⁷ The LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.

⁸ The LORD God planted a garden eastward, in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

⁹ Out of the ground the LORD God made every tree to grow that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food, including the tree of life in the middle of the garden and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

¹⁰ A river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was parted, and became the source of four rivers.

¹¹ The name of the first is Pishon: it flows through the whole land of Havilah, where there is gold;

¹² and the gold of that land is good. Bdellium and onyx stone are also there.

¹³ The name of the second river is Gihon. It is the same river that flows through the whole land of Cush.

¹⁴ The name of the third river is Hiddekel. This is the one which flows in front of Assyria. The fourth river is the Euphrates.

¹⁵ The LORD God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to cultivate and keep it.

¹⁴ But his citizens hated him, and sent an envoy after him, saying, ‘We don’t want this man to reign over us.’

¹⁵ “When he had come back again, having received the kingdom, he commanded these servants, to whom he had given the money, to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by conducting business.

¹⁶ The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten more minas.’

¹⁷ “He said to him, ‘Well done, you good servant! Because you were found faithful with very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’

¹⁸ “The second came, saying, ‘Your mina, Lord, has made five minas.’

¹⁹ “So he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’

²⁰ Another came, saying, ‘Lord, behold, your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief,

²¹ for I feared you, because you are an exacting man. You take up that which you didn’t lay down, and reap that which you didn’t sow.’

²² “He said to him, ‘Out of your own mouth I will judge you, you wicked servant! You knew that I am an exacting man, taking up that which I didn’t lay down and reaping that which I didn’t sow.

²³ Then why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank, and at my coming, I might have earned interest on it?’

²⁴ He said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina away from him and give it to him who has the ten minas.’

²⁵ “They said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’

²⁶ ‘For I tell you that to everyone who has, will more be given; but from him who doesn’t have, even that which he has will be taken away from him.

²⁷ But bring those enemies of mine who didn’t want me to reign over them here, and kill them before me.’”