Genesis 4

CHAPTER 4

Cain and Abel

¹Now the man ¹knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and ²gave birth to ³Cain, and she said, “I have gotten a ⁴man with the help of Yahweh.”

²And again, she ¹gave birth to his brother Abel. ^aAbel was ^ba keeper of flocks, but Cain was a cultivator of the ground.

³So it happened ¹in the course of time that Cain brought an offering to Yahweh of the fruit of the ground.

^4aAbel, on his part, also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And ^bYahweh had regard for Abel and for his offering;

⁵but ^afor Cain and for his offering He had no regard. So ^bCain became very angry, and his countenance fell.

⁶Then Yahweh said to Cain, “^aWhy are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?

⁷“^aIf you do well, ¹will not your countenance be lifted up? ^bAnd if you do not do well, sin is lying at the door; and its desire is for you, ^cbut you must rule over it.”

⁸Then Cain ¹spoke to Abel his brother; and it happened when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and ^akilled him.

⁹Then Yahweh said to Cain, “^aWhere is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

¹⁰And He said, “What have you done? ^aThe voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground.

¹¹“And now, ^acursed are you from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

¹²“^aWhen you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; ^byou will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth.”

¹³And Cain said to Yahweh, “My punishment is too great to bear!

¹⁴“Behold, You have ^adriven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and ^bI will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and it will be that ^cwhoever finds me will kill me.”

¹⁵So Yahweh said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him ^asevenfold.” And Yahweh ^1bappointed a sign for Cain, so that no one who found him would strike him.

¹⁶Then Cain went out from the presence ^aof Yahweh and ¹settled in the land of ²Nod, east of Eden.

¹⁷Then Cain ¹knew his wife, and she conceived and ²gave birth to Enoch; and he built a city and called the name of the city Enoch, after the name of his son.

¹⁸Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad ¹was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael ²was the father of Methushael, and Methushael ³was the father of Lamech.

¹⁹And Lamech took for himself ^atwo wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah.

²⁰And Adah ¹gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and have livestock.

²¹And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.

²²As for Zillah, she also ¹gave birth to Tubal-cain, the forger of all implements of bronze and iron; and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

²³And Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah,

Hear my voice,

You wives of Lamech,

Give ear to my word,

^aFor I ¹have killed a man for ²striking me;

And a boy for wounding me;

²⁴If Cain is avenged ^asevenfold,

Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”

^25aThen Adam ¹knew his wife again; and she ²gave birth to a son and named him ³Seth, for she said, “God ⁴has set for me another ⁵seed in place of Abel, ^bfor Cain killed him.”

²⁶And to Seth, to him also, ^aa son was born; and he called his name Enosh. Then men began ^bto call ¹upon the name of Yahweh.