Genesis 4:3-16

Amplified Bible

³And in the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. ⁴But Abel brought [an offering of] the [finest] firstborn of his flock and the ^[a]fat portions. And the Lord had respect (regard) for Abel and for his offering;^(A) ⁵but for Cain and his offering He had no respect. So Cain became extremely angry (indignant), and ^[b]he looked annoyed and hostile. ⁶And the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you so angry? And why do you look annoyed? ⁷If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.” ⁸Cain talked with Abel his brother [about what God had said]. And when they were [alone, working] in the field, Cain ^[c]attacked Abel his brother and killed him.^(B)

⁹Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he [lied and] said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰The Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s [innocent] blood is crying out to Me from the ground [for justice].^(C) ¹¹And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s [shed] blood from your hand.^(D) ¹²When you cultivate the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength [it will resist producing good crops] for you; you shall be a fugitive and a vagabond [roaming aimlessly] on the earth [in perpetual exile without a home, a degraded outcast].” ¹³Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. ¹⁴Behold, You have driven me out this day from the face of the land; and from Your face (presence) I will be hidden, and I will be a fugitive and an [aimless] vagabond on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵And the Lord said to him, “^[d]Therefore, whoever kills Cain, a sevenfold vengeance [that is, punishment seven times worse] shall be taken on him [by Me].” And the Lord set a [protective] ^[e]mark (sign) on Cain, so that no one who found (met) him would kill him.^(E)

¹⁶So Cain went away from the [manifested] presence of the Lord, and lived in the land of Nod [wandering in exile], east of Eden.

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Footnotes

Genesis 4:4 That is, the fat that covered the entrails of the animals. Later, in the Mosaic Law, the Israelites were forbidden to eat this fat (Lev 7:23), which was reserved as an offering to God, especially for sin (Lev 4:8, 26, 35; 9:10; 16:25).
Genesis 4:5 Lit his countenance fell.
Genesis 4:8 Lit rose up against.
Genesis 4:15 Some ancient versions read, “Not so!”
Genesis 4:15 Many commentators believe this sign not to have been like a brand on the forehead, but something awesome about Cain’s appearance that made people dread and avoid him. In the Talmud, the rabbis suggested several possibilities, including leprosy, boils, or a horn that grew out of Cain. But it was also suggested that Cain was given a pet dog to serve as a protective sign.