Cain and Abel

4 Later, Adam^[a] had sexual relations with^[b] his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have given birth to^[c] a male child—the Lord.”^{[d] 2} And she did it again, giving birth to his brother Abel. Abel shepherded flocks and Cain became a farmer.^[e]

³ Later, after a while, Cain brought an offering to the Lord from the fruit that he had harvested,^{[f] 4} while Abel brought the best parts^[g] of some of the firstborn from his flock. The Lord looked favorably upon Abel and his offering, ⁵ but he did not look favorably upon Cain and his offering.

When Cain became very upset and^[h] depressed, ⁶ the Lord asked Cain, “Why are you so upset? Why are you^[i] depressed? ⁷ If you do what is appropriate,^[j] you’ll be accepted, won’t you? But if you don’t do what is appropriate,^[k] sin is crouching near your doorway, turning toward you. Now as for you, will you take dominion over it?”^[l]

⁸ Instead, Cain told his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the wilderness.”^[m] When they were outside in the fields, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

⁹ Later, the Lord asked Cain, “Where’s your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he answered. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”

¹⁰ “What did you do?” God^[n] asked. “Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground. ¹¹ Now you’re more cursed than the ground, which has opened^[o] to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² Whenever you work the ground, it will no longer yield its produce to you, and you’ll wander throughout the earth as a fugitive.”

¹³ “My punishment is too great to bear,” Cain told the Lord. ¹⁴ “You’re driving me from the soil^[p] today. I’ll be hidden from you, and I’ll wander throughout the earth as a fugitive. In the future,^[q] whoever finds me will kill me.”

¹⁵ The Lord told him, “This won’t happen, because whoever kills you^[r] will suffer seven times the vengeance.” Then the Lord placed a sign on Cain so that no one finding him would kill him. ¹⁶ After this, Cain left the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

From Cain to Lamech

¹⁷ Later, Cain had sexual relations with^[s] his wife. She became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain^[t] founded a city and named it after^[u] his son Enoch. ¹⁸ Irad was born to Enoch. Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. ¹⁹ Later, Lamech married two wives. One was named Adah and the other was named^[v] Zillah. ²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal, who became the ancestor of those who live in tents and herd^[w] livestock. ²¹ His brother was named Jubal; he became the ancestor of all those who play the lyre and the flute. ²² Zillah gave birth to Tubal-cain, who became a forger of bronze and iron work. Tubal-cain’s sister was Naamah. ²³ Lamech told his wives,

²⁵ Later on, after Adam had sexual relations with^[y] his wife, she gave birth to a son and named him^[z] Seth, because

²⁶ Seth also fathered a son, whom he named Enosh. At that time, profaning^[ab] the name of the Lord began.

Furnishing the Temple^(A)

4 Solomon^[a] also constructed a bronze^[b] altar 20 cubits^[c] long, 20 cubits^[d] wide, and ten cubits^[e] high. ² He crafted a circular sea of cast metal 10 cubits^[f] from rim to rim and five cubits^[g] tall. A line 30 cubits^[h] long surrounded it. ³ Underneath, figurines resembling oxen^[i] encircled the circular sea^[j] beneath it, ten oxen^[k] every cubit,^[l] and encircling the sea completely. The oxen were in two rows, cast all at the same time. ⁴ The sea stood on top of twelve oxen, three of which faced to the north, three of which faced to the west, three of which faced to the south, and three of which faced toward the east. The sea was placed on top of the oxen, with all of their hindquarters turned inwards. ⁵ It was a handbreadth^[m] thick, with its brim fashioned like the brim of a cup. Similar in shape to a lily blossom, it could hold 3,000 baths.^{[n] 6} Solomon^[o] also made ten wash basins, placing five on the right side and five on the left. The basins were intended for use to rinse burnt offerings, and the sea was intended for use by the priests to wash in.

