Cain Murders Abel
1 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from theLord.”
2 Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. NowAbel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruitof the ground to theLord.
4 Abel also brought ofthe firstborn of his flock and oftheir fat. And theLordrespectedAbel and his offering,
5 but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
6 So theLordsaid to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desireisfor you, but you should rule over it.”
8 Now 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 andkilled him.
9 Then theLordsaid to Cain, “WhereisAbel your brother?”
# He said,“I do not know.AmImy brother’s keeper?”
10 And He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s bloodcries out to Me from the ground.
11 So nowyouarecursed from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
12 When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you. A fugitive and a vagabond you shall be on the earth.”
13 And Cain said to theLord, “My punishmentisgreater than I can bear!
14 Surely You have driven me out this day from the face of the ground;I shall behidden from Your face; I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth, and it will happenthatanyone who finds me will kill me.”
15 And theLordsaid to him, “Therefore, whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on himsevenfold.” And theLordset amark on Cain, lest anyone finding him should kill him.
The Family of Cain
16 Then Cainwent out from thepresence of theLordand dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.
17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Ē´noch. And he built a city,and called the name of the city after the name of his son—Ē´noch.
18 To Ē´noch was born Irad; and Irad begot Mehujael, and Mehujael begot Methushael, and Methushael begot Lamech.
19 Then Lamech took for himselftwo wives: the name of onewasAdah, and the name of the secondwasZillah.
20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
21 His brother’s namewasJubal. He was the father of all those who play the harp and flute.
22 And as for Zillah, she also bore Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every craftsman in bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-CainwasNaamah.
23 Then 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 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold,
Then Lamech seventy-sevenfold.”
A New Son
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son andnamed him Seth, “For God has appointed another seed for me instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.”
26 And as for Seth,to him also a son was born; and he named him Ē´nosh. Thenmenbeganto call on the name of theLord.