Genesis 4
4
1Adam slept with his wife Eve and she became pregnant. She gave birth to Cain, and said, “With the Lord's help I have made a man.” 2Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel became a shepherd, while Cain was a crop farmer.
3Sometime later Cain brought some of the produce he'd grown as an offering to the Lord. 4Abel also brought an offering: the firstborn lambs of his flock, selecting the very best parts to offer. The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering, 5but he wasn't pleased with Cain and his offering, which made Cain very angry and he frowned in annoyance.
6The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you so angry? Why do you look so annoyed? 7If you were doing what's right, then you'd be looking happy.#4:7. “Looking happy”: literally, “lifted up.” In the previous verse, the literal meaning is that Cain's “face fell.” So the opposite would be for his face to be “lifted up,” in other words, he would look happy. But if you don't do what's right, then sin will be like an animal crouching outside your home, ready to pounce on you. It wants to have you, but you must be the one in control.”
8Later, when Cain was talking with his brother Abel#4:8. The Septuagint and some other ancient versions add here, “Let's go out into the fields.” The way the sentence is structured in the Hebrew does suggest some words are missing. they went out into the fields where Cain attacked his brother and killed him.
9“Where is your brother Abel?” the Lord asked Cain.
“How should I know?” he replied. “Am I supposed to be my brother's care-giver?”
10“What have you done?” the Lord asked. “Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground. 11Consequently you are more cursed than the ground because you soaked it with your brother's blood. 12When you cultivate the ground, it won't produce crops for you. You'll be always on the run, wandering all over the earth.”
13“My punishment is more than I can take,” Cain replied. 14“Look! You're driving me away right now—cursing the ground and banishing me from your presence. I'm going to have to hide and always be on the run, left to wander all over the earth. Anyone who finds me is going to kill me!”
15But the Lord replied, “No, Cain. Anyone who kills you will be punished seven times over.” The Lord placed a mark on Cain so that no one who came across him would kill him.
16So Cain left the Lord's presence and went to live in a land called Nod, east of Eden.#4:16. “Nod” means “wandering.”
17Cain slept with his wife and she became pregnant. She had a son named Enoch. At that time Cain was building a town, so he named it after his son Enoch. 18Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad was the father of Mehujael, Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech. 19Lamech married two women. The first was named Adah, and the second was named Zillah. 20Adah had a son named Jabal. He was the father#4:20. “Father” can also mean “ancestor.” of those who live in tents and have livestock. 21He had a brother named Jubal; he was the father of all those who play stringed and wind instruments. 22Zillah also had a son. He was named Tubal-cain and he was a blacksmith, making different kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain's sister was named Naamah.
23At one time Lamech told his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to me. You wives of Lamech, pay attention to what I have to say. I killed a man because he wounded me; I killed a young man because he injured me. 24If the sentence for killing Cain was to be punished seven times over, then if someone kills me, Lamech, the punishment should be seventy-seven times.”
25Adam slept with his wife again, and she had a son and named him Seth,#4:25. “Seth,” meaning “substitute,” or “given.” explaining that, “God has given me another child to replace Abel, the one Cain killed.” 26Later Seth had a son named Enosh,#4:26. “Enosh,” meaning “mankind” or “people.” because at that time people began to worship the Lord by name.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com
Genesis 4
4
Cain Murders Abel
1Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.” 2Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now #Luke 11:50, 51Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. 3And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit #Num. 18:12of the ground to the Lord. 4Abel also brought of #Num. 18:17the firstborn of his flock and of #Lev. 3:16their fat. And the Lord respected #Heb. 11:4Abel and his offering, 5but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen? 7If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”
8Now Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and #Matt. 23:35; Luke 11:51; (1 John 3:12–15); Jude 11killed him.
9Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, #John 8:44“I do not know. Am I #1 Cor. 8:11–13my brother’s keeper?”
10And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood #Num. 35:33; Deut. 21:1–9; Heb. 12:24; Rev. 6:9, 10cries out to Me from the ground. 11So now #Gen. 3:14; Deut. 11:28; 28:15–20; Gal. 3:10you are cursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 12When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
13And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! 14Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground; #Ps. 51:11I shall be #Deut. 31:18; Is. 1:15hidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happen that #Gen. 9:6; Num. 35:19, 21, 27anyone who finds me will kill me.”
15And the Lord said to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him #Gen. 4:24; Ps. 79:12sevenfold.” And the Lord set a #Gen. 9:6; Ezek. 9:4, 6mark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
The Family of Cain
16Then Cain #2 Kin. 13:23; 24:20; Jer. 23:39; 52:3went out from the #Jon. 1:3presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden. 17And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Ē´noch. And he built a city, #Ps. 49:11and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Ē´noch. 18To Ē´noch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.
19Then Lamech took for himself #Gen. 2:24; 16:3; 1 Tim. 3:2two wives: the name of one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 20And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21His brother’s name was Jubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute. 22And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.
23Then Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
Wives of Lamech, listen to my speech!
For I have killed a man for wounding me,
Even a young man for hurting me.
24#Gen. 4:15If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
A New Son
25And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and #Gen. 5:3named him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.” 26And as for Seth, #Gen. 5:6to him also a son was born; and he named him Ē´nosh. Then men began #Gen. 12:8; 26:25; 1 Kin. 18:24; Ps. 116:17; Joel 2:32; Zeph. 3:9; 1 Cor. 1:2to call on the name of the Lord.
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The Holy Bible, New King James Version, Copyright © 1982 Thomas Nelson. All rights reserved.