The serpent plucked the fruit of the forbidden tree and placed it in the hands of the half-reluctant Eve. Then he reminded her 56 of her own words, that God had forbidden them to touch it, lest they die. She would receive no more harm from eating the fruit, he declared, than from touching it. Perceiving no evil results from what she had done, Eve grew bolder. When she "saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat." It was grateful to the taste, and as she ate, she seemed to feel a vivifying power, and imagined herself entering upon a higher state of existence. Without a fear she plucked and ate. And now, having herself transgressed, she became the agent of Satan in working the ruin of her husband. In a state of strange, unnatural excitement, with her hands filled with the forbidden fruit, she sought his presence, and related all that had occurred.

Slangen plukkede frugten af det forbudne træ og lagde den i den tvivlrådige Evas hånd. Så mindede han hende om hendes egne ord, at Gud havde forbudt dem at røre den, for at de ikke skulle dø. Hun ville ikke tage mere skade af at spise den end af at røre ved den. Da Eva ikke så nogen onde følger af det, hun havde gjort, blev hun modigere. Da hun så, "at træet var godt at spise af, en lyst for øjnene og godt at få forstand af" tog hun "af dets frugt og spiste". Den faldt i hendes smag, og idet hun spiste, syntes hun, at hun følte en livgivende kraft, og hun forestillede sig, at hun blev hævet op i en højere tilværelse. Uden frygt plukkede hun og spiste. Og nu, da hun selv havde syndet, blev hun Satans redskab til at bringe ulykke over sin mand. I en tilstand af mærkelig unaturlig ophidselse og med hænderne fulde af den forbudne frugt opsøgte hun ham og fortalte ham alt, hvad der var sket.