Genesis 4:1-16

Modern English Version

Cain and Abel

4 Adam had relations with his wife Eve, and she conceived, gave birth to Cain and said, “I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.” ² Then she gave birth again to his brother Abel.

And Abel was a keeper of flocks, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³ In the course of time Cain brought an offering to the Lord of the fruit of the ground. ⁴ Abel also brought the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the Lord had respect for Abel and for his offering, ⁵ but for Cain and for his offering, He did not have respect. And Cain was very angry and his countenance fell.

⁶ The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your countenance fallen? ⁷ If you do well, shall you not be accepted?^[a] But if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must rule over it.”

⁸ Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

⁹ The Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”

He said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s keeper?”

¹⁰ And then He said, “What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to Me from the ground. ¹¹ Now you are cursed from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² From now on when you till the ground, it will not yield for you its best. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”

¹³ Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴ You have driven me out this day from the face of the earth, and from your face will I be hidden; and I will be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth, and it will happen that anyone who finds me will kill me.”

¹⁵ So the Lord said to him, “Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” Then the Lord put a mark upon Cain, so that no one finding him would kill him. ¹⁶ Then Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.