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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Bereshis 4
4
1And HaAdam knew Chavah (Eve) his isha; and she conceived, and bore Kayin (Cain), and said, Kaniti (I have acquired) ish with Hashem.
2And again she bore his ach Hevel (Abel). And Hevel was a ro'eh tzon, but Kayin was an oved adamah (tiller of soil).
3And in ketz yamim it came to pass, that Kayin brought of the p'ri haadamah a minchah unto Hashem.
4And Hevel, he also brought of the bechorot of his tzon and of the chelev thereof. And Hashem regarded [with favor, respect] unto Hevel and to his minchah:
5But unto Kayin and to his minchah He had not regard. And Kayin was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6And Hashem said unto Kayin, Why art thou angry? And why is thy countenance fallen?
7If thou doest right, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doest not right, chattat is lurking at the petach. And unto thee shall be its teshukah (desire), and thou must rule over it.
8And Kayin talked with Hevel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the sadeh, that Kayin rose up against Hevel his brother, and killed him.
9And Hashem said unto Kayin, Where is Hevel thy brother? And he said, I know not; am I shomer achi (my brotherʼs keeper)?
10And He said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brotherʼs dahm crieth unto Me from haadamah.
11And now art thou arur (cursed) from haadamah, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brotherʼs dahm from thy hand;
12When thou tillest haadamah, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her ko'ach (strength); na (restless fugitive) vanad (and a wanderer, nomad) shalt thou be in ha'aretz.
13And Kayin said unto Hashem, My avon (iniquity, punishment for guilt) is greater than I can bear.
14See, Thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the adamah; and from Thy face shall I be hidden and I shall be a na (restless fugitive) vanad (and a wanderer, nomad) in ha'aretz; and it shall come to pass, that whoever findeth me shall kill me.
15And Hashem said unto him, Therefore whoever killeth Kayin, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And Hashem placed an ot (mark) upon Kayin, so that none finding him should kill him.
16And Kayin went out from the presence of Hashem, and dwelt in Eretz Nod, east of Eden.
17And Kayin knew his isha; and she conceived, and bore Chanokh (Enoch); and he built an ir (city), and called the shem of the ir, after the shem beno, Chanokh (Enoch).
18And unto Chanokh (Enoch) was born Irad; and Irad fathered Mechuyael; and Mechuyael fathered Metushael; and Metushael fathered Lamech.
19And Lamech took unto him two nashim; the shem of the one was Adah, and the shem of the second Tzilah.
20And Adah bore Yaval; he was the av of such as dwell in ohel, and have mikneh.
21And his brotherʼs shem was Yuval; he was the av of all such as play kinnor (harp) and ugav (flute).
22And Tzilah, she also bore Tuval-Kayin, a forger of every cutting tool of nechoshet and barzel; and the achot of Tuval-Kayin was Na'amah.
23And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Tzilah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, give heed to my speech; for I have slain an ish for my wounding, and a yeled for my chabburah.#4:23 See Ga 6:17
24If Kayin (Cain) shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and seven times over.
25And Adam knew his isha again; and she bore a ben, and called shmo Shet; for Elohim, said she, hath appointed me another zera in place of Hevel, whom Kayin killed.
26And to Shet, to him also there was born a ben; and he called shmo Enosh; then began men to call upon the Shem of Hashem.
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THE ORTHODOX JEWISH BIBLE
FOURTH EDITION © Artists For Israel Intl Inc., 2002-2011, 2021.