This is a simplified version of the Bible story found in Genesis 3, written for children to understand. For the original version, please refer to the Bible passage.
Once upon a time, God created a beautiful garden called Eden. It was filled with many fruit trees, and in the middle of the garden, there was a special tree called the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
God told the first people, Adam and Eve, that they could eat from any tree in the garden except for the tree of knowledge of good and evil. But one day, a sneaky serpent came and tricked Eve into eating the fruit from the forbidden tree. Eve then shared the fruit with Adam, and they both ate it.
After they ate the fruit, they suddenly realized they were naked, and they were ashamed. They made clothes out of fig leaves to cover themselves.
God came looking for Adam and Eve, but they were hiding because they were afraid. God asked Adam where he was, and Adam told God that he was hiding because he was naked.
God then asked Adam if he had eaten the fruit from the forbidden tree, and Adam blamed Eve for giving it to him. Eve blamed the serpent for tricking her.
God punished the serpent by making it crawl on its belly and eat dust. He also put a conflict between the offspring of the serpent and the offspring of the woman. One day, the woman’s offspring would defeat the serpent’s offspring.
God punished the woman by making childbirth painful, and her desire to be in control would conflict with her husband’s leadership. However, the husband shall rule over his wife.
God punished the man by making it hard for him to grow food, and he had to work hard to feed his family.
God also banished Adam and Eve from the garden of Eden so they couldn’t eat from the tree of life and live forever. To guard the way to the tree of life, God placed cherubim (angelic beings) and a flaming sword that turned every way.
Before they left, God made clothes for them out of animal skins.
Biblical Lessons
- God gave us rules to protect us from harm.
- Sin has consequences and often brings shame.
- It’s important to take responsibility for our actions.
- God is just and fair in his punishment.
- Disobedience has a cost.