Genesis 2:15-17; Genesis 3:8-12; Titus 1:6-9 - Prayer Tents

2So the creation of the heavens and the earth and everything in them was completed.H8064H776H3615H66352On the seventh day God had finished his work of creation, so he rested from all his work.H7637H3117H430H3615H4399H6213H7673H7637H3117H4399H62133And God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, because it was the day when he rested from all his work of creation.H430H1288H7637H3117H6942H3588H7673H4399H430H1254H6213

The Man and Woman in Eden

4This is the account of the creation of the heavens and the earth. When the LORD God made the earth and the heavens,H428H8435H8064H776H1254H3117H3068H430H6213H776H80645neither wild plants nor grains were growing on the earth. For the LORD God had not yet sent rain to water the earth, and there were no people to cultivate the soil.H7880H7704H2962H776H6212H7704H2962H6779H3588H3068H430H3808H4305H776H369H120H5647H1276Instead, springs came up from the ground and watered all the land.H5927H108H4480H776H8248H6440H1277Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man's nostrils, and the man became a living person.H3068H430H3335H120H6083H4480H127H5301H639H5397H2416H120H2416H53158Then the LORD God planted a garden in Eden in the east, and there he placed the man he had made.H3068H430H5193H1588H6924H5731H8033H7760H120H834H33359The LORD God made all sorts of trees grow up from the ground—trees that were beautiful and that produced delicious fruit. In the middle of the garden he placed the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.H4480H127H6779H3068H430H6779H6086H2530H4758H2896H3978H6086H2416H8432H1588H6086H1847H2896H745110A river flowed from the land of Eden, watering the garden and then dividing into four branches.H5104H3318H5731H8248H1588H6504H702H721811The first branch, called the Pishon, flowed around the entire land of Havilah, where gold is found.H8034H259H6376H1931H5437H776H2341H834H209112The gold of that land is exceptionally pure; aromatic resin and onyx stone are also found there.H2091H1931H776H2896H916H7718H6813The second branch, called the Gihon, flowed around the entire land of Cush.H8034H8145H5104H1521H5437H776H356814The third branch, called the Tigris, flowed east of the land of Asshur. The fourth branch is called the Euphrates.H8034H7992H5104H2313H1980H6926H804H7243H5104H657815The LORD God placed the man in the Garden of Eden to tend and watch over it.H3068H430H3947H120H3240H1588H5731H5647H810416But the LORD God warned him, "You may freely eat the fruit of every tree in the gardenH3068H430H6680H120H559H6086H1588H398H39817—except the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. If you eat its fruit, you are sure to die."H6086H1847H2896H7451H398H3117H398H4191H419118Then the LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper who is just right for him."H3068H430H559H2896H120H1961H6213H582819So the LORD God formed from the ground all the wild animals and all the birds of the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would call them, and the man chose a name for each one.H127H3068H430H3335H2416H7704H5775H8064H935H120H7200H7121H120H7121H2416H5315H1931H803420He gave names to all the livestock, all the birds of the sky, and all the wild animals. But still there was no helper just right for him.H120H7121H8034H929H5775H8064H2416H7704H120H4672H582821So the LORD God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep. While the man slept, the LORD God took out one of the man's ribs and closed up the opening.H3068H430H5307H8639H5307H121H3462H3947H259H6763H5462H132022Then the LORD God made a woman from the rib, and he brought her to the man.H6763H3068H430H3947H120H1129H802H935H12023"At last!" the man exclaimed. "This one is bone from my bone, and flesh from my flesh! She will be called 'woman,' because she was taken from 'man.'"H120H559H2063H6471H6106H6106H1320H1320H2063H7121H802H2063H3947H37624This explains why a man leaves his father and mother and is joined to his wife, and the two are united into one.H3651H376H5800H1H517H1692H802H259H132025Now the man and his wife were both naked, but they felt no shame.H8147H6174H120H802H954

