Fragmenda

Scripture

Genesis 1–4

Book Introduction

This book is so called from its treating of the GENERATION, that is, of the creation and the beginning of the world. The Hebrews call it BERESITH, from the Word with which it begins. It contains not only the history of the Creation of the world; but also an account of its progress during the space of 2369 years, that is, until the death of JOSEPH.

Genesis 1

God createth Heaven and Earth, and all things therein, in six days.

1 In the beginning God created heaven, and earth.
2 

And the earth was void and empty, and darkness was upon the face of the deep; and the spirit of God moved over the waters.

3 

And God said: Be light made. And light was made.

4 

And God saw the light that it was good; and he divided the light from the darkness.

5 

And he called the light Day, and the darkness Night; and there was evening and morning one day.

6 

And God said: Let there be a firmament made amidst the waters: and let it divide the waters from the waters.

7 

And God made a firmament, and divided the waters that were under the firmament, from those that were above the firmament, and it was so.

8 

And God called the firmament, Heaven; and the evening and morning were the second day.

9 

God also said; Let the waters that are under the heaven, be gathered together into one place: and let the dry land appear. And it was so done.

10 

And God called the dry land, Earth; and the gathering together of the waters, he called Seas. And God saw that it was good.

11 

And he said: let the earth bring forth green herb, and such as may seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after its kind, which may have seed in itself upon the earth. And it was so done.

12 

And the earth brought forth the green herb, and such as yieldeth seed according to its kind, and the tree that beareth fruit, having seed each one according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

13 

And the evening and the morning were the third day.

14 

And God said: Let there be lights made in the firmament of heaven, to divide the day and the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years:

15 

To shine in the firmament of heaven, and to give light upon the earth, and it was so done.

16 

And God made two great lights: a greater light to rule the day; and a lesser light to rule the night: and the stars.

17 

And he set them in the firmament of heaven to shine upon the earth.

18 

And to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light and the darkness. And God saw that it was good.

19 

And the evening and morning were the fourth day.

20 

God also said: let the waters bring forth the creeping creature having life, and the fowl that may fly over the earth under the firmament of heaven.

21 

And God created the great whales, and every living and moving creature, which the waters brought forth, according to their kinds, and every winged fowl according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.

22 

And he blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the waters of the sea: and let the birds be multiplied upon the earth.

23 

And the evening and morning were the fifth day.

24 

And God said: Let the earth bring forth the living creature in its kind, cattle and creeping things, and beasts of the earth, according to their kinds. And it was so done.

25 

And God made the beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and cattle, and every thing that creepeth on the earth after its kind. And God saw that it was good.

26 

And he said: Let us make man to our image and likeness: and let him have dominion over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and the beasts, and the whole earth, and every creeping creature that moveth upon the earth.

27 

And God created man to his own image: to the image of God he created him: male and female he created them.

28 

And God blessed them, saying: Increase and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue it, and rule over the fishes of the sea, and the fowls of the air, and all living creatures that move upon the earth.

29 

And God said: Behold I have given you every herb bearing seed upon the earth, and all trees that have in themselves seed of their own kind, to be your meat:

30 

And to all beasts of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to all that move upon the earth, and wherein there is life, that they may have to feed upon. And it was so done.

31 

And God saw all the things that he had made, and they were very good. And the evening and morning were the sixth day.


Genesis 2

God resteth on the seventh day and blesseth it. The earthly paradise, in which God placeth man. He commandeth him not to eat of the tree of knowledge. And formeth a woman of his rib.

1 

So the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the furniture of them.

2 

And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made: and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.

3 

And he blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.

4 

These are the generations of the heaven and the earth, when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the heaven and the earth:

5 

And every plant of the field before it sprung up in the earth, and every herb of the ground before it grew: for the Lord God had not rained upon the earth; and there was not a man to till the earth.

6 

But a spring rose out of the earth, watering all the surface of the earth.

