Continue to Trust in God’s Promises – Genesis 4:1-26
4 And the man lay* with his wife Eve, and she conceived, and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, I have gotten a man with the help of Jehovah. (2) And again she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, but Cain worked the soil.
(3) Now in the course of time Cain brought an offering to Jehovah consisting of the fruit of the ground. (4) And Abel also brought an offering, consisting of the firstborn of his flock together with their fat portions. And Jehovah looked with favor upon Abel and his offering; (5) but he did not look with favor upon Cain and his offering. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
(6) And Jehovah said to Cain, Why are you angry? And why is your face downcast? (7) If you do what is right, shall your spirit not be lifted up? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door; its desire is to master you, but you must rule over it.
(8) Then Cain spoke to Abel his brother. And while they were in the field, Cain attacked Abel his brother, and killed him. (9) Then Jehovah said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? And he said, I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper? (10) And Jehovah said, What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground. (11) And now you shall be cursed by the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood which has been shed by your hand. (12) From now on, when you till the ground it shall not yield its produce for you; you shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. (13) Then Cain said to Jehovah, My punishment is greater than I can bear. (14) Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer in the earth. Now whoever shall find me will kill me. (15) So Jehovah said to him, Whoever kills Cain, vengeance shall be taken on that man sevenfold. And Jehovah placed a mark upon Cain, so that no one who met him would kill him. (16) Then Cain went out from the presence of Jehovah, and settled in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden. (17) And Cain lay with* his wife and she conceived, and gave birth to Enoch. And Cain built a city, and named the city after his son, Enoch. (18) And to Enoch Irad was born; and Irad was the father of Mehujael; and Mehujael was the father of Methushael; and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
(19) Lamech took for himself two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other was Zillah. (20) And