Genesis 4:1-14 ▼

1 Later, Adam had sexual relations with his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, |I have given birth to a male child—the LORD.|

2 And she did it again, giving birth to his brother Abel. Abel shepherded flocks and Cain became a farmer.

3 Later, after a while, Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit that he had harvested,

4 while Abel brought the best parts 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 depressed,

6 the LORD asked Cain, |Why are you so upset? Why are you depressed?

7 If you do what is appropriate, you'll be accepted, won't you? But if you don't do what is appropriate, sin is crouching near your doorway, turning toward you. Now as for you, will you take dominion over it?|

8 Instead, Cain told his brother Abel, |Let's go out to the wilderness.| 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 asked. |Your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.

11 Now you're more cursed than the ground, which has opened 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 today. I'll be hidden from you, and I'll wander throughout the earth as a fugitive. In the future, whoever finds me will kill me.|