Genesis 4
4
Chapter 4
Cain and Abel
1Adam had sex with his wife, Eve. She became pregnant. She gave birth to Cain. She said, ‘With the Lord's help, I have given birth to a son.’ #4:1 Eve knew that God has authority over life and death.
2Some time later, Eve gave birth to Cain's brother. She called him Abel. When they had grown to become men, Abel took care of sheep. Cain worked on the land as a farmer.
3One day, it was time for the harvest. Cain brought to the Lord some of his crops as an offering. 4But Abel brought to God some of the first lambs that his sheep had given birth to. He brought pieces of fat from the best of his lambs to offer them to God. Abel and his gift pleased the Lord. #4:4 Abel chose the firstborn young animals to give to God. He killed them, and then he gave God the fat pieces. This is the best part of the meat from the animal. 5But God was not pleased with Cain and his gift. So Cain became very angry. His face looked sad. #4:5 Cain was angry because God was not happy with him and his gift. Cain did not try to learn what God really wanted as a gift. Instead, Cain showed God that he was angry.
6Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Why are you angry? Why do you look sad? 7If you do what is right, I will accept you. But if you do not do the right thing, sin will be very near to you. It will be like a wild animal at your door that is ready to eat you. But you must become its master.’ #4:7 God told Cain that, if he continued to do wrong things, sin would destroy him. God told Cain that he must turn away from his sins. Then he would accept Cain.
Cain kills Abel
8One day Cain said to his brother Abel, ‘We should go out to the fields.’ While they were in the fields, Cain attacked his brother Abel. He killed Abel.
9Then the Lord said to Cain, ‘Where is Abel, your brother?’ Cain replied, ‘I do not know where he is. Must I always keep my brother safe?’
10Then the Lord God said, ‘Why have you done this bad thing? Now your brother's blood is lying there on the ground. That is like his voice which is shouting to me for help. 11The ground received your brother's blood when you killed him. As a result, the ground no longer accepts you. It has brought a curse on you. 12When you work hard to dig the ground, no plants will grow in it for your food. You will travel from place to place. You will not have your own home.’ #4:12 God's question to Cain is like the question that he asked Adam and Eve. That was when they hid in the garden. God knew that Cain had killed Abel. He wanted Cain to say that he is sorry. But Cain was not sorry that he had killed his brother.
13Cain said to the Lord, ‘That punishment is too much! It will give me too much pain. 14Now you are making me leave my home here on the land. I will be far away from where you are. I will be a traveller without a home. If someone sees me, they will kill me.’
15But the Lord said to Cain, ‘No! If anyone kills Cain, I will punish that person seven times more than I have punished you.’
Then the Lord put a special mark on Cain. This was to tell other people that they must not kill Cain.
16Cain went away from the Lord. He went to live in the land called Nod, which is east of Eden.
The descendants of Cain
17Cain had sex with his wife. She became pregnant and she gave birth to Enoch. Cain started to build a city. He called the city Enoch because that was his son's name. 18Enoch became the father of Irad. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech.
19Lamech married two women. One was called Adah. The other was called Zillah. 20Adah gave birth to Jabal. Jabal became the father of people who live in tents and they take care of animals.
21Jabal had a brother called Jubal. Jubal became the father of people who make music with harps and flutes.
22Zillah gave birth to a son. His name was Tubal-Cain. He used bronze and iron to make tools. Tubal-Cain had a sister. Her name was Naamah.
23Lamech said to his two wives,
‘Adah and Zillah, listen to me!
My wives, hear my words!
A man attacked me, so I killed him.
Yes, I killed a young man because he hurt me.
24If someone kills Cain, God will punish that person seven times more.
But if someone attacks me, I will punish that person 77 times more!’ #4:24 Lamech is proud because he killed the young man. He wants to tell people what he has done. He does not think that he has done anything wrong. This shows that sin has become much worse in the world.
The birth of Seth
25Adam again had sex with his wife, Eve. She gave birth to another son. She called him Seth. Eve said, ‘God has given me another child to take the place of Abel, because Cain killed Abel.’ 26Later Seth had a son and he called him Enosh.
At that time, people began to use the name of the Lord to worship him.
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Genesis 4
4
Genesis 4
1¶ And the man knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain and said, I have gained a man by the Lord.
2And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a pastor of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3¶ And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground a present unto the Lord.
4And Abel, he also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord looked upon Abel and his present,
5but he did not look upon Cain and his present. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6¶ Then the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7If thou doest good, it shall certainly be accepted; and if thou doest not good, sin lies at the door. And his desire shall be unto thee, but thou must rule over him.
8¶ And 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 slew him.
9¶ And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not, Am I my brother’s keeper?
10And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground.
11And now thou art cursed from the earth, which has opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
12when thou tillest the ground, from now on it shall not yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13¶ And Cain said unto the Lord, My iniquity is greater than I can bear.
14Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I hide; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass that anyone that finds me shall slay me.
15And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
16¶ And Cain went out from the presence 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 Enoch; and he built a city and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.
18And unto Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begat Mehujael, and Mehujael begat Methusael, and Methusael begat Lamech.
19¶ And Lamech took unto him two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
20And Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and of those who have cattle.
21And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the harp and organ.
22And Zillah also bore Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron; and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
23¶ And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech, for I shall slay a man for my wound and a young man for my hurt;
24if Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy times seven.
25¶ And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth; for God, said she, has appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
26And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.
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The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International