Genesis 4
King James Version
4 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8 And 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, and slew him.
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
17 And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded a city, and called the name of the city, after the name of his son, Enoch.
18 And unto Enoch was born Irad: and Irad begat Mehujael: and Mehujael begat Methusael: and Methusael begat Lamech.
19 And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
20 And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
21 And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
22 And Zillah, she also bare Tubalcain, an instructer of every artificer in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
23 And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
24 If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
25 And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
26 And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the Lord.
Genesis 4
Amplified Bible
Cain and Abel
4 Now the man [a]Adam knew Eve as his wife, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain, and she said, “I have obtained a man (baby boy, son) with the help of the Lord.” 2 And [later] she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept the flocks [of sheep and goats], but Cain cultivated the ground. 3 And in the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground. 4 But Abel brought [an offering of] the [finest] firstborn of his flock and the [b]fat portions. And the Lord had respect (regard) for Abel and for his offering;(A) 5 but for Cain and his offering He had no respect. So Cain became extremely angry (indignant), and [c]he looked annoyed and hostile. 6 And the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you so angry? And why do you look annoyed? 7 If 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.” 8 Cain talked with Abel his brother [about what God had said]. And when they were [alone, working] in the field, Cain [d]attacked Abel his brother and killed him.(B)
9 Then 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?” 10 The 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) 11 And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s [shed] blood from your hand.(D) 12 When 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].” 13 Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. 14 Behold, 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.” 15 And the Lord said to him, “[e]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] [f]mark (sign) on Cain, so that no one who found (met) him would kill him.(E)
16 So Cain went away from the [manifested] presence of the Lord, and lived in the land of Nod [wandering in exile], east of Eden.
17 Cain knew his [g]wife [one of Adam’s descendants] and she conceived and gave birth to Enoch; and Cain built a city and named it Enoch, after the name of his son. 18 Now to Enoch was born Irad, and Irad became the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael became the father of Methushael, and Methushael became the father of Lamech. 19 And Lamech took for himself two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other, Zillah. 20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he became the father of those [nomadic herdsmen] who live in tents and have cattle and raise livestock. 21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he became the father of all those [musicians] who play the lyre and flute. 22 Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, the smith (craftsman) and teacher of every artisan in instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives,
“Adah and Zillah,
Hear my voice;
You wives of Lamech,
Listen to what I say;
For I have killed a man [merely] for wounding me,
And a boy [only] for striking (bruising) me.
24
“If Cain is avenged sevenfold [as the Lord said he would be],
Then Lamech [will be avenged] [h]seventy-sevenfold.”
25 Adam knew [Eve as] his wife again; and she gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, for [she said], “God has granted another child for me in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.” 26 To Seth, also, a son was born, whom he named Enosh (mortal man, mankind). At that [same] time men began to call on the name of the Lord [in worship through prayer, praise, and thanksgiving].(F)
Footnotes
- Genesis 4:1 The name Adam is the Hebrew word for “man,” so when the word is used with the article (“the”) as it is here, it can be inferred that the writer (Moses) is referring to Adam as “the man.”
- 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.
- Genesis 4:17 The simplest explanation for the origin of Cain’s wife is that she was one of his sisters, whom Scripture does not mention specifically, but implies (5:4). It is also possible that she was a niece or more distant relative descended from the original family, but in any case it is evident that the unrecorded children of Adam and Eve married each other. This was possible because the human gene pool was at its purest with Adam and Eve, so at some point their children could begin families of their own.
- Genesis 4:24 Lamech arrogantly declares to his wives that if someone kills him, he will be entitled to far greater vengeance since he merely retaliated for harm suffered, while Cain’s murder of Abel was by comparison unprovoked.
Genesis 4
English Standard Version
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 Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. When he built a city, he called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. 20 Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock. 21 His brother's name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe. 22 Zillah also bore Tubal-cain; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23 Lamech said to his wives:
“Adah and Zillah, hear my voice;
you wives of Lamech, listen to what I say:
I have killed a man for wounding me,
a young man for striking me.
24 (Q)If Cain's revenge is sevenfold,
then Lamech's is seventy-sevenfold.”
25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth, for she said, “God has appointed[g] for me another offspring instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.” 26 To (R)Seth also a son was born, and he called his name (S)Enosh. At that time people began (T)to call upon the name of the Lord.
Footnotes
- Genesis 4:1 Cain sounds like the Hebrew for gotten
- Genesis 4:7 Hebrew will there not be a lifting up [of your face]?
