Cain Murders Abel

4 Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain,^[a] saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” ² Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.^{(A) 3} In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,^{(B) 4} and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,^{(C) 5} but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.^{(D) 6} The Lord said 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 is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

⁸ Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.”^[b] And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.^(E)

Love One Another

¹¹ For this is the message you have heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.^{(A) 12} We must not be like Cain, who was from the evil one and murdered his brother. And why did he murder him? Because his own deeds were evil and his brother’s righteous. ¹³ Do not be astonished, brothers and sisters, that the world hates you.^{(B) 14} We know that we have passed from death to life because we love the brothers and sisters. Whoever does not love abides in death.^{(C) 15} All who hate a brother or sister are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life abiding in them.^{(D) 16} We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us—and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers and sisters.^{(E) 17} How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help?^(F)

¹⁸ Little children, let us love not in word or speech but in deed and truth.^{(G) 19} And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him^{(H) 20} whenever our hearts condemn us, for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. ²¹ Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God, ²² and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him.^(I)

²³ And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us.^{(J) 24} All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.^(K)