Genesis 4:1-15

New Life Version

Cain Kills Abel

4 The man lay with his wife Eve and she was going to have a child and she gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have given birth to a man with the help of the Lord.” ² Next she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was one who worked the ground.

³ The day came when Cain brought a gift of the fruit of the ground to the Lord. ⁴ But Abel brought a gift of the first-born of his flocks and of the fat parts. The Lord showed favor to Abel and his gift. ⁵ But He had no respect for Cain and his gift. So Cain became very angry and his face became sad. ⁶ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why are you looking down? ⁷ Will not your face be happy if you do well? If you do not do well, sin is waiting to destroy you. Its desire is to rule over you, but you must rule over it.”

⁸ Cain told this to his brother Abel. And when they were in the field, Cain stood up against his brother Abel and killed him.

⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰ The Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to Me from the ground. ¹¹ Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you work the ground, it will no longer give its strength to you. You will always travel from place to place on the earth.”

¹³ Then Cain said to the Lord, “I am being punished more than I can take! ¹⁴ See, this day You have made me go away from the land. And I will be hidden from Your face. I will run away and move from place to place. And whoever finds me will kill me.”

¹⁵ So the Lord said to him, “Whoever kills Cain will be punished by Me seven times worse.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain so that any one who found him would not kill him.