Di Garden of Eden

Evening for one garden. Small breeze dey pass through di trees. And one voice dey call, no be with vex, but like person wey dey find somebody. Where you dey? Somewhere behind di leaves, two people dey hide.

Before city or road or kingdom dey, Genesis tell us about one garden. Di Lord God form one man from di dust of di ground, e blow di breath of life enter im nose, and di man become living person. Then God plant one garden for di east, for Eden. Every kind of tree grow there, dem fine to look and dem good to chop. One river dey flow comot from Eden to water di garden. And for di middle of di garden, two special trees stand: di tree of life, and di tree of di knowledge of good and evil.

God put di man inside di garden make e work am and take care of am. And e give am one instruction. You fit chop freely from every tree for di garden. But di tree of di knowledge of good and evil, you no go chop from am, because di day wey you chop from am, you go surely die. Then God talk something new. E no good make di man dey alone. E bring di animals come meet di man, and di man give each one im name. But none of dem be di partner wey e need. So God make di man sleep deep sleep, e take part from im side, and e make woman. When di man wake up and see her, e happy well well. At last! Bone from my bones, and flesh from my flesh. Dem dey together, and shame no dey catch dem.

Now di serpent cunning pass any creature wey di Lord God make. And e start with one question. Na true say God talk say una no go chop from any tree for di garden? Di woman answer say dem fit chop from di trees, but no be from di tree wey dey di middle, or dem go die. Una no go surely die, di serpent talk. God know say di day wey una chop am, una eye go open, and una go be like God, una go know good and evil. Di woman look di tree. Di fruit look like say e good to chop. E fine to look. And e be like say e dey promise wisdom. She pluck some, she chop. She give some to her husband wey dey there with her, and im too chop.

Dia eyes open, exactly as di serpent talk. But wetin dem see no be glory. Dem see say dem dey naked, and shame catch dem. Dem sew fig leaves together to cover dia body. Then, for di cool of di day, dem hear di Lord God dey waka for di garden, and dem hide among di trees. Where you dey? God call. Of course God know. Di question na invitation make dem come out. I hear your voice, di man talk, and I fear, so I hide. You chop from di tree? And di blaming start. Di woman wey you give me, na she give me. Di woman talk say, Di serpent deceive me.

Then God talk to each of dem, one by one. Di serpent go dey crawl with im stomach for dust, and enmity go dey between di serpent and di woman, and between dia offspring. E go bruise your head, God talk, and you go bruise im heel. To di woman God talk say to born pikin go pain her well well, say she go dey desire her husband, and e go rule over her. To di man e talk say di ground go dey grow thorns and thistles, and e go chop bread with di sweat of im face, until e go back to di dust wey e come from.

Then di man name im wife Eve, because she go be di mama of everybody wey dey alive. And look wetin God do next. E make cloth from animal skin for Adam and im wife, and e dress dem by imself. Then God send dem comot from di garden, so dat dem no go stretch hand chop from di tree of life and live forever di way dem be now. For di east side of Eden e put cherubim, and one sword wey dey burn with fire wey dey turn every side, to guard di road to di tree of life. Di gate don close. But di story of God and im people just dey start.

Genesis full with play on words wey e hard to hear for English or for Pidgin. Dem call di first man adam, and dem make am from di adamah, di Hebrew word for ground or soil. Im very name tie am to di earth wey dem make am to take care of. Di name of Eve, Chavvah for Hebrew, di text imself connect am to di word for living. And many Christian readers, from di early church till now, don hear for di words wey God tell di serpent di first sign of one Saviour wey dey come, even though Jewish and Christian teachers don read dat verse for different ways.

Di Garden of Eden. You go find am for Genesis chapter two, verse four, reach di end of chapter three. Di first question wey God ask for di Bible no be, wetin you do? Na, where you dey? So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When you don do something wey no good, you dey hide from God, or you dey come out answer am?