- Genesis 4:7 Or is toward
- Genesis 4:8 Hebrew; Samaritan, Septuagint, Syriac, Vulgate add Let us go out to the field
- Genesis 4:13 Or My guilt is too great to bear
- Genesis 4:16 Nod means wandering
- Genesis 4:25 Seth sounds like the Hebrew for he appointed
Génesis 4
Nueva Biblia de las Américas
Caín y Abel
4 Y el hombre se unió a Eva, su mujer, y ella concibió y dio a luz a Caín[a], y dijo: «He adquirido varón[b] con la ayuda del Señor». 2 Después dio a luz a Abel su hermano. Y Abel(A) fue pastor(B) de ovejas y Caín fue labrador de la tierra. 3 Al transcurrir el tiempo[c], Caín trajo al Señor una ofrenda del fruto de la tierra. 4 También Abel(C), por su parte, trajo de los primogénitos de sus ovejas y de la grasa de los mismos. El Señor miró con agrado a Abel y su ofrenda(D), 5 pero no miró con agrado(E) a Caín y su ofrenda. Caín se enojó mucho(F) y su semblante se demudó. 6 Entonces el Señor dijo a Caín: «¿Por qué estás enojado(G), y por qué se ha demudado tu semblante? 7 Si haces bien, ¿no serás aceptado?[d](H) Pero si no haces bien, el pecado(I) yace a la puerta y te codicia[e], pero tú debes dominarlo(J)». 8 Caín dijo a su hermano Abel: «Vayamos al campo[f]». Y aconteció que cuando estaban en el campo, Caín se levantó contra su hermano Abel y lo mató(K).
La maldición de Caín
9 Entonces el Señor dijo a Caín: «¿Dónde está tu hermano Abel(L)?». Y él respondió: «No sé. ¿Soy yo acaso guardián de mi hermano?». 10 Y el Señor le dijo: «¿Qué has hecho? La voz de la sangre de tu hermano clama a Mí desde la tierra(M). 11 Ahora pues, maldito(N) eres de la tierra, que ha abierto su boca para recibir de tu mano la sangre de tu hermano. 12 Cuando cultives el suelo, no te dará más su vigor(O). Vagabundo y errante serás en la tierra(P)».
13 Y Caín dijo al Señor: «Mi castigo[g] es demasiado grande para soportarlo. 14 Hoy me has arrojado(Q) de la superficie de la tierra, y de Tu presencia[h] me esconderé, y seré vagabundo y errante en la tierra(R). Y sucederá que cualquiera que me halle me matará(S)». 15 Entonces el Señor le dijo: «No será así[i], pues cualquiera que mate a Caín, siete veces sufrirá venganza(T)». Y el Señor puso una señal[j] sobre Caín, para que cualquiera que lo hallara no lo matara(U).
Descendientes de Caín
16 Y salió Caín de la presencia del Señor(V), y se estableció[k] en la tierra de Nod[l], al oriente del Edén. 17 Y conoció Caín a su mujer, y ella concibió y dio a luz a Enoc. Caín edificó una ciudad y la llamó[m] Enoc, como el nombre de su hijo. 18 A Enoc le nació Irad. Irad fue padre de Mehujael, Mehujael fue padre de Metusael, y Metusael fue padre de Lamec. 19 Lamec tomó para sí dos mujeres(W). El nombre de una era Ada, y el nombre de la otra, Zila. 20 Y Ada dio a luz a Jabal, el cual fue padre de los que habitan en tiendas y tienen ganado. 21 Su hermano se llamaba Jubal, el cual fue padre de todos los que tocan la lira[n] y la flauta. 22 Zila a su vez dio a luz a Tubal Caín, forjador de todo utensilio[o] de bronce y de hierro. Y la hermana de Tubal Caín era Naama. 23 Lamec dijo a sus mujeres:
«Ada y Zila, oigan mi voz;
Mujeres de Lamec,
Presten oído a mis palabras,
Pues he dado muerte[p](X) a un hombre por haberme herido,
Y a un muchacho por haberme pegado.
24 Si siete veces(Y) es vengado Caín,
Entonces Lamec lo será setenta veces siete[q]».
Nacimiento de Set
25 Adán se unió otra vez a su mujer(Z); y ella dio a luz un hijo y le puso por nombre Set[r], porque, dijo ella: «Dios me ha dado[s] otro hijo[t] en lugar de Abel, pues Caín lo mató(AA)». 26 A Set le nació también un hijo y le puso por nombre Enós(AB). Por ese tiempo comenzaron los hombres a invocar[u] el nombre del Señor(AC).
Footnotes
- Génesis 4:1 I.e. adquirido.
- Génesis 4:1 U hombre.
- Génesis 4:3 Lit. al final de días.
- Génesis 4:7 Lit. ¿no será levantado tu semblante?
- Génesis 4:7 Lit. su deseo es por ti.
- Génesis 4:8 Así en algunas versiones antiguas; el heb. omite: vayamos al campo.
- Génesis 4:13 O culpa.
- Génesis 4:14 O rostro.
- Génesis 4:15 Así en algunas versiones antiguas; en el T.M., por tanto.
- Génesis 4:15 O marca.
- Génesis 4:16 Lit. habitó.
- Génesis 4:16 I.e. errante.
- Génesis 4:17 Lit. y llamó el nombre de la ciudad.
- Génesis 4:21 O el arpa.
- Génesis 4:22 O instrumento cortante.
- Génesis 4:23 O mato.
- Génesis 4:24 O setenta y siete veces.
- Génesis 4:25 I.e. compensación.
- Génesis 4:25 Heb. shath; i.e. compensado.
- Génesis 4:25 Lit. otra simiente.
- Génesis 4:26 O a llamar por.
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