The Judean (Yahwist) Tradition of Creation (J)
Genesis 2:4b - 3:24
2:4b When (בְּי֗וֹם beyom, literally, “in the day” or “at the time”) Yahweh ’Elohim (יְהוָ֥ה אֱלֹהִ֖ים = YHWH God, or the LORD God) made (עֲשׂ֛וֹת ‘asoth) earth and the heavens, 5 when no shrub of the field was yet on earth and no grasses of the field had yet sprouted—because Yahweh ’Elohim had not sent rain upon the earth, and there was no human creature (וְאָדָ֣ם אַ֔יִן we’adam ’ayin = groundling, earthling, earth-creature, human being) to till (לַֽעֲבֹ֖ד la’avod, literally, “to serve [as a slave]”) the ground (אֶת־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה ’eth-ha’adamah = soil, earth, humus), 6 but a stream would well up from the earth, and water the whole (sur)face of the ground (אֶֽת־כָּל־פְּנֵֽי־הָֽאֲדָמָֽה ’eth-kol-pney-ha’adamah)—7 then Yahweh ’Elohim formed (וַיִּיצֶר֩ wayyitzer) humankind (אֶת־הָֽאָדָ֗ם ’eth-ha’adam) from the dust of the ground (מִן־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה min-ha’adamah), and breathed (וַיִּפַּ֥ח wayyippah) into its nostrils the breath of life (נִשְׁמַ֣ת חַיִּ֑ים nishmat hayyim), and humankind (הָֽאָדָ֖ם ha’adam) became a living creature (לְנֶ֥פֶשׁ חַיָּֽה lenephesh hayyah).
8 And Yahweh ’Elohim planted a garden in Eden eden
10 (A river issues from Eden to water the garden, and it then divides and becomes four branches. 11 The name of the first is Pishon ( = Indus? or Ganges?), the one that winds through the whole land of Havilah (Pakistan? or India?), where there is gold; 12 The gold of that land is good; bdellium and onyx stone are there. 13 The name of the second river is Gihon ( = Nile?), the one that flows around the whole land of Cush ( = Egypt, Sudan, and Ethiopia?). 14 The name of the third river is Tigris, the one that flows east of Asshur ( = Assyria); and the fourth river is the Euphrates.)
15 Yahweh ’Elohim took the human creature (ha’adam) and placed it in the garden of Eden, to till (literally, “to serve as a slave”) it and to keep (literally, “to guard”) it. 16 And Yahweh ’Elohim commanded the human creature (ha’adam), “Of every tree of the garden you (singular form) are free to eat (singular form); 17 but as for the Tree-of-knowledge-of-good-and-evil (וּמֵעֵ֗ץ הַדַּ֙עַת֙ ט֣וֹב וָרָ֔ע ume‘etz hadd‘ath tob wara‘), you (singular form) must not eat (singular form) of it; for as soon as (beyom, literally, “whenever,” “in the day” or “at the time”) you (singular form) eat of it, you (singular form) shall die (מ֥וֹת תָּמֽוּת moth tamuth, literally, “dying, you shall die”).”
18 Then Yahweh ’Elohim said, “It is not good for the human creature (ha’adam) to be alone; I will make for it (אֶֽעֱשֶׂהּ־לּ֥וֹ ’e‘eseh-lo) a suitable counterpart (עֵ֖זֶר כְּנֶגְדּֽוֹ ‘ezer kenegddo).” 19 So Yahweh ’Elohim formed (way-yitzer) out of the ground (min-ha’adamah) all the wild animals of the field and all the birds of the sky, and brought them to the human creature (אֶל־הָ֣אָדָ֔ם ’el-ha’adam) to see what it would call them; and whatever the human creature (ha’adam) called each living creature (nephesh hayyah), that would be its name. 20 And the human creature (ha’adam) gave names to all the cattle and to the birds of the sky, and to all the wild animals of the field; but for the human creature (וּלְאָדָ֕ם ul’adam) itself, no suitable counterpart (‘ezer kenegddo) was found. 21 So Yahweh ’Elohim cast a deep sleep (תַּרְדֵּמָ֛ה tarddemah) upon the human creature (עַל־הָאָדָ֖ם al-ha’adam), and it slept; then He took one of its ribs and closed up the flesh at that spot. 22 And Yahweh ’Elohim formed (וַיִּבֶן֩ wayyiben) into a woman (לְאִשָּׁ֑ה l’ishshah) the rib that He had taken from the human creature (min-ha’adam) and He brought her to the (hu)man creature (’el-ha’adam). 23 Then the (hu)man creature (ha’adam) said,
“This one at last
is bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh.
This one shall be called “woman” (אִשָּׁ֔ה ’ishshah),
For from a “man” (מֵאִ֖ישׁ me’ish) this one was taken.”
24 Hence a man (אִ֔ישׁ ’ish) leaves his father and his mother and clings to his woman (בְּאִשְׁתּ֔וֹ be’ishtto, also means “his wife”), and they become one flesh.
