Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 4 - New International Version (2024)

Cain and Abel

4Adam^[a] made love to his wife^(A) Eve,^(B) and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain.^[b](C) She said, “With the help of the Lord I have brought forth^[c] a man.” ²Later she gave birth to his brother Abel.^(D)

Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.^{(E) 3}In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering^(F) to the Lord.^{(G) 4}And Abel also brought an offering—fat portions^(H) from some of the firstborn of his flock.^(I) The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering,^{(J) 5}but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.

⁶Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry?^(K) Why is your face downcast? ⁷If 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;^(L) it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.^(M)”

⁸Now Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.”^[d] While they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.^(N)

⁹Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”^(O)

“I don’t know,^(P)” he replied. “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

¹⁰The Lord said, “What have you done? Listen! Your brother’s blood cries out to me from the ground.^{(Q) 11}Now you are under a curse^(R) and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹²When you work the ground, it will no longer yield its crops for you.^(S) You will be a restless wanderer^(T) on the earth.^(U)”

¹³Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is more than I can bear. ¹⁴Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence;^(V) I will be a restless wanderer on the earth,^(W) and whoever finds me will kill me.”^(X)

¹⁵But the Lord said to him, “Not so^[e]; anyone who kills Cain^(Y) will suffer vengeance^(Z) seven times over.^(AA)” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him. ¹⁶So Cain went out from the Lord’s presence^(AB) and lived in the land of Nod,^[f] east of Eden.^(AC)

¹⁷Cain made love to his wife,^(AD) and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city,^(AE) and he named it after his son^(AF) Enoch. ¹⁸To 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.

¹⁹Lamech married^(AG) two women,^(AH) one named Adah and the other Zillah. ²⁰Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. ²¹His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all who play stringed instruments^(AI) and pipes.^{(AJ) 22}Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged^(AK) all kinds of tools out of^[g] bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain’s sister was Naamah.

²³Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah, listen to me;
wives of Lamech, hear my words.
I have killed^(AL) a man for wounding me,
a young man for injuring me.
²⁴If Cain is avenged^(AM) seven times,^(AN)
then Lamech seventy-seven times.^(AO)”

²⁵Adam made love to his wife^(AP) again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth,^[h](AQ) saying, “God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him.”^{(AR) 26}Seth also had a son, and he named him Enosh.^(AS)

At that time people began to call on^[i] the name of the Lord.^(AT)

Footnotes

1. Genesis 4:1 Or The man
2. Genesis 4:1 Cain sounds like the Hebrew for brought forth or acquired.
3. Genesis 4:1 Or have acquired
4. Genesis 4:8 Samaritan Pentateuch, Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Masoretic Text does not have “Let’s go out to the field.”
5. Genesis 4:15 Septuagint, Vulgate and Syriac; Hebrew Very well
6. Genesis 4:16 Nod means wandering (see verses 12 and 14).
7. Genesis 4:22 Or who instructed all who work in
8. Genesis 4:25 Seth probably means granted.
9. Genesis 4:26 Or to proclaim

Cross references

1. Genesis 4:1 : ver 17, 25
2. Genesis 4:1 : S Ge 2:20
3. Genesis 4:1 : Heb 11:4; 1Jn 3:12; Jude 1:11
4. Genesis 4:2 : Mt 23:35; Lk 11:51; Heb 11:4; 12:24
5. Genesis 4:2 : S Ge 2:7
6. Genesis 4:3 : Lev 2:1-2; Isa 43:23; Jer 41:5
7. Genesis 4:3 : Nu 18:12
8. Genesis 4:4 : Lev 3:16; 2Ch 29:35
9. Genesis 4:4 : Ex 13:2, 12; Dt 15:19
10. Genesis 4:4 : Heb 11:4
11. Genesis 4:6 : Jnh 4:4
12. Genesis 4:7 : Ge 44:16; Nu 32:23; Isa 59:12
13. Genesis 4:7 : Job 11:15; 22:27; Ps 27:3; 46:2; S Ro 6:16
14. Genesis 4:8 : Mt 23:35; Lk 11:51; 1Jn 3:12; Jude 1:11
15. Genesis 4:9 : S Ge 3:9
16. Genesis 4:9 : S Jn 8:44
17. Genesis 4:10 : Ge 9:5; 37:20, 26; Ex 21:12; Nu 35:33; Dt 21:7, 9; 2Sa 4:11; Job 16:18; 24:2; 31:38; Ps 9:12; 106:38; Heb 12:24; Rev 6:9-10
18. Genesis 4:11 : Dt 11:28; 2Ki 2:24
19. Genesis 4:12 : Dt 28:15-24
20. Genesis 4:12 : Ps 37:25; 59:15; 109:10
21. Genesis 4:12 : ver 14
22. Genesis 4:14 : 2Ki 17:18; Ps 51:11; 139:7-12; Jer 7:15; 52:3
23. Genesis 4:14 : ver 12; Dt 28:64-67
24. Genesis 4:14 : Ge 9:6; Ex 21:12, 14; Lev 24:17; Nu 35:19, 21, 27, 33; 1Ki 2:32; 2Ki 11:16
25. Genesis 4:15 : Eze 9:4, 6
26. Genesis 4:15 : Ex 21:20
27. Genesis 4:15 : ver 24; Lev 26:21; Ps 79:12
28. Genesis 4:16 : Jude 1:11
29. Genesis 4:16 : S Ge 2:8
30. Genesis 4:17 : S ver 1
31. Genesis 4:17 : Ps 55:9
32. Genesis 4:17 : Ps 49:11
33. Genesis 4:19 : Ge 6:2
34. Genesis 4:19 : Ge 29:28; Dt 21:15; Ru 4:11; 1Sa 1:2
35. Genesis 4:21 : Ge 31:27; Ex 15:20; 1Sa 16:16; 1Ch 25:3; Ps 33:2; 43:4; Isa 16:11; Da 3:5
36. Genesis 4:21 : Job 21:12; 30:31; Ps 150:4
37. Genesis 4:22 : Ex 35:35; 1Sa 13:19; 2Ki 24:14
38. Genesis 4:23 : Ge 9:5-6; Ex 20:13; 21:12; 23:7; Lev 19:18; 24:17; Dt 27:24; 32:35
39. Genesis 4:24 : Dt 32:35; 2Ki 9:7; Ps 18:47; 94:1; Isa 35:4; Jer 51:56; Na 1:2
40. Genesis 4:24 : S ver 15
41. Genesis 4:24 : Mt 18:22
42. Genesis 4:25 : ver 1
43. Genesis 4:25 : Ge 5:3; 1Ch 1:1
44. Genesis 4:25 : ver 8
45. Genesis 4:26 : Ge 5:6; 1Ch 1:1; Lk 3:38
46. Genesis 4:26 : Ge 12:8; 13:4; 21:33; 22:9; 26:25; 33:20; 35:1; Ex 17:15; 1Ki 18:24; Ps 116:17; Joel 2:32; Zep 3:9; S Ac 2:21