Two Offerings
1And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.
2And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.
4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
The Warning and the Murder
6And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7↔If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8And 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.
9And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10↔And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment 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 be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
Cain's City and Lamech's Boast
16And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
17↔And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded 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.
19And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
20And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.
21And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and organ.
22And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, an instructer of every cutting instrument in brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23Adah and Zillah, Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt.
24If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
The Line of Seth
25And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath 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 began men to call upon the name of the LORD.
Two Offerings
1The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, "I have gotten a man with Yahweh's help."
2Again she gave birth, to his brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3As time passed, Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground.
4Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering,
5but he didn't respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell.
The Warning and the Murder
6Yahweh said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen?
7↔If you do well, won't it be lifted up? If you don't do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it."
8Cain said to Abel, his brother, "Let's go into the field." While they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel, his brother, and killed him.
9Yahweh said to Cain, "Where is Abel, your brother?" He said, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?"
10↔Yahweh said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries to me from the ground.
11Now you are cursed because of the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
12When you till the ground, it won't yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth."
13Cain said to Yahweh, "My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14Behold, you have driven me out today from the surface of the ground. I will be hidden from your face, and I will be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. Whoever finds me will kill me."
15Yahweh said to him, "Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold." Yahweh appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should strike him.
Cain's City and Lamech's Boast
16Cain went out from Yahweh's presence, and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
17↔Cain knew his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Enoch. He built a city, and called the name of the city after the name of his son, Enoch.
18Irad was born to Enoch. Irad became the father of Mehujael. Mehujael became the father of Methushael. Methushael became the father of Lamech.
19Lamech took two wives: the name of the first one was Adah, and the name of the second one was Zillah.
20Adah gave birth to Jabal, who was the father of those who dwell in tents and have livestock.
21His brother's name was Jubal, who was the father of all who handle the harp and flute.
22Zillah also gave birth to Tubal Cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of bronze and iron. Tubal Cain's sister was Naamah.
23Adah and Zillah, hear my voice. You wives of Lamech, listen to my speech, for I have slain a man for wounding me, a young man for bruising me.
24If Cain will be avenged seven times, truly Lamech seventy-seven times.
The Line of Seth
25Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, saying, "for God has appointed me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him."
26A son was also born to Seth, and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call on Yahweh's name.
Two Offerings
1And the man knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man with the help of Jehovah.
2And again she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto Jehovah.
4And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And Jehovah had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
The Warning and the Murder
6And Jehovah said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7↔If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door: and unto thee shall be its desire, but do thou rule over it.
8And Cain told 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.
9And Jehovah said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: am I my brother's keeper?
10↔And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11And now cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened its mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand.
12When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength; a fugitive and a wanderer shalt thou be in the earth.
13And Cain said unto Jehovah, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the ground; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth; and it will come to pass, that whosoever findeth me will slay me.
15And Jehovah said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And Jehovah appointed a sign for Cain, lest any finding him should smite him.
Cain's City and Lamech's Boast
16And Cain went out from the presence of Jehovah, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.
17↔And Cain knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Enoch: and he builded 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 Methushael; and Methushael begat Lamech.
19And Lamech took unto him two wives: the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah.
20And Adah bare Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents and have cattle.
21And his brother's name was Jubal: he was the father of all such as handle the harp and pipe.
22And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-cain, the forger of every cutting instrument of brass and iron: and the sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.
23Adah and Zillah, hear ye my voice; Ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man for wounding me, and a young man for bruising me.
24If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
The Line of Seth
25And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: for, said she, God hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel; for Cain slew him.
26And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enosh. Then began men to call upon the name of Jehovah.
Two Offerings
1And the man knew Eve his wife, and she conceiveth and beareth Cain, and saith, 'I have gotten a man by Jehovah;'
2and she addeth to bear his brother, even Abel. And Abel is feeding a flock, and Cain hath been servant of the ground.
3And it cometh to pass at the end of days that Cain bringeth from the fruit of the ground a present to Jehovah;
4and Abel, he hath brought, he also, from the female firstlings of his flock, and from their fat; and Jehovah looketh unto Abel and unto his present,
5and unto Cain and unto his present He hath not looked; and it is very displeasing to Cain, and his countenance is fallen.
The Warning and the Murder
6And Jehovah saith unto Cain, 'Why hast thou displeasure? and why hath thy countenance fallen?
7↔Is there not, if thou dost well, acceptance? and if thou dost not well, at the opening a sin-offering is crouching, and unto thee its desire, and thou rulest over it.'
8And Cain saith unto Abel his brother, 'Let us go into the field;' and it cometh to pass in their being in the field, that Cain riseth up against Abel his brother, and slayeth him.
9And Jehovah saith unto Cain, 'Where is Abel thy brother?' and he saith, 'I have not known; my brother's keeper — am I?'
10↔And He saith, 'What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood is crying unto Me from the ground.
11And now, cursed art thou from the ground, which hath opened her mouth to receive the blood of thy brother from thy hand.
12When thou tillest the ground, it doth not add to give its strength to thee — a wanderer, even a trembling one, thou art in the earth.'
13And Cain saith unto Jehovah, 'Greater is my punishment than to be borne.
14Lo, Thou hast driven me to-day from off the face of the ground, and from Thy face I am hid; and I have been a wanderer, even a trembling one, in the earth, and it hath been — every one finding me doth slay me.'
15And Jehovah saith to him, 'Therefore — of any slayer of Cain sevenfold it is required;' and Jehovah setteth to Cain a token that none finding him doth slay him.
Cain's City and Lamech's Boast
16And Cain goeth out from before Jehovah, and dwelleth in the land, moving about east of Eden.
17↔And Cain knoweth his wife, and she conceiveth, and beareth Enoch; and he is building a city, and he calleth the name of the city, according to the name of his son — Enoch.
18And born to Enoch is Irad; and Irad hath begotten Mehujael; and Mehujael hath begotten Methusael; and Methusael hath begotten Lamech.
19And Lamech taketh to himself two wives, the name of the one is Adah, and the name of the second is Zillah.
20And Adah beareth Jabal, he hath been father of those inhabiting tents and purchased possessions.
21And his brother's name is Jubal, he hath been father of all handling harp and organ.
22And Zillah, she also bare Tubal-Cain, an instructor of every artificer in brass and iron; and a sister of Tubal-Cain is Naamah.
23Adah and Zillah, hear ye my voice; Wives of Lamech, give ear to my saying: For a man I have slain for my wound, even a young man for my hurt;
24for sevenfold is Cain avenged, and Lamech seventy and sevenfold.
The Line of Seth
25And Adam knoweth his wife again, and she beareth a son, and calleth his name Seth, 'for God hath appointed for me another seed instead of Abel:' for Cain had slain him.
26And to Seth, to him also a son hath been born, and he calleth his name Enos; then a beginning was made of preaching in the name of Jehovah.
Public domain: KJV (1611) · WEB (2020) · ASV (1901) · YLT (1862). Note: The reason God rejected Cain's offering is not stated explicitly — the text leaves it open. Hebrews 11:4 says Abel offered "by faith," implying the difference was in the attitude of the giver, not merely the type of gift. The phrase "sin coucheth/lieth at the door" (v.7) is striking: in Akkadian, a demon called rabisu ("the croucher") lurked at doorways. Whether this is wordplay or coincidence is debated.