Genesis 3
Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel
Genesis chapter 3 is given here in full, verse by verse, in Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), with the Greek text of the Septuagint set beneath each verse. The text follows the Septuagint tradition received throughout the Orthodox Church.
6 patristic excerpts are attached to this chapter, from 2 Fathers — Saint Methodius of Olympus and Saint Gregory of Nyssa. The translator's notes for this chapter (8) follow the text.
Genesis 3
1And the two were naked, both Adam and his wife, and were not ashamed. Now the serpent was the most crafty of all the brutes on the earth, which the Lord God made, and the serpent said to the woman, Therefore has God said, Eat not of every tree of the garden?Ὁ δὲ ὄφις ἦν φρονιμώτατος πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὧν ἐποίησε Κύριος ὁ Θεός· καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ὄφις τῇ γυναικὶ, τί ὅτι εἶπεν ὁ Θεός, οὐ μὴ φάγητε ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου;
2And the woman said to the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden,Καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ τῷ ὄφει, ἀπὸ καρποῦ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου φαγούμεθα·
3but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God said, You shall not eat of it, neither shall you touch it, lest you die.Ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ καρποῦ τοῦ ξύλου, ὅ ἐστιν ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ παραδείσου, εἶπεν ὁ Θεός, οὐ φάγεσθε ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ μὴ ἅψησθε αὐτοῦ, ἵνα μὴ ἀποθάνητε.
4And the serpent said to the woman, * You shall not surely die.Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ ὄφις τῇ γυναικί· οὐ θανάτῳ ἀποθανεῖσθε·
5For God knew that in whatever day you should eat of it your eyes would be opened, and you would be as gods, knowing good and evil.Ἤδει γὰρ ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι ᾗ ἂν ἡμέρᾳ φάγητε ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ, διανοιχθήσονται ὑμῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοί, καὶ ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοί, γινώσκοντες καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν.
6And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes to look upon and beautiful to contemplate, and having taken of its fruit she ate, and she gave to her husband also with her, and they ate.Καὶ εἶδεν ἡ γυνὴ, ὅτι καλὸν τὸ ξύλον εἰς βρῶσιν, καὶ ὅτι ἀρεστὸν τοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἰδεῖν, καὶ ὡραῖόν ἐστι τοῦ κατανοῆσαι· καὶ λαβοῦσα ἀπὸ τοῦ καρποῦ αὐτοῦ, ἔφαγε· καὶ ἔδωκε καὶ τῷ ἀνδρὶ αὐτῆς μετʼ αὐτῆς, καὶ ἔφαγον.
7And the eyes of both were opened, and they perceived that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons to go round them.Καὶ διηνοίχθησαν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῶν δύο, καὶ ἔγνωσαν ὅτι γυμνοὶ ἦσαν· καὶ ἔῤῥαψαν φύλλα συκῆς, καὶ ἐποίησαν ἑαυτοῖς περιζώματα.
8And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the afternoon; and both Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God in the midst of the trees of the garden.Καὶ ἤκουσαν τὴς φωνὴς Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ τὸ δειλινόν· καὶ ἐκρύβησαν ὅ, τε Ἀδὰμ καὶ ἡ γυνὴ αὐτοῦ ἀπὸ προσώπου Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν μέσῳ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ παραδείσου.
9And the Lord God called Adam and said to him, Adam, where are you?Καὶ ἐκάλεσεν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τὸν Ἀδὰμ, καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· Ἀδὰμ ποῦ εἶ;
10And he said to him, I heard † your voice as you walked in the garden, and I feared because I ‡ was naked and I hid myself.Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ· τὴς φωνῆς σου ἤκουσα περιπατοῦντος ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ, καὶ ἐφοβήθην ὅτι γυμνός εἰμι, καὶ ἐκρύβην.