7 

And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul.

8 

And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning: wherein he placed man whom he had formed.

9 

And the Lord God brought forth of the ground all manner of trees, fair to behold, and pleasant to eat of: the tree of life also in the midst of paradise: and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

10 

And a river went out of the place of pleasure to water paradise, which from thence is divided into four heads.

11 

The name of the one is Phison: that is it which compasseth all the land of Hevilath, where gold groweth.

12 

And the gold of that land is very good: there is found bdellium, and the onyx stone.

13 

And the name of the second river is Gehon: the same is it that compasseth all the land of Ethiopia.

14 

And the name of the third river is Tigris: the same passeth along by the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.

15 

And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it.

16 

And he commanded him, saying: Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat:

17 

But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death.

18 

And the Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone: let us make him a help like unto himself.

19 

And the Lord God having formed out of the ground all the beasts of the earth, and all the fowls of the air, brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: for whatsoever Adam called any living creature the same is its name.

20 

And Adam called all the beasts by their names, and all the fowls of the air, and all the cattle of the field: but for Adam there was not found a helper like himself.

21 

Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it.

22 

And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam.

23 

And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.

24 

Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh.

25 

And they were both naked: to wit, Adam and his wife: and were not ashamed.


Genesis 3

The serpent’s craft. The fall of our first parents. Their punishment. The promise of a Redeemer.

1 

Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman: Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?

2 

And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat:

3 

But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.

4 

And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death.

5 

For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil.

6 

And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, who did eat.

7 

And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons.

8 

And when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise at the afternoon air, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God, amidst the trees of paradise.

9 

And the Lord God called Adam, and said to him: Where art thou?

10 

And he said: I heard thy voice in paradise; and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.

11 

And he said to him: And who hath told thee that thou wast naked, but that thou hast eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat?

12 

And Adam said: The woman, whom thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree, and I did eat.

13 

And the Lord God said to the woman: Why hast thou done this? And she answered: The serpent deceived me, and I did eat.

14 

And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.

15 

I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.

16 

To the woman also he said: I will multiply thy sorrows, and thy conceptions: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thou shalt be under thy husband’s power, and he shall have dominion over thee.

17 

And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee, that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work: with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life.

18 

Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth.

19 

In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.

20 

And Adam called the name of his wife Eve: because she was the mother of all the living.

21 

And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.

22 

And he said: Behold Adam is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now therefore lest perhaps he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.

23 

And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken.

24 

And he cast out Adam: and placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubims, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.


Genesis 4

The history of Cain and Abel.

1 

And Adam knew Eve his wife; who conceived and brought forth Cain, saying: I have gotten a man through God.

2 

And again she brought forth his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepherd, and Cain a husbandman.

3 

And it came to pass after many days, that Cain offered, of the fruits of the earth, gifts to the Lord.

4 

Abel also offered of the firstlings of his flock, and of their fat: and the Lord had respect to Abel, and to his offerings.

5 

But to Cain and his offerings he had no respect: and Cain was exceeding angry, and his countenance fell.

6 

And the Lord said to him: Why art thou angry? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7 

If thou do well, shalt thou not receive? but if ill, shall not sin forthwith be present at the door? but the lust thereof shall be under thee, and thou shalt have dominion over it.

8 

And Cain said to Abel his brother: Let us go forth abroad. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and slew him.

9 

And the Lord said to Cain: Where is thy brother Abel? And he answered: I know not: am I my brother’s keeper?

10 

And he said to him: What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth to me from the earth.

11 

Now, therefore, cursed shalt thou be upon the earth, which hath opened her mouth and received the blood of thy brother at thy hand.

12 

When thou shalt till it, it shall not yield to thee its fruit: a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be upon the earth.

13 

And Cain said to the Lord: My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon.

14 

Behold thou dost cast me out this day from the face of the earth, and from thy face I shall be hid, and I shall be a vagabond and a fugitive on the earth: every one, therefore, that findeth me, shall kill me.

