Genesis 4:1–12

Cain and Abel

4Now Adam knew^a Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain. And she said, “I have given birth to a man with the help of Yahweh.” ²Then she bore^b his brother Abel. And Abel became a keeper of sheep, and Cain became a tiller of the ground. ³And in the course of time^c Cain brought an offering from the fruit of the ground to Yahweh, ⁴and Abel also brought an offering from the choicest firstlings of his flock.^d And Yahweh looked with favor to Abel and to his offering, ⁵but to Cain and to his offering he did not look with favor. And Cain became very angry, and his face fell. ⁶And Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your face fallen? ⁷If you do well will I not accept you?^e But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. And its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”

⁸Then^f Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out into the field.”^g And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him. ⁹Then^h Yahweh said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰And he said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground. ¹¹So now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive the blood of your brother from your hand. ¹²When you till the ground it shall no longer yield its strength to you.ⁱ You shall be a wanderer and a fugitive on the earth.”