abel, the brother of Cain. Now Abel became a shepherd and kept flocks, while Cain tilled the soil.

Time passed and Cain brought some of the produce of the soil as an offering for Yahweh,

while Abel for his part brought the first-born of his flock and some of their fat as well. Yahweh looked with favour on Abel and his offering.

But he did not look with favour on Cain and his offering, and Cain was very angry and downcast.

Yahweh asked Cain, 'Why are you angry and downcast?

If you are doing right, surely you ought to hold your head high! But if you are not doing right, Sin is crouching at the door hungry to get you. You can still master him.'

Cain said to his brother Abel, 'Let us go out'; and while they were in the open country, Cain set on his brother Abel and killed him.

Yahweh asked Cain, 'Where is your brother Abel?' 'I do not know,' he replied. 'Am I my brother's guardian?'

'What have you done?' Yahweh asked. 'Listen! Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.

Now be cursed and banned from the ground that has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood at your hands.

When you till the ground it will no longer yield up its strength to you. A restless wanderer you will be on earth.'

Cain then said to Yahweh, 'My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Look, today you drive me from the surface of the earth. I must hide from you, and be a restless wanderer on earth. Why, whoever comes across me will kill me!'

'Very well, then,' Yahweh replied, 'whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.' So Yahweh put a mark on Cain, so that no one coming across him would kill him.

Cain left Yahweh's presence and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

Cain had intercourse with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. He became the founder of a city and gave the city the name of his son Enoch.

Enoch fathered Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael; Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech.

Lamech married two women: the name of the first was Adah and the name of the second was Zillah.

Adah gave birth to Jabal: he was the ancestor of tent-dwelling herdsmen.

His brother's name was Jubal: he was the ancestor of all who play the harp and the pipe.

As for Zillah, she gave birth to Tubal-Cain: he was the ancestor of all who work copper and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.

Lamech said to his wives: Adah and Zillah, hear my voice, wives of Lamech, listen to what I say: I killed a man for wounding me, a boy for striking me.

Sevenfold vengeance for Cain, but seventy-sevenfold for Lamech.

Adam had intercourse with his wife, and she gave birth to a son whom she named Seth, 'because God has granted me other offspring', she said, 'in place of Abel, since Cain has killed him.'

A son was also born to Seth, and he named him Enosh. This man was the first to invoke the name Yahweh.