25 The two of them were naked, the (hu)man (ha’adam) and his woman (וְאִשְׁתּ֑וֹ we’ishtto = “his wife”), yet they felt no shame. 3:1 Now the snake (וְהַנָּחָשׁ֙ wehannahash) was the shrewdest of all the wild animals that Yahweh ’Elohim had made. He said to the woman (אֶל־הָ֣אִשָּׁ֔ה ’el-ha’ishshah), “Did ’Elohim really say, ‘You shall not eat (תֹֽאכְל֔וּ t’oklu, plural form) of any tree of the garden’?” 2 The woman (’ishshah) replied to the snake, “We may eat of the fruit of the other trees of the garden; 3 but ’Elohim said, ‘You shall not eat (לֹ֤א תֹֽאכְלוּ֙ lo to’kelu, plural form) of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it (וְלֹ֥א תִגְּע֖וּ welo tigg’u, plural form), or you shall die (פֶּן־תְּמֻתֽוּן pen-temuthun, plural form)’” 4 And the snake said to the woman (’ishshah), “You will not die (לֹֽא־מ֖וֹת תְּמֻתֽוּן lo-mot temuthun, literally, dying you shall not die, plural form); 5 but ’Elohim knows that as soon as (beyom, literally, “when,” “in the day,” or “at the time”) you eat of it (אֲכָלְכֶ֣ם akholkhem, plural form) your eyes will be opened (וְנִפְקְח֖וּ עֵֽינֵיכֶ֑ם weniphqechu ‘eneykhem, plural form), and you will become (וִהְיִיתֶם֙ wichyiytem, plural form) like divine beings (כֵּֽאלֹהִ֔ים k’elohim), who know good and evil [יֹדְעֵ֖י ט֥וֹב וָרָֽע yad‘ey tobh wara‘ i. e., who know everything there is to know].” 6 When the woman (ha’ishshah) saw that the tree was good for eating, and a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was desirable as a source of wisdom, she took of its fruit and ate; and she also gave some to her man (גַּם־לְאִישָׁ֛הּ gam-le’ishah, also means “her husband”), with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they perceived that they were naked; and they sewed together fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths.
8 They heard the sound of Yahweh ’Elohim moving about in the garden at the breezy time of the day; and the (hu)man (ha’adam) and his woman (וְאִשְׁתּ֗וֹ we’ishtto = his wife) hid from the presence of Yahweh ’Elohim among the trees of the garden. 9 But Yahweh ’Elohim called out to the (hu)man creature (’el-ha’adam), and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 He replied, “I heard the sound of You in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; so I hid.” 11 Then He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Did you eat of the tree from which I had forbidden you to eat?” 12 The (hu)man creature (ha’adam) said, “The woman (ha’ishshah) whom You gave to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I ate.” 13 Then Yahweh ’Elohim said to the woman (לָאִשָּׁ֖ה la’ishshah), “What is this you have done?” The woman (ha’ishshah) said, “The snake (הַנָּחָ֥שׁ hannahash) deceived me, and I ate.”
14 Then Yahweh ’Elohim said to the snake,
“Because you did this,
Cursed are you among all animals
And among all wild creatures;
On your belly you shall crawl,
And dirt you shall eat
All the days of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman (ha’ishshah),
And between your descendants and hers;
They will strike your head,
And you shall strike their heel.”
16 And to the woman (’el-ha’ishshah) He said,
“I will greatly increase your toil and your pregnancies;
Along with work shall you bring forth children.
To your man (וְאֶל־אִישֵׁךְ֙ we’el-’ishek, also means, “to your husband”) is your desire,
And he shall predominate over you.”
17 And to the (hu)man (וּלְאָדָ֣ם ule’adam) He said,
“Because you did as your woman (אִשְׁתֶּךָ ’ishtteka, also means “your wife”) said,
And ate of the tree
About which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
Cursed be the ground (ha’adamah) because of you;
By toil you shall eat of it
All the days of your life:
18 Thorns and thistles shall it sprout for you;
But you shall eat the grasses of the field;
19 By the sweat of your brow
Shall you get bread to eat
Until you return to the ground (אֶל־הָ֣אֲדָמָ֔ה ’el-ha’adamah),
For from it you were taken:
For dust you are,
And to dust you shall return.”
20 The (hu)man (ha’adam) named his woman (’ishtto = his wife) Eve (חַוָּ֑ה hawwah = life), because she became the mother of all living (כָּל־חָֽי kol-hai). 21 And Yahweh ’Elohim made for the (hu)man (le’adam) and for his woman (וּלְאִשְׁתּ֛וֹ ule’ishtto = his wife) garments of skins, and He clothed them.
22 Then Yahweh ’Elohim said, “Now that the human (ha’adam) has become like one of us, knowing good and evil [i. e., everything there is to know], what if he should stretch out his hand and take also from the Tree-of-life (הַֽחַיִּ֔ים מֵעֵ֣ץ me’etz hahayyim), and eat, and live forever!”—23 so Yahweh ‘Elohim banished him from the garden of Eden, to till (la’avod, literally, “to serve as a slave”) the ground (’eth-ha’adamah) from which he was taken. 24 He drove the human out; and stationed east of the garden of Eden the cherubim, and the fiery, ever-turning sword, to guard the way to the Tree-of-life (‘etz hahayyim).
This translation is an adaptation by Michael J. Watts consisting of a selection of readings from several modern translations of Genesis. Some of the primary works used were:
Fox, Everett. The Five Books of Moses. New York
Korsak, Mary Phil. At the Start: Genesis Made New. A Translation of the Hebrew Text. New York
Meyers, Carol, Professor of Religion, Duke University Durham , NC
Mitchell, Stephen. The Book of Genesis: A New Translation of the Classical Biblical Stories. New York
Robinson, Theodore H. The Book of Genesis in series, Books of the Old Testament in Colloquial Speech. London National Adult School
Rosenberg, David, and Bloom, Harold. The Book of J. New York
Speiser, Ephraim A. Genesis. The Anchor Bible, Volume I. New York
Tanakh: The Holy Scriptures: The New Jewish Publication Society Translation According to the Traditional Hebrew Text. Philadelphia
The New Revised Standard Version Bible. New York USA
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