Of all the animals God created, the serpent was the most tricky and deceitful. He came to Eve and asked, "Really? None of the fruit in the garden? God says you must not eat any of it?"
"Of course we can eat it," Eve replied. "It's only the fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil that we cannot eat. God says we mustn't eat it or even touch it, or we will die."
"That's a lie!" said the serpent. "You won't die! God knows very well that when you eat it you will become like Him - you will know good from evil!"
Eve looked at the fruit on the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and saw that it looked fresh and delicious. She thought the fruit would make her wise like the serpent said it would. Eve was convinced! She picked the fruit and ate it, and she gave some to Adam to eat, too.
The fruit did not make Adam and Eve very wise, but they did realize for the first time that they were not wearing any clothes! They were embarrassed and made themselves skirts of fig leaves.
Later that day, God was walking in the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were ashamed of what they had done and afraid to face God, so they hid in the trees. But God knew they had eaten the forbidden fruit. Adam tried to put the blame on Eve, and Eve tried to put the blame on the serpent, but God was angry with all three of them!
God punished the serpent by cursing his kind. They would forever have to crawl on their bellies in the dust and be enemies of mankind.
God punished Adam and Eve, and all their descendants, by making their lives hard. No longer could they live in the perfect world of the Garden of Eden. Men would have to struggle and sweat for their existence. Women would have to bear children in pain and be ruled over by their husbands. Adam and Eve were thrown out of the beautiful Garden of Eden.
Forever.