Genesis 4–6

CAIN MURDERS ABEL

4The man was intimate with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have had a male child with the Lord’s help.”^{A 2}She also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of flocks, but Cain worked the ground. ³In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord.^{m 4}And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions.ⁿ The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,^{o 5}but he did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.

⁶Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious?^p And why do you look despondent? ⁷If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”^q

⁸Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”^B And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.^r

⁹Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

¹⁰Then he said, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground!^{s 11}So now you are cursed, alienated from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood you have shed.^{C 12}If you work the ground, it will never again give you its yield. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”^t

¹³But Cain answered the Lord, “My punishment^D is too great to bear! ¹⁴Since you are banishing me today from the face of the earth, and I must hide from your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me.”^a. ¹⁵Then the Lord replied to him, “In that case,^E whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” And he placed a mark^b on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him. ¹⁶Then Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod,^F east of Eden.

THE LINE OF CAIN

¹⁷Cain was intimate with his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch. Then Cain became the builder of a city, and he named the city Enoch after his son. ¹⁸Irad was born to Enoch, Irad fathered Mehujael, Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. ¹⁹Lamech took two wives for himself, one named Adah and the other named Zillah. ²⁰Adah bore Jabal; he was the first^G of the nomadic herdsmen. ²¹His brother was named Jubal; he was the first^* of all who play the lyre and the flute. ²²Zillah bore Tubal-cain, who made all kinds of bronze and iron tools. Tubal-cain’s sister was Naamah.

²³Lamech said to his wives:

Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;

wives of Lamech, pay attention to my words.

For I killed a man for wounding me,

a young man for striking me.

²⁴If Cain is to be avenged seven times over,

then for Lamech it will be seventy-seven times!

²⁵Adam was intimate with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, for she said, “God has given^A me another offspring^B in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” ²⁶A son was born to Seth^c also, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on the name of the Lord.^d

THE LINE OF SETH

5This is the document containing the family^C records^e of Adam.^D On the day that God created man,^E he made him in the likeness of God; ²he created them male and female. When they were created, he blessed them and called them mankind.^F

³Adam was 130 years old when he fathered a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. ⁴Adam lived 800 years after he fathered Seth, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ⁵So Adam’s life lasted 930 years; then he died.

⁶Seth was 105 years old when he fathered Enosh. ⁷Seth lived 807 years after he fathered Enosh, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ⁸So Seth’s life lasted 912 years; then he died.

⁹Enosh was 90 years old when he fathered Kenan. ¹⁰Enosh lived 815 years after he fathered Kenan, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ¹¹So Enosh’s life lasted 905 years; then he died.

¹²Kenan was 70 years old when he fathered Mahalalel. ¹³Kenan lived 840 years after he fathered Mahalalel, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ¹⁴So Kenan’s life lasted 910 years; then he died.

¹⁵Mahalalel was 65 years old when he fathered Jared. ¹⁶Mahalalel lived 830 years after he fathered Jared, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ¹⁷So Mahalalel’s life lasted 895 years; then he died.

¹⁸Jared was 162 years old when he fathered Enoch. ¹⁹Jared lived 800 years after he fathered Enoch, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ²⁰So Jared’s life lasted 962 years; then he died.

²¹Enoch was 65 years old when he fathered Methuselah. ²²And after he fathered Methuselah, Enoch walked with God^f 300 years and fathered other sons and daughters. ²³So Enoch’s life lasted 365 years. ²⁴Enoch walked with God; then he was not there because God took him.^g

²⁵Methuselah was 187 years old when he fathered Lamech. ²⁶Methuselah lived 782 years after he fathered Lamech, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ²⁷So Methuselah’s life lasted 969 years; then he died.

²⁸Lamech was 182 years old when he fathered a son. ²⁹And he named him Noah,^G saying, “This one will bring us relief from the agonizing labor of our hands, caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.”^{h 30}Lamech lived 595 years after he fathered Noah, and he fathered other sons and daughters. ³¹So Lamech’s life lasted 777 years; then he died.

³²Noah was 500 years old, and he fathered Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

SONS OF GOD AND DAUGHTERS OF MANKIND

6When mankind began to multiply on the earth and daughters were born to them, ²the sons of God^a saw that the daughters of mankind were beautiful, and they took any they chose as wives for themselves. ³And the Lord said, “My Spirit will not remain^A with^B mankind forever,^c because they are corrupt.^Cd Their days will be 120 years.” ⁴The Nephilim were on the earth both in those days and afterward, when the sons of God came to the daughters of mankind, who bore children to them. They were the powerful men of old, the famous men.

JUDGMENT DECREED

⁵When the Lord saw that human wickedness was widespread on the earth and that every inclination of the human mind was nothing but evil all the time,^{e 6}the Lord regretted that he had made man on the earth,^f and he was deeply grieved. ⁷Then the Lord said, “I will wipe mankind, whom I created, off the face of the earth, together with the animals, creatures that crawl, and birds of the sky—for I regret that I made them.” ⁸Noah, however, found favor with the Lord.^g

GOD WARNS NOAH

⁹These are the family records^h of Noah. Noah was a righteous man,ⁱ blameless among his contemporaries;^j Noah walked with God.^{k 10}And Noah fathered three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.

¹¹Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with wickedness. ¹²God saw how corrupt the earth was, for every creature had corrupted its way on the earth.^{l 13}Then God said to Noah, “I have decided to put an end to every creature, for the earth is filled with wickedness because of them; therefore I am going to destroy them along with the earth.

¹⁴“Make yourself an ark of gopher^F wood. Make rooms in the ark, and cover it with pitch inside and outside. ¹⁵This is how you are to make it: The ark will be 450 feet long, 75 feet wide, and 45 feet high.^{G 16}You are to make a roof,^H finishing the sides of the ark to within eighteen inches^I of the roof. You are to put a door in the side of the ark. Make it with lower, middle, and upper decks.

¹⁷“Understand that I am bringing a flood—floodwaters on the earth^m to destroy every creature under heaven with the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. ¹⁸But I will establish my covenant with you,ⁿ and you will enter the ark with your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives. ¹⁹You are also to bring into the ark two of all the living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. ²⁰Two of everything—from the birds according to their kinds, from the livestock according to their kinds, and from the animals that crawl on the ground according to their kinds—will come to you so that you can keep them alive. ²¹Take with you every kind of food that is eaten; gather it as food for you and for them.” ²²And Noah did this. He did everything that God had commanded him.^o