11And God said to him, Who told you that you were naked, unless you have eaten of the tree concerning which I charged you of it alone not to eat?Καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ ὁ Θεὸς, τὶς ἀνήγγειλέ σοι ὅτι γυμνὸς εἶ, εἰ μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, οὗ ἐνετειλάμην σοι τούτου μόνου μὴ φαγεῖν, ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἔφαγες;
12And Adam said, The woman whom you gave to be with me—she gave me of the tree and I ate.Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Ἀδάμ· ἡ γυνή, ἣν ἔδωκας μετʼ ἐμοῦ, αὕτη μοι ἔδωκεν ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, καὶ ἔφαγον.
13And the Lord God said to the woman, Why have you done this? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me and I ate.Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῇ γυναικί· τί τοῦτο ἐποιήσας; καὶ εἶπεν ἡ γυνὴ, ὁ ὄφις ἠπάτησέ με, καὶ ἔφαγον.
14And the Lord God said to the serpent, Because you have done this you are cursed above all cattle and all the brutes of the earth, on your breast and belly you shall go, and you shall eat earth all the days of your life.Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῷ ὄφει· ὅτι ἐποίησας τοῦτο, ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν, καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν θηρίων τῶν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς· ἐπὶ τῷ στήθει σου καὶ τῇ κοιλίᾳ πορεύσῃ, καὶ γῆν φαγῃ πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου.
15And I will put enmity between you and the woman and between your seed and her seed, he shall § watch against your head, and you shall ** watch against his heel.Καὶ ἔχθραν θήσω ἀνὰ μέσον σοῦ καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τῆς γυναικὸς, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματός σου, καὶ ἀνὰ μέσον τοῦ σπέρματος αὐτῆς· αὐτός σοῦ τηρήσει κεφαλὴν, καὶ σὺ τηρήσεις αὐτοῦ πτέρναν.
16And to the woman he said, I will greatly multiply your pains and your groanings; in pain you shall bring forth children, and your submission †† shall be to your husband, and he shall rule over you.Καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ εἶπε· πληθύνων πληθυνῶ τὰς λύπας σου, καὶ τὸν στεναγμόν σου· ἐν λύπαις τέξῃ τέκνα, καὶ πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα σου ἡ ἀποστροφή σου· καὶ αὐτός σου κυριεύσει.
17And to Adam he said, Because you have listened to the voice of your wife, and eaten of the tree concerning which I charged you of it only not to eat—of that you have eaten, cursed is the ground in your labors, in pain shall you eat of it all the days of your life.Τῷ δὲ Ἀδὰμ εἶπεν· ὅτι ἤκουσας τῆς φωνῆς τῆς γυναικός σου, καὶ ἔφαγες ἀπὸ τοῦ ξύλου, οὗ ἐνετειλάμην σοι τούτου μόνου μὴ φαγεῖν, ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἔφαγες, ἐπικατάρατος ἡ γῆ ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις σου· ἐν λύπαις φάγῃ αὐτὴν πάσας τὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου.
18Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to you, and you shall eat the herb of the field.Ἀκάνθας καὶ τριβόλους ἀνατελεῖ σοι, καὶ φαγῇ τὸν χόρτον τοῦ ἀγροῦ.
19In the sweat of your face shall you eat your bread until you return to the earth out of which you were taken, for earth you are and to earth you shall return.Ἐν ἱδρῶτι τοῦ προσώπου σου φαγῃ τὸν ἄρτον σου, ἕως τοῦ ἀποστρέψαι σε εἰς τὴν γῆν ἐξ ἧς ἐλήμφθης· ὅτι γῆ εἶ, καὶ εἰς γῆν ἀπελεύσῃ.
20And Adam called the name of his wife ‡‡ Life, because she was the mother of all living.Καὶ ἐκάλεσεν Ἀδὰμ τὸ ὄνομα τῆς γυναικὸς αὐτοῦ Ζωή, ὅτι μήτηρ πάντων τῶν ζώντων.
21And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin, and clothed them.Καὶ ἐποίησε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Ἀδὰμ, καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ αὐτοῦ χιτῶνας δερματίνους, καὶ ἐνέδυσεν αὐτούς.
