Cain and Abel

4 Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, saying, “I have gotten^[a] a man with the help of the Lord.” ² And again, she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a worker of the ground. ³ In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of ^(A)the fruit of the ground, ⁴ and Abel also brought of ^(B)the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord ^(C)had regard for Abel and his offering, ⁵ but ^(D)for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. ⁶ The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? ^7 (E)If you do well, will you not be accepted?^[b] And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. ^(F)Its desire is contrary to^[c] you, but you must rule over it.”

⁸ Cain spoke to Abel his brother.^[d] And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and ^(G)killed him. ⁹ Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” He said, ^(H)“I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?” ¹⁰ And the Lord said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood ^(I)is crying to me from the ground. ¹¹ And now ^(J)you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand. ¹² When you work the ground, it shall no longer yield to you its strength. You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” ¹³ Cain said to the Lord, “My ^(K)punishment is greater than I can bear.^{[e] 14} Behold, ^(L)you have driven me today away from the ground, and ^(M)from your face I shall be hidden. I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, ^(N)and whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵ Then the Lord said to him, “Not so! If anyone kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him ^(O)sevenfold.” And the Lord ^(P)put a mark on Cain, lest any who found him should attack him. ¹⁶ Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod,^[f] east of Eden.

¹⁷ And to Adam he said,

By Faith

11 Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of ^(A)things not seen. ² For by it the people of old received their commendation. ³ By faith we understand that the universe was created by ^(B)the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of ^(C)things that are visible.

⁴ By faith ^(D)Abel offered to God ^(E)a more acceptable sacrifice than Cain, through which he was commended as righteous, God commending him by accepting his gifts. And ^(F)through his faith, though he died, he ^(G)still speaks.

What Defiles a Person

¹⁴ And he called the people to him again and said to them, ^(A)“Hear me, all of you, and understand: ^15 (B)There is nothing outside a person that by going into him can defile him, but the things that come out of a person are what defile him.”^{[a] 17} And when he had entered ^(C)the house and left the people, ^(D)his disciples asked him about the parable. ¹⁸ And he said to them, “Then ^(E)are you also without understanding? Do you not see that whatever goes into a person from outside cannot defile him, ¹⁹ since it enters not his heart ^(F)but his stomach, and is expelled?”^[b] (^(G)Thus he declared all foods clean.) ²⁰ And he said, ^(H)“What comes out of a person is what defiles him. ²¹ For from within, out of the heart of man, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, ^(I)murder, adultery, ²² coveting, wickedness, deceit, ^(J)sensuality, ^(K)envy, ^(L)slander, ^(M)pride, ^(N)foolishness. ^23 (O)All these evil things come from within, and they defile a person.”

Jesus, Founder and Perfecter of Our Faith

12 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and ^(A)sin which clings so closely, and ^(B)let us run ^(C)with endurance the race that is ^(D)set before us, ² looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, ^(E)who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising ^(F)the shame, and ^(G)is seated at the right hand of the throne of God.

Do Not Grow Weary

^3 (H)Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or ^(I)fainthearted. ⁴ In your struggle against sin you have not yet resisted to the point of shedding your blood.

²² But you have come to ^(A)Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, ^(B)the heavenly Jerusalem, and to ^(C)innumerable angels in festal gathering, ²³ and to ^(D)the assembly^[a] of the firstborn who are ^(E)enrolled in heaven, and to ^(F)God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, ²⁴ and to Jesus, ^(G)the mediator of a new covenant, and to ^(H)the sprinkled blood ^(I)that speaks a better word than the blood of Abel.