002 Adam and Eve - A Bible Story for Children

Genesis 2:7-3:24

The first man God made we call Adam. God saw that the man needed a place to live, so he made for Adam a garden in Eden. In this garden he planted every flower that is lovely to look at, and every tree whose fruit is good to eat.

In the middle of the garden God planted a special tree. This tree had a fruit that was bitter and sweet at the same time, a fruit with a taste like no other.

And God said to Adam, "Of every tree in the garden you may eat as much as you want. But of this special tree you may not eat. For the day you eat the fruit of this tree, you will know about good and evil, and on that day you will die."

So Adam did as God told him. He lived peacefully in the garden of Eden, taking care of the trees and eating their fruit.

But he had no other living creature to help him

Then God looked at Adam and saw that he was lonely.

"It is not good for Adam to be alone," God thought. "I will ask Adam which of all the creatures of the earth he would like for his helper."

God brought to Adam every beast of the field and forest, and every bird of the air. Adam looked at them one by one, and gave each of them a name, but found none to be his helper.

Then God thought, "I will make a woman for this man."

That night, God made Adam fall into a deep sleep. Then God took one of Adam's ribs, and from the rib he made a woman. When Adam woke up the next morning, the woman was beside him.

And Adam said, "This is my wife, Eve, who will help me and stay with me."

Together Adam and Eve lived in the garden. The days were sunny and nights warm, so they wore no clothing. When they were hungry, Adam and Eve walked among the trees of Eden, picking the fruits that looked ripe and sweet.

But the fruit on one tree they did not touch. Adam warned Eve about this tree, just as God had warned Adam. And Eve too did as she was told.

Now in the garden there lived a serpent, a jealous beast. The happier Adam and Eve became, the more jealous the serpent felt.

One afternoon the serpent found Eve alone near the middle of the garden, where the tree with the forbidden fruit grew.

"You must be hungry," the serpent said. "Why not try this tree? Its fruit looks very sweet to me."

"God says we may take fruit from all the trees of the garden but this one," Eve answered. "On the day we eat the fruit of this tree, God says we will die."

"Die?" said the serpent. "Do you know what it means to die?"

"No," Eve answered. "Does it hurt?"

"God made you," said the serpent slyly. "Why would he want to hurt your? Surely you will not die."

Then the serpent saw Eve's confusion, and grew bolder.

"Listen to me. God knows that if you eat the fruit of this tree, your eyes will be opened, and you will be like him. Then you too will know about good and evil, and you will be as wise and powerful as God himself."

Eve remembered everything that Adam had told her about the fruit, and she remembered God's warning not to taste it. But the serpent's words also seemed to make sense. And she could see with her own eyes that the forbidden fruit looked as ripe and sweet as any in the garden.

Quickly she plucked the fruit from the tree and ate some of it. And when Adam came looking for her, she gave him some, and he tasted it, too. And so both Adam and Eve ate the fruit, while the serpent watched. them.

When they had finished, Adam and Eve stared at each other.

Suddenly they felt cold and afraid, and covered their bodies with leaves.

Just then, God called out across Eden, "Adam!"

Adam, shivering next to Eve, said nothing, as they hid among the trees in the garden.

Again God called out, "Adam! Adam! Where are you?"

In a weak voice, Adam tried to answer. "I heard your words, O Lord, but I was afraid."

And God said, "Afraid? Why are you afraid? Have you eaten the fruit I told you not to eat?"

Adam answered, "The woman you made to be my wife--she gave me the fruit, and I ate it."

And God said to Eve, "What have you done?"

"The serpent tricked me, and I ate the fruit," Eve said.

Then all Eden shook with God's great anger.

To the serpent he said, "Because you have done this, I will make you the lowest of all the beasts. On your belly you shall crawl, now and always, and you shall eat dust all the days of your life." The serpent fell to the ground and slithered away.

To Eve he said, "Because you were fooled by the serpent, you will know pain and sorrow for the first time." Hearing this, Eve shuddered, and drew closer to Adam.

Then God spoke to Adam, saying, "Because you have disobeyed me and eaten the forbidden fruit, you shall work hard all day for your bread. The earth will be dry, tough, and full of weeds, and your body will ache from pulling them out. Nor will your work end until the day you are buried. For from dust I made you, and to dust you shall return."

To both Adam and Eve, God said, "Because you wanted to be like me, knowing both good and evil, you must leave this garden I made for you."

God made coats of animal skins to cover Adam and Eve and protect them, for bitter winds were blowing outside Eden.

Then God sent Adams and Eve out of the garden. Behind them he placed angels and a flaming sword that turned every way and blocked the path back to the garden forever. And so the first man and the first woman made their way into the world.

Category: Children's Bible Stories