⁷ Solomon^[p] made ten gold lamp stands as he had been directed and set them in the Temple, five on the south side and five on the north side. ⁸ He also made ten tables and placed them in the Temple, five on the right side and five on the left side. He also constructed 100 gold basins. ⁹ He made the court of the priests, the great court, and doors for the court, overlaying their doors with bronze. ¹⁰ He set the sea at the southeast corner of the Temple.

¹¹ Hiram-abi^[q] crafted the pots, shovels, and basins, thus completing the work that he did for King Solomon on the Temple of God; ¹² that is, the two pillars, the bowls, the two capitals on top of the pillars, the two lattice works that covered the two bowls for the capitals that were on top of the pillars; ¹³ the 400 pomegranate-shaped ornaments for the latticework of the two pillars (each latticework having two rows of ornaments at the bowl-shaped top of each pillar); ¹⁴ the ten^[r] stands with their ten basins; ¹⁵ the large bronze basin called the Sea with the twelve oxen underneath, ¹⁶ along with its pots, shovels, forks, and all of its other implements that Hiram-abi made from polished bronze for King Solomon and the Lord’s Temple. ¹⁷ The king had them forged in the clay ground between Succoth and Zeredah in the Jordan plain. ¹⁸ Solomon made so many utensils in such great quantities that the weight of the bronze was never fully recorded.

¹⁹ Solomon also made these items for God’s Temple: the golden altar, the tables for the Bread of the Presence, ²⁰ the lamp stands and their lamps made of pure gold to burn in front^[s] of the inner sanctuary, as required, ²¹ the pure gold ornaments in the shape of flowers, the lamps, and the tongs (all made of the purest gold), ²² the gold trimming instruments, basins, pans, censers, and the gold door sockets for the inner sanctuary (that is, the Most Holy Place), and for the doors to the main hall of the Temple.

Jesus is Tempted by Satan^(A)

4 After this, Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the Devil. ² After fasting for 40 days and 40 nights, he finally became hungry.

³ Then the tempter came. “Since^[a] you are the Son of God,” he said, “tell these stones to become loaves of bread.”

⁴ But he answered, “It is written,

⁵ Then the Devil took him to the Holy City^[c] and had him stand on the highest point of the Temple. ⁶ He told Jesus,^[d] “Since^[e] you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, because it is written,

and,

⁷ Jesus responded to him, “It is also written, ‘You must not tempt the Lord^[h] your God.’”^[i]

⁸ Once more the Devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, along with their splendor. ⁹ He told Jesus,^[j] “I will give you all these things if you will bow down and worship me!”

¹⁰ Then Jesus told him, “Go away,^[k] Satan! Because it is written,

¹¹ So the Devil left him, and angels came and began ministering to him.

Jesus Begins His Ministry in Galilee^(B)

¹² Now when Jesus^[m] heard that John had been arrested, he went back to Galilee. ¹³ He left Nazareth and settled in Capernaum by the sea, in the regions of Zebulun and Naphtali, ¹⁴ in order to fulfill what was declared by the prophet Isaiah when he said,

¹⁷ From then on, Jesus began to announce, “Repent, because the kingdom from^[r] heaven is near!”

Jesus Calls Four Fishermen^(C)

¹⁸ While Jesus^[s] was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers—Simon (also^[t] called Peter) and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the sea, because they were fishermen. ¹⁹ “Follow me,” he told them, “and I will make you fishers of people!” ²⁰ So at once they left their nets and followed him. ²¹ Going on from there he saw two other brothers—James, son of Zebedee, and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee repairing their nets. When he called them, ²² they immediately left the boat and their father and followed him.

Jesus Ministers to Many People^(D)

²³ Then he went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every illness among the people. ²⁴ His fame spread throughout Syria, and people^[u] brought to him everyone who was sick—those afflicted with various diseases and pains, the demon-possessed, the epileptics, and the paralyzed—and he healed them. ²⁵ Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis,^[v] Jerusalem, Judea, and from across the Jordan followed him.

To the Director: With stringed instruments. A Davidic Psalm

Trust God under Adversity

The Benefits of Choosing Wisdom

The Consequences of Refusing Wisdom