Genesis 4

New International Version

Cain and Abel

4 Adam^[a] made love to his wife^(A) Eve,^(B) and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.^[b]^(C) She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth^[c] a man.” ²Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.^(D)

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.^(E) ³In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering^(F) to the Lord.^(G) ⁴And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions^(H) from some of the firstborn of his flock.^(I) The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,^(J) ⁵but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

⁶Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry?^(K) Why is your face downcast? ⁷If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door;^(L) it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.^(M)”

⁸Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”^[d] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.^(N)

⁹Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”^(O)

“I don’t know,^(P)” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

¹⁰The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.^(Q) ¹¹Now you are under a curse^(R) and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹²When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.^(S) You will be a restless wanderer^(T) on the earth.^(U)”

¹³Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence;^(V) I will be a restless wanderer on the earth,^(W) and whoever finds me will kill me.”^(X)

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Not so^[e]; anyone who kills Cain^(Y) will suffer vengeance^(Z) seven times over.^(AA)” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. ¹⁶So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence^(AB) and lived in the land of Nod,^[f] east of Eden.^(AC)

¹⁷Cain made love to his wife,^(AD) and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city,^(AE) and he named it after his son^(AF) Enoch. ¹⁸To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

¹⁹Lamech married^(AG) two women,^(AH) one named Adah and the other Zillah. ²⁰Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. ²¹His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments^(AI) and pipes.^(AJ) ²²Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged^(AK) all kinds of tools out of^[g] bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.

²³Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
    wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed^(AL) a man for wounding me,
    a young man for injuring me.
²⁴If Cain is avenged^(AM) seven times,^(AN)
    then Lamech seventy-seven times.^(AO)”

²⁵Adam made love to his wife^(AP) again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,^[h]^(AQ) saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”^(AR) ²⁶Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.^(AS)

At that time people began to call on^[i] the name of the Lord.^(AT)

Footnotes

Genesis 4:1 Or The man
Genesis 4:1 Cain sounds like the Hebrew for brought forth or acquired.
Genesis 4:1 Or have acquired
Genesis 4:8 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text does not have “Let’s go out to the field.”
Genesis 4:15 Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew Very well
Genesis 4:16 Nod means wandering (see verses 12 and 14).
Genesis 4:22 Or who instructed all who work in
Genesis 4:25 Seth probably means granted.
Genesis 4:26 Or to proclaim

Ezra 4

New International Version

Opposition to the Rebuilding

4 When the enemies of Judah and Benjamin heard that the exiles were building^(A) a temple for the Lord, the God of Israel, ²they came to Zerubbabel and to the heads of the families and said, “Let us help you build because, like you, we seek your God and have been sacrificing to him since the time of Esarhaddon^(B) king of Assyria, who brought us here.”^(C)

³But Zerubbabel, Joshua and the rest of the heads of the families of Israel answered, “You have no part with us in building a temple to our God. We alone will build it for the Lord, the God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia, commanded us.”^(D)

⁴Then the peoples around them set out to discourage the people of Judah and make them afraid to go on building.^[a]^(E) ⁵They bribed officials to work against them and frustrate their plans during the entire reign of Cyrus king of Persia and down to the reign of Darius king of Persia.

Later Opposition Under Xerxes and Artaxerxes

⁶At the beginning of the reign of Xerxes,^[b]^(F) they lodged an accusation against the people of Judah and Jerusalem.^(G)

⁷And in the days of Artaxerxes^(H) king of Persia, Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel and the rest of his associates wrote a letter to Artaxerxes. The letter was written in Aramaic script and in the Aramaic^(I) language.^[c]^[d]

⁸Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary wrote a letter against Jerusalem to Artaxerxes the king as follows:

⁹Rehum the commanding officer and Shimshai the secretary, together with the rest of their associates^(J)—the judges, officials and administrators over the people from Persia, Uruk^(K) and Babylon, the Elamites of Susa,^(L) ¹⁰and the other people whom the great and honorable Ashurbanipal^(M) deported and settled in the city of Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates.^(N)

¹¹(This is a copy of the letter they sent him.)

To King Artaxerxes,

From your servants in Trans-Euphrates:

¹²The king should know that the people who came up to us from you have gone to Jerusalem and are rebuilding that rebellious and wicked city. They are restoring the walls and repairing the foundations.^(O)

¹³Furthermore, the king should know that if this city is built and its walls are restored, no more taxes, tribute or duty^(P) will be paid, and eventually the royal revenues will suffer.^[e] ¹⁴Now since we are under obligation to the palace and it is not proper for us to see the king dishonored, we are sending this message to inform the king, ¹⁵so that a search may be made in the archives^(Q) of your predecessors. In these records you will find that this city is a rebellious city, troublesome to kings and provinces, a place with a long history of sedition. That is why this city was destroyed.^(R) ¹⁶We inform the king that if this city is built and its walls are restored, you will be left with nothing in Trans-Euphrates.

¹⁷The king sent this reply:

To Rehum the commanding officer, Shimshai the secretary and the rest of their associates living in Samaria and elsewhere in Trans-Euphrates:^(S)

Greetings.

¹⁸The letter you sent us has been read and translated in my presence. ¹⁹I issued an order and a search was made, and it was found that this city has a long history of revolt^(T) against kings and has been a place of rebellion and sedition. ²⁰Jerusalem has had powerful kings ruling over the whole of Trans-Euphrates,^(U) and taxes, tribute and duty were paid to them. ²¹Now issue an order to these men to stop work, so that this city will not be rebuilt until I so order. ²²Be careful not to neglect this matter. Why let this threat grow, to the detriment of the royal interests?^(V)

²³As soon as the copy of the letter of King Artaxerxes was read to Rehum and Shimshai the secretary and their associates,^(W) they went immediately to the Jews in Jerusalem and compelled them by force to stop.

²⁴Thus the work on the house of God in Jerusalem came to a standstill until the second year of the reign of Darius^(X) king of Persia.

Footnotes

Ezra 4:4 Or and troubled them as they built
Ezra 4:6 Hebrew Ahasuerus
Ezra 4:7 Or written in Aramaic and translated
Ezra 4:7 The text of 4:8–6:18 is in Aramaic.
Ezra 4:13 The meaning of the Aramaic for this clause is uncertain.

Psalm 4

New International Version

Psalm 4^[a]

For the director of music. With stringed instruments. A psalm of David.

¹Answer me^(A) when I call to you,
my righteous God.
Give me relief from my distress;^(B)
have mercy^(C) on me and hear my prayer.^(D)

²How long will you people turn my glory^(E) into shame?^(F)
How long will you love delusions and seek false gods^[b]?^[c]^(G)
³Know that the Lord has set apart his faithful servant^(H) for himself;
the Lord hears^(I) when I call to him.

⁴Tremble and^[d] do not sin;^(J)
    when you are on your beds,^(K)
    search your hearts and be silent.
⁵Offer the sacrifices of the righteous
    and trust in the Lord.^(L)

⁶Many, Lord, are asking, “Who will bring us prosperity?”
Let the light of your face shine on us.^(M)
⁷Fill my heart^(N) with joy^(O)
when their grain and new wine^(P) abound.

⁸In peace^(Q) I will lie down and sleep,^(R)
for you alone, Lord,
make me dwell in safety.^(S)

Footnotes

Psalm 4:1 In Hebrew texts 4:1-8 is numbered 4:2-9.
Psalm 4:2 Or seek lies
Psalm 4:2 The Hebrew has Selah (a word of uncertain meaning) here and at the end of verse 4.
Psalm 4:4 Or In your anger (see Septuagint)