The Story of Adam and Eve in Paradise

(Gen. 2:4b-9, 15-24; 3:20)

The Lord God made the first man out of the dust of the earth. He gave him a soul that will live forever. God called the first man, Adam. He loved Adam very much and planted a beautiful garden for him to live in. This was the Garden of Eden,  or Paradise.

In that place, you could find all kinds of fruits flowers, trees, and plants, and a clear river flowing through it.

One day, God brought all the beasts of the earth and all the birds of the air before Adam to see what he would call them. Adam gave each of them a name.

In Paradise, the trees were most beautiful. Their fruits were good to eat. There was just one tree of which God commanded Adam not to eat. The name of that tree was the "Tree of Knowledge of good and evil". God called Adam and said to him: "Adam, you may eat the fruits of every tree you see in the Garden; but of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil,' you must not eat. The day you will eat of that fruit, you will certainly die.

Then God said to Himself: "It is not good for man to be alone; let us make a companion like unto him." So God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam. He took one of Adam's ribs, and filled it up with flesh, and formed a woman out of it. When Adam awoke, God gave him the woman for his companion. And Adam said: "This is now bone of my bone and flesh of my flesh. She shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man." "Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother and stay with his wife. They shall be one flesh." In this way the Lord God instituted marriage, which was raised to the dignity of a Sacrament by our Lord Jesus Christ.

The first woman was called Eve, meaning "Mother of the living." Adam and Eve were very happy in Paradise. They had everything they could desire. They felt neither pain, nor sorrow, nor hunger, nor thirst. Immortality was also promised to them by God; they would not die as long as they were obedient to the commandments  of God.