Genesis 4:1-16
Holman Christian Standard Bible
Cain Murders Abel
4 Adam was intimate with his wife Eve, and she conceived and gave birth to Cain. She said, “I have had a male child with the Lord’s help.”[a] 2 Then she also gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel became a shepherd of flocks, but Cain worked the ground. 3 In the course of time Cain presented some of the land’s produce as an offering to the Lord.(A) 4 And Abel also presented an offering—some of the firstborn of his flock and their fat portions.(B) The Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,(C) 5 but He did not have regard for Cain and his offering. Cain was furious, and he looked despondent.[b]
6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you furious?(D) And why do you look despondent?[c] 7 If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.”(E)
8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”[d] And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.(F)
9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”
“I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s guardian?”
10 Then He said, “What have you done? Your brother’s blood cries out to Me from the ground!(G) 11 So now you are cursed, alienated, from the ground that opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood you have shed.[e] 12 If you work the ground, it will never again give you its yield. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”(H)
13 But Cain answered the Lord, “My punishment[f] is too great to bear! 14 Since You are banishing me today from the soil, and I must hide myself from Your presence and become a restless wanderer on the earth, whoever finds me will kill me.”(I)
15 Then the Lord replied to him, “In that case,[g] whoever kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.”[h] And He placed a mark(J) on Cain so that whoever found him would not kill him. 16 Then Cain went out from the Lord’s presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Genesis 4:1 Lit the Lord
- Genesis 4:5 Lit and his face fell
- Genesis 4:6 Lit why has your face fallen
- Genesis 4:8 Sam, LXX, Syr, Vg; MT omits Let’s go out to the field
- Genesis 4:11 Lit blood from your hand
- Genesis 4:13 Or sin
- Genesis 4:15 LXX, Syr, Vg read Not so!
- Genesis 4:15 Or suffer severely
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.
Read full chapterFootnotes
- 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
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