Genesis 4:1-16
New Living Translation
Cain and Abel
4 Now Adam[a] had sexual relations with his wife, Eve, and she became pregnant. When she gave birth to Cain, she said, “With the Lord’s help, I have produced[b] a man!” 2 Later she gave birth to his brother and named him Abel.
When they grew up, Abel became a shepherd, while Cain cultivated the ground. 3 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the Lord. 4 Abel also brought a gift—the best portions of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The Lord accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but he did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.
6 “Why are you so angry?” the Lord asked Cain. “Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.”
8 One day Cain suggested to his brother, “Let’s go out into the fields.”[c] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother, Abel, and killed him.
9 Afterward the Lord asked Cain, “Where is your brother? Where is Abel?”
“I don’t know,” Cain responded. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”
10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground! 11 Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has swallowed your brother’s blood. 12 No longer will the ground yield good crops for you, no matter how hard you work! From now on you will be a homeless wanderer on the earth.”
13 Cain replied to the Lord, “My punishment[d] is too great for me to bear! 14 You have banished me from the land and from your presence; you have made me a homeless wanderer. Anyone who finds me will kill me!”
15 The Lord replied, “No, for I will give a sevenfold punishment to anyone who kills you.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain to warn anyone who might try to kill him. 16 So Cain left the Lord’s presence and settled in the land of Nod,[e] east of Eden.
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Genesis 4:1-16
International Standard Version
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.
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- Genesis 4:1 Or the man
- Genesis 4:1 Lit. Adam knew
- Genesis 4:1 Or have acquired; the Heb. verb resembles the word for Cain
- Genesis 4:1 Or child with the Lord; the Heb. lacks with
- Genesis 4:2 Lit. a worker of the ground
- Genesis 4:3 Lit. fruit of the ground
- Genesis 4:4 Lit. the fatty portions
- Genesis 4:5 Lit. and his face was
- Genesis 4:6 Lit. Why is your face
- Genesis 4:7 Or good
- Genesis 4:7 Or good
- Genesis 4:7 Or However, you must take dominion over it.
- Genesis 4:8 So with SP, LXX, Vg, and Syr; the Heb. lacks Let’s go out to the wilderness.
- Genesis 4:10 Lit. he
- Genesis 4:11 Lit. opened its mouth
- Genesis 4:14 Lit. the face of the ground
- Genesis 4:14 Lit. So it will be that
- Genesis 4:15 Lit. Cain
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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