Genesis 4:9-16

Contemporary English Version

⁹ Afterwards the Lord asked Cain, “Where is Abel?”

“How should I know?” he answered. “Am I supposed to look after my brother?”

^10 (A) Then the Lord said:

Why have you done this terrible thing? You killed your own brother, and his blood flowed onto the ground. Now his blood is calling out for me to punish you. ¹¹ And so, I'll put you under a curse. Because you killed Abel and made his blood run out on the ground, you will never be able to farm it again. ¹² When you try to farm the land, it won't produce anything for you. From now on, you'll be without a home, and you'll spend the rest of your life wandering from place to place.

¹³ “This punishment is too hard!” Cain said. ¹⁴ “You're making me leave my home and live far from you.^[a] I will have to wander about without a home, and just anyone could kill me.”

¹⁵ “No!”^[b] the Lord answered. “Anyone who kills you will be punished seven times worse than I am punishing you.” So the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn everyone not to kill him. ¹⁶ But Cain had to go far from the Lord and live in the Land of Wandering,^[c] which is east of Eden.