Genesis 4
4
1Adam slept with Eve his wife. She conceived and had Cain. She said, “I’ve gotten a man, with God’s help!”
2Then she had another baby, Abel. Abel was a herdsman and Cain a farmer.
3-5Time passed. Cain brought an offering to God from the produce of his farm. Abel also brought an offering, but from the firstborn animals of his herd, choice cuts of meat. God liked Abel and his offering, but Cain and his offering didn’t get his approval. Cain lost his temper and went into a sulk.
6-7 God spoke to Cain: “Why this tantrum? Why the sulking? If you do well, won’t you be accepted? And if you don’t do well, sin is lying in wait for you, ready to pounce; it’s out to get you, you’ve got to master it.”
8Cain had words with his brother. They were out in the field; Cain came at Abel his brother and killed him.
9 God said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
He said, “How should I know? Am I his babysitter?”
10-12 God said, “What have you done! The voice of your brother’s blood is calling to me from the ground. From now on you’ll get nothing but curses from this ground; you’ll be driven from this ground that has opened its arms to receive the blood of your murdered brother. You’ll farm this ground, but it will no longer give you its best. You’ll be a homeless wanderer on Earth.”
13-14Cain said to God, “My punishment is too much. I can’t take it! You’ve thrown me off the land and I can never again face you. I’m a homeless wanderer on Earth and whoever finds me will kill me.”
15 God told him, “No. Anyone who kills Cain will pay for it seven times over.” God put a mark on Cain to protect him so that no one who met him would kill him.
16Cain left the presence of God and lived in No-Man’s-Land, east of Eden.
17-18Cain slept with his wife. She conceived and had Enoch. He then built a city and named it after his son, Enoch.
Enoch had Irad,
Irad had Mehujael,
Mehujael had Methushael,
Methushael had Lamech.
19-22Lamech married two wives, Adah and Zillah. Adah gave birth to Jabal, the ancestor of all who live in tents and herd cattle. His brother’s name was Jubal, the ancestor of all who play the lyre and flute. Zillah gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who worked at the forge making bronze and iron tools. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.
23-24Lamech said to his wives,
Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
you wives of Lamech, hear me out:
I killed a man for wounding me,
a young man who attacked me.
If Cain is avenged seven times,
for Lamech it’s seventy-seven!
25-26Adam slept with his wife again. She had a son whom she named Seth. She said, “God has given me another child in place of Abel whom Cain killed.” And then Seth had a son whom he named Enosh.
That’s when men and women began praying and worshiping in the name of God.
THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.
Genesis 4
4
Genesis 4
1¶ And the man knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain and said, I have gained a man by the Lord.
2And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a pastor of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3¶ And in process of time it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground a present unto the Lord.
4And Abel, he also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord looked upon Abel and his present,
5but he did not look upon Cain and his present. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6¶ Then the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7If thou doest good, it shall certainly be accepted; and if thou doest not good, sin lies at the door. And his desire shall be unto thee, but thou must rule over him.
8¶ And Cain talked with Abel his brother, and it came to pass when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him.
9¶ And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not, Am I my brother’s keeper?
10And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother’s blood cries unto me from the ground.
11And now thou art cursed from the earth, which has opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;
12when thou tillest the ground, from now on it shall not yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13¶ And Cain said unto the Lord, My iniquity is greater than I can bear.
14Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I hide; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass that anyone that finds me shall slay me.
15And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
16¶ And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.
17And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch; and he built a city and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.
18And unto Enoch was born Irad, and Irad begat Mehujael, and Mehujael begat Methusael, and Methusael begat Lamech.
19¶ And Lamech took unto him two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
20And Adah bore Jabal; he was the father of those who dwell in tents and of those who have cattle.
21And his brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the harp and organ.
22And Zillah also bore Tubalcain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron; and the sister of Tubalcain was Naamah.
23¶ And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech, for I shall slay a man for my wound and a young man for my hurt;
24if Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy times seven.
25¶ And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and called his name Seth; for God, said she, has appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.
26And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos. Then men began to call upon the name of the Lord.
The Jubilee Bible 2000 (JUB) by Ransom Press International