4:1 Adam* made love to his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.** She said, “With the help of the LORD I have brought forth^ a man.” / *Or The man / **Cain sounds like the Hebrew for brought forth or acquired. / ^Or have acquired
4:2 Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
4:3 In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the LORD.
4:4 And Abel also brought an offering - fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering,
4:5 but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
4:6 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
4:7 If 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; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.”
4:8 Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”* While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him. / *Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text does not have “Let’s go out to the field.”
4:9 Then the LORD said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” “I don’t know,” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”
4:10 The LORD said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.
4:11 Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.
4:12 When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth.”
4:13 Cain said to the LORD, “My punishment is more than I can bear.
4:14 Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me.”
4:15 But the LORD said to him, “Not so*; anyone who kills Cain will suffer vengeance seven times over.” Then the LORD put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. / *Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew Very well
4:16 So Cain went out from the LORD’s presence and lived in the land of Nod,* east of Eden. / *Nod means wandering (see verses 12 and 14).
4:17 Cain made love to his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.
4:18 To 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.
4:19 Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock.
4:21 His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments and pipes.
4:22 Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of* bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah. / *Or who instructed all who work in
4:23 Lamech said to his wives, “Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me.
4:24 If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times.”
4:25 Adam made love to his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,* saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.” / *Seth probably means granted.
4:26 Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to call on* the name of the LORD. / *Or to proclaim