The Man and Woman Sin

3The serpent was the shrewdest of all the wild animals the LORD God had made. One day he asked the woman, "Did God really say you must not eat the fruit from any of the trees in the garden?"H5175H1961H6175H2416H7704H3068H430H6213H559H802H637H430H559H398H6086H1588 2"Of course we may eat fruit from the trees in the garden," the woman replied.H802H559H5175H398H6529H6086H1588 3"It's only the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that we are not allowed to eat. God said, 'You must not eat it or even touch it; if you do, you will die.'"H6529H6086H8432H1588H430H559H398H5060H6435H4191 4"You won't die!" the serpent replied to the woman.H5175H559H802H4191H4191 5"God knows that your eyes will be opened as soon as you eat it, and you will be like God, knowing both good and evil."H430H3045H3117H398H5869H6491H430H3045H2896H7451 6The woman was convinced. She saw that the tree was beautiful and its fruit looked delicious, and she wanted the wisdom it would give her. So she took some of the fruit and ate it. Then she gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it, too.H802H7200H6086H2896H3978H1931H8378H5869H6086H2530H7919H3947H6529H398H5414H1571H376H398 7At that moment their eyes were opened, and they suddenly felt shame at their nakedness. So they sewed fig leaves together to cover themselves.H5869H8147H6491H1992H3045H5903H8609H8384H5929H8609H6213H2290 8When the cool evening breezes were blowing, the man and his wife heard the LORD God walking about in the garden. So they hid from the LORD God among the trees.H8085H6963H3068H430H1980H1588H7307H3117H120H802H2244H6440H3068H430H8432H6086H1588 9Then the LORD God called to the man, "Where are you?"H3068H430H7121H120H559H335 10He replied, "I heard you walking in the garden, so I hid. I was afraid because I was naked."H559H8085H6963H1588H3372H595H5903H2244 11"Who told you that you were naked?" the LORD God asked. "Have you eaten from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat?"H559H4310H5046H5903H398H6086H6680H1115H398 12The man replied, "It was the woman you gave me who gave me the fruit, and I ate it."H120H559H802H5414H5978H1931H5414H6086H398 13Then the LORD God asked the woman, "What have you done?" "The serpent deceived me," she replied. "That's why I ate it."H3068H430H559H802H6213H802H559H5175H5377H398 14Then the LORD God said to the serpent, "Because you have done this, you are cursed more than all animals, domestic and wild. You will crawl on your belly, groveling in the dust as long as you live.H3068H430H559H5175H859H6213H779H929H2416H7704H1512H3212H6083H398H3117H2416 15And I will cause hostility between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring. He will strike your head, and you will strike his heel."H7896H342H802H2233H2233H7779H7218H7779H6119 16Then he said to the woman, "I will sharpen the pain of your pregnancy, and in pain you will give birth. And you will desire to control your husband, but he will rule over you."H802H559H7235H7235H6093H2032H6089H3205H1121H8669H376H4910 17And to the man he said, "Since you listened to your wife and ate from the tree whose fruit I commanded you not to eat, the ground is cursed because of you. All your life you will struggle to scratch a living from it.H121H559H8085H6963H802H398H6086H834H6680H559H398H779H127H6093H398H3605H3117H2416 18It will grow thorns and thistles for you, though you will eat of its grains.H6975H1863H6779H398H6212H7704 19By the sweat of your brow will you have food to eat until you return to the ground from which you were made. For you were made from dust, and to dust you will return."H2188H639H398H3899H5704H7725H127H3947H6083H859H6083H7725

Paradise Lost: God’s Judgment

20Then the man—Adam—named his wife Eve, because she would be the mother of all who live.H120H7121H802H8034H2332H517H2416 21And the LORD God made clothing from animal skins for Adam and his wife.H120H802H3068H430H6213H3801H5785H3847 22Then the LORD God said, "Look, the human beings have become like us, knowing both good and evil. What if they reach out, take fruit from the tree of life, and eat it? Then they will live forever!"H3068H430H559H2005H120H259H3045H2896H7451H7971H3027H3947H6086H2416H398H2425H5769 23So the LORD God banished them from the Garden of Eden, and he sent Adam out to cultivate the ground from which he had been made.H3068H430H7971H1588H5731H5647H127H3947 24After sending them out, the LORD God stationed mighty cherubim to the east of the Garden of Eden. And he placed a flaming sword that flashed back and forth to guard the way to the tree of life.H1644H120H7931H6924H1588H5731H3742H3858H2719H2015H8104H1870H6086H2416

Greetings from Paul

1This letter is from Paul, a slave of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ. I have been sent to proclaim faith to those God has chosen and to teach them to know the truth that shows them how to live godly lives.G3972G1401G2316G1161G652G2424G5547G2596G4102G2316G1588G2532G1922G225G3588G2596G2150 2This truth gives them confidence that they have eternal life, which God—who does not lie—promised them before the world began.G1909G1680G166G2222G3739G2316G893G1861G4253G166G5550 3And now at just the right time he has revealed this message, which we announce to everyone. It is by the command of God our Savior that I have been entrusted with this work for him.G1161G5319G2398G2540G5319G846G3056G1722G2782G3739G4100G1473G2596G2003G2316G2257G4990 4I am writing to Titus, my true son in the faith that we share. May God the Father and Christ Jesus our Savior give you grace and peace.G5103G1103G5043G2596G2839G4102G5485G1656G1515G575G2316G3962G2532G2962G2424G5547G2257G4990

Titus’s Work in Crete

5I left you on the island of Crete so you could complete our work there and appoint elders in each town as I instructed you.G5127G5484G2641G4571G1722G2914G2443G1930G3007G2532G2525G4245G2596G4172G5613G1473G1299G4671 6An elder must live a blameless life. He must be faithful to his wife, and his children must be believers who don't have a reputation for being wild or rebellious.G1536G2076G410G435G3391G1135G2192G4103G5043G3361G1722G2724G810G2228G506 7An elder is a manager of God's household, so he must live a blameless life. He must not be arrogant or quick-tempered; he must not be a heavy drinker, violent, or dishonest with money.G1063G1985G1163G1511G410G5613G3623G2316G3361G829G3361G3711G3361G3943G3361G4131G3361G146 8Rather, he must enjoy having guests in his home, and he must love what is good. He must live wisely and be just. He must live a devout and disciplined life.G235G5382G5358G4998G1342G3741G1468 9He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong.G472G4103G3056G2596G1322G2443G5600G1415G1722G5198G1319G2532G3870G2532G1651G483 10For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation.G1063G1526G4183G506G2532G3151G2532G5423G3122G1537G4061 11They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money.G3739G1993G1163G1993G3748G396G3650G3624G1321G3739G1163G3361G5484G150G2771G5484 12Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, "The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons."G5100G1537G846G4396G846G2398G2036G2912G104G5583G2556G2342G692G1064 13This is true. So reprimand them sternly to make them strong in the faith.G3778G3141G2076G227G1223G3739G156G1651G846G664G2443G5198G1722G4102 14They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth.G3361G4337G2451G3454G2532G1785G444G654G225 15Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted.G2513G3956G3303G2513G1161G3392G2532G571G3762G2513G235G2532G846G3563G2532G4893G3392 16Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.G3670G1492G2316G1161G2041G720G5607G947G2532G545G2532G4314G3956G18G2041G96