15 

And the Lord said to him: No, it shall not so be: but whosoever shall kill Cain, shall be punished sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, that whosoever found him should not kill him.

16 

And Cain went out from the face of the Lord, and dwelt as a fugitive on the earth at the east side of Eden.

17 

And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived, and brought forth Henoch: and he built a city, and called the name thereof by the name of his son Henoch.

18 

And Henoch begot Irad, and Irad begot Maviael, and Maviael begot Mathusael, and Mathusael begot Lamech,

19 

Who took two wives: the name of the one was Ada, and the name of the other Sella.

20 

And Ada brought forth Jabel: who was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of herdsmen.

21 

And his brother’s name was Jubal: he was the father of them that play upon the harp and the organs.

22 

Sella also brought forth Tubalcain, who was a hammerer and artificer in every work of brass and iron. And the sister of Tubalcain was Noema.

23 

And Lamech said to his wives Ada and Sella: Hear my voice, ye wives of Lamech, hearken to my speech: for I have slain a man to the wounding of myself, and a stripling to my own bruising.

24 

Sevenfold vengeance shall be taken for Cain: but for Lamech seventy times sevenfold.

25 

Adam also knew his wife again: and she brought forth a son, and called his name Seth, saying: God hath given me another seed for Abel, whom Cain slew.

26 

But to Seth also was born a son, whom he called Enos: this man began to call upon the name of the Lord.

Catechism

Catechism of St Pius X, On the Commandments of God and of the Church, Lesson 9, Questions 1-15

1 Q. What does the Eighth Commandment, Thou shalt not bear false witness, forbid?

A. The Eighth Commandment, Thou shalt not bear false witness, forbids false testimony in a court of justice, and it also forbids backbiting, detraction, calumny, adulation, rash judgement and rash suspicion and every sort of lying.

2 Q. What is detraction or backbiting?

A. Detraction or backbiting is a sin which consists in making known another's sins and defects without sufficient reason.

3 Q. What is calumny?

A. Calumny is a sin which consists in maliciously attributing to another faults and defects which he did not possess.

4 Q. What is adulation?

A. Adulation is a sin which consists in deceiving another by falsely praising him or others for the purpose of profiting thereby.

5 Q. What is rash judgement or rash suspicion?

A. Rash judgement or rash suspicion is a sin which consists in judging or suspecting evil of others without sufficient foundation.

6 Q. What is a lie?

A. A lie is a sin which consists in asserting as true or false by word or act that which one does not believe to be really the case.

7 Q. How many kinds of lies are there?

A. There are three kinds: The jocose lie, the officious lie, and the malicious lie.

8 Q. What is a jocose lie?

A. A jocose lie is that which is told in jest and without injury to anyone.

9 Q. What is an officious lie?

A. An officious lie is a false statement to benefit oneself or another without injuring anyone else.

10 Q. What is a malicious lie?

A. A malicious lie is a false statement made to the injury of another.

11 Q. Is it ever lawful to tell a lie?

A. It is never lawful to tell a lie, neither in joke, nor for one's own benefit, nor for the benefit of another, because a lie is always bad in itself.

12 Q. What kind of sin is a lie?

A. A lie when jocose or officious is a venial sin; but when malicious it is a mortal sin if the harm done is grave.

13 Q. Is it always necessary to say all one's mind?

A. It is not always necessary, especially when he who questions you has no right to know what he demands.

14 Q. Is it enough for him who has sinned against the Eighth Commandment to confess the sin?

A. It is not enough for him who has sinned against the Eighth Commandment to confess the sin; he is also obliged to retract whatever he said when calumniating another, and to repair as far as he can the harm he has done.

15 Q. What does the Eighth Commandment command us to do?

A. The Eighth Commandment commands us to speak the truth at the proper time and place, and, as far as we can, to put a good interpretation upon the actions of our neighbour.