189. After this he sees paths gently sloping upwards. These mean that he is to be led to heaven little by little, by means of cognitions of truth and good and by self-acknowledgement. For without self-acknowledgement and without cognitions of truth and good, nobody can be brought to that place. For a continuation of the subject, see the end of this chapter.

1. And the serpent was subtle, more than every wild animal of the field that Jehovah God had made. And it said to the woman, Has God indeed said, You shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
2. And the woman said to the serpent, Of the fruit from the tree of the garden we are to eat.
3. But of the fruit from the tree which is in the middle of the garden God has said, You shall not eat of it nor touch it, or else you will die.
4. And the serpent said to the woman, You will certainly not die.
5. For God knows that on the day in which you eat of it your eyes will be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.
6. And the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was appetizing to the eyes, and a tree desirable for imparting intelligence; and she took from its fruit and ate; and she also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.
7. And the eyes of both of them were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves together and made girdles for themselves.
8. And they heard Jehovah God's voice going to and fro in the garden in the breeze of the daytime; and the man hid himself, and so did his wife, from the face of Jehovah God, in the middle of the tree of the garden.
9. And Jehovah God called out to the man and said to him, Where are you?
10. And he said, I heard Your voice in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked; and I hid myself.
11. And He said, Who pointed out to you that you were naked? Have you eaten from the tree concerning which I commanded you that you should not eat from it?
12. And the man said, The woman whom You gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat.
13. And Jehovah God said to the woman, Why have you done this? And the woman said, The serpent deceived me, and I ate.

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