22And §§ God said, Behold, Adam is become as one of us, to know good and evil, and now lest at any time he stretch forth his hand, and take of the tree of life and eat, and so he shall live forever—Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός, ἰδοὺ Ἀδὰμ γέγονεν ὡς εἷς ἐξ ἡμῶν, τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρόν· καὶ νῦν μή ποτε ἐκτείνῃ τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, καὶ λάβῃ τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς καὶ φάγῃ, καὶ ζήσεται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα.
23So the Lord God sent him forth out of the garden of Delight to cultivate the ground out of which he was taken.Καὶ ἐξαπέστειλεν αὐτὸν Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἐκ τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς, ἐργάζεσθαι τὴν γῆν ἐξ ἧς ἐλήμφθη.
24And he cast out Adam and caused him to dwell over against the garden of Delight, and stationed the cherubs and the fiery sword that turns about to keep the way of the tree of life.Καὶ ἐξέβαλεν τὸν Ἀδὰμ, καὶ κατῴκισεν αὐτὸν ἀπέναντι τοῦ παραδείσου τῆς τρυφῆς· καὶ ἔταξε τὰ χερουβὶμ· καὶ τὴν φλογίνην ῥομφαίαν τὴν στρεφομένην, φυλάσσειν τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς.
Translator's Notes
These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.
- v. 4*Gr. you shall not die by death.
- v. 10†Or, the sound of you walking.
- v. 10‡Gr. am.
- v. 15§Gr. keep. Other readings of the passage are πλήξει and πλήξεις and τειρήσει and τειρήσεις. See Parkhurst in שֵׁנִי
- v. 15**Gr. keep. Other readings of the passage are πλήξει and πλήξεις and τειρήσει and τειρήσεις. See Parkhurst in שֵׁנִי
- v. 16††Gr. turning.
- v. 20‡‡Gr. Zoe.
- v. 22§§Alex. + the Lord.
The Fathers on Genesis 3
Saint Methodius of Olympus and Saint Gregory of Nyssa comment on this chapter. Each excerpt below is drawn from the full text held in the Fathers Library; follow the link on any entry to read the whole work.
On Genesis 3Saint Methodius of OlympusComparison Instituted Between the First and Second Adam. Chapter III.—Comparison Instituted Between the First and Second Adam. And, first, we must inquire if Adam can be likened to the Son of God, when he was found in the transgression of the Fall, and heard the sentence, “Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” For how shall he be considered “the…
Read The Banquet of the Ten Virgins →
On Genesis 3Saint Methodius of OlympusConcerning Free-Will. Orthodoxus. The old man of Ithaca, according to the legend of the Greeks, when he wished to hear the song of the Sirens, on account of the charm of their voluptuous voice, sailed to Sicily in bonds, and stopped up the ears of his companions; not that he grudged them the hearing, or desired to load himself with bonds, but because the…
Read Concerning Free Will →
On Genesis 3Saint Methodius of OlympusPart I. From the Discourse on the Resurrection. Part I. I. God did not make evil, nor is He at all in any way the author of evil; but whatever failed to keep the law, which He in all justice ordained, after being made by Him with the faculty of free-will, for the purpose of guarding and keeping it, is called evil. Now it is the gravest fault to disobey God,…
Read Discourse on the Resurrection →
On Genesis 3:1Saint Gregory of NyssaXVII. What we must answer to those who raise the question—“If procreation is after sin, how would souls have come into being if the first of mankind had remained sinless?” 1. It is better for us however, perhaps, rather to inquire, before investigating this p…
Read On the Making of Man →
On Genesis 3:1Saint Gregory of NyssaXIX. To those who say that the enjoyment of the good things we look for will again consist in meat and drink, because it is written that by these means man at first lived in Paradise. 1. But some one perhaps will say that man will not be returning to the same…
Read On the Making of Man →
On Genesis 3:1Open Genesis 3 in the interactive reader Switch translations, hear the chapter read aloud, tap any verse for its patristic commentary, and study the Greek word by word.Saint Gregory of NyssaXX. What was the life in Paradise, and what was the forbidden tree? 1. What then is that which includes the knowledge of good and evil blended together, and is decked with the pleasures of sense? I think I am not aiming wide of the mark in employing, as a sta…
Read On the Making of Man →