Genesis 4

¹Now Adam knew Eve his wife , and she conceived and bore Cain , saying , I have gotten a man with the help of the Lord.

²And again , she bore his brother Abel . Now Abel was a keeper of sheep , and Cain a worker of the ground .

³In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground ,

⁴and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions . And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering ,

⁵but for Cain and his offering he had no regard . So Cain was very angry , and his face fell .

⁶The Lord said to Cain , Why are you angry , and why has your face fallen ?

⁷If you do well , will you not be accepted ? And if you do not do well , sin is crouching at the door . Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.

⁸Cain spoke to Abel his brother . And when they were in the field , Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.

⁹Then the Lord said to Cain , Where is Abel your brother ? He said , I do not know ; am I my brother’s keeper ?

¹⁰And the Lord said , What have you done ? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying to me from the ground .

¹¹And now you are cursed from the ground , which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand .

¹²When you work the ground , it shall no longer yield to you its strength . You shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth .

¹³Cain said to the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear .

¹⁴Behold , you have driven me today away from the ground , and from your face I shall be hidden . I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth , and whoever finds me will kill me.

¹⁵Then the Lord said to him, Not so ! If anyone kills Cain , vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold . And the Lord put a mark on Cain , lest any who found him should attack him.

¹⁶Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod , east of Eden .

¹⁷Cain knew his wife , and she conceived and bore Enoch . When he built a city , he called the name of the city after the name of his son , Enoch .

¹⁸To Enoch was born Irad , and Irad fathered Mehujael , and Mehujael fathered Methushael , and Methushael fathered Lamech .

¹⁹And Lamech took two wives . The name of the one was Adah , and the name of the other Zillah .

²⁰Adah bore Jabal ; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock .

²¹His brother’s name was Jubal ; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe .

²²Zillah also bore Tubal-cain ; he was the forger of all instruments of bronze and iron . The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah .

²³Lamech said to his wives : Adah and Zillah , hear my voice ; you wives of Lamech , listen to what I say : I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for striking me .

²⁴If Cain’s revenge is sevenfold , then Lamech’s is seventy-sevenfold .

²⁵And Adam knew his wife again , and she bore a son and called his name Seth , for she said, God has appointed for me another offspring instead of Abel , for Cain killed him.

²⁶To Seth also a son was born , and he called his name Enosh . At that time people began to call upon the name of the Lord.