Cain Murders Abel

4 Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain,^[a] saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” ² Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.^{(A) 3} In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,^{(B) 4} and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,^{(C) 5} but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.^{(D) 6} The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? ⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

⁸ Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.”^[b] And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.^{(E) 9} Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰ And the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen, your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!^{(F) 11} And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”^{(G) 13} Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! ¹⁴ Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.”^{(H) 15} Then the Lord said to him, “Not so!^[c] Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him.^{(I) 16} Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod,^[d] east of Eden.

Beginnings of Civilization

¹⁷ Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch, and he built a city and named it Enoch after his son Enoch.^{(J) 18} To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael the father of Methushael, and Methushael the father of Lamech.^{(K) 19} 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 ancestor of those who live in tents and have livestock. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all those who play the lyre and pipe. ²² Zillah bore Tubal-cain, who made all kinds of bronze and iron tools. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives:

²⁵ Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth,^[e] for she said, “God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, because Cain killed him.”^{(N) 26} To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord.^(O)

Adam’s Descendants to Noah and His Sons

5 This is the list of the descendants of Adam. When God created humans,^[f] he made them^[g] in the likeness of God.^{(P) 2} Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and called them humans^[h] when they were created.^(Q)

³ When Adam had lived one hundred thirty years, he became the father of a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.^{(R) 4} The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. ⁵ Thus all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years, and he died.^(S)

⁶ When Seth had lived one hundred five years, he became the father of Enosh.^{(T) 7} Seth lived after the birth of Enosh eight hundred seven years and had other sons and daughters.^{(U) 8} Thus all the days of Seth were nine hundred twelve years, and he died.

⁹ When Enosh had lived ninety years, he became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰ Enosh lived after the birth of Kenan eight hundred fifteen years and had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ Thus all the days of Enosh were nine hundred five years, and he died.^(V)

¹² When Kenan had lived seventy years, he became the father of Mahalalel.^{(W) 13} Kenan lived after the birth of Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ Thus all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

¹⁵ When Mahalalel had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Jared.^{(X) 16} Mahalalel lived after the birth of Jared eight hundred thirty years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ Thus all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety-five years, and he died.

¹⁸ When Jared had lived one hundred sixty-two years he became the father of Enoch.^{(Y) 19} Jared lived after the birth of Enoch eight hundred years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ Thus all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty-two years, and he died.

²¹ When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah.^{(Z) 22} Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.^(AA)

²⁵ When Methuselah had lived one hundred eighty-seven years, he became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ Methuselah lived after the birth of Lamech seven hundred eighty-two years and had other sons and daughters.^{(AB) 27} Thus all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years, and he died.

²⁸ When Lamech had lived one hundred eighty-two years, he became the father of a son; ²⁹ he named him Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands.”^{(AC) 30} Lamech lived after the birth of Noah five hundred ninety-five years and had other sons and daughters. ³¹ Thus all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy-seven years, and he died.

³² After Noah was five hundred years old, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.^(AD)

The Wickedness of Humans

6 When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,^{(AE) 2} the sons of God saw that they were fair, and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.^{(AF) 3} Then the Lord said, “My spirit shall not abide^[i] in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.”^{(AG) 4} The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.

⁵ The Lord saw that the wickedness of humans was great in the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.^{(AH) 6} And the Lord was sorry that he had made humans on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.^{(AI) 7} So the Lord said, “I will blot out from the earth the humans I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air—for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord.^(AJ)

Noah Pleases God

⁹ These are the descendants of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.^{(AK) 10} And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.^(AL)

¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² And God saw that the earth was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth.^{(AM) 13} And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth.^{(AN) 14} Make yourself an ark of cypress^[j] wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.^{(AO) 15} This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. ¹⁶ Make a roof^[k] for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and put the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks. ¹⁷ For my part, I am going to bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.^{(AP) 18} But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.^{(AQ) 19} And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.^{(AR) 20} Of the birds according to their kinds and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come in to you, to keep them alive.^{(AS) 21} Also take with you every kind of food that is eaten, and store it up, and it shall serve as food for you and for them.” ²² Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.^(AT)

The Visit of the Magi

2 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, magi^[a] from the east came to Jerusalem,^{(A) 2} asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star in the east^[b] and have come to pay him homage.”^{(B) 3} When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him, ⁴ and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah^[c] was to be born. ⁵ They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet:^(C)

⁷ Then Herod secretly called for the magi^[e] and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸ Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹ When they had heard the king, they set out, and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen in the east,^[f] until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰ When they saw that the star had stopped,^[g] they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹ On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.^{(E) 12} And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.^(F)

The Escape to Egypt

¹³ Now after they had left, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up, take the child and his mother, and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you, for Herod is about to search for the child, to destroy him.”^{(G) 14} Then Joseph^[h] got up, took the child and his mother by night, and went to Egypt^{(H) 15} and remained there until the death of Herod. This was to fulfill what had been spoken by the Lord through the prophet, “Out of Egypt I have called my son.”

The Massacre of the Infants

¹⁶ When Herod saw that he had been tricked by the magi,^[i] he was infuriated, and he sent and killed all the children in and around Bethlehem who were two years old or under, according to the time that he had learned from the magi.^{[j] 17} Then what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled:

The Return from Egypt

¹⁹ When Herod died, an angel of the Lord suddenly appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt and said, ²⁰ “Get up, take the child and his mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who were seeking the child’s life are dead.” ²¹ Then Joseph^[k] got up, took the child and his mother, and went to the land of Israel. ²² But when he heard that Archelaus was ruling Judea in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And after being warned in a dream, he went away to the district of Galilee.^{(J) 23} There he made his home in a town called Nazareth, so that what had been spoken through the prophets might be fulfilled, “He will be called a Nazarene.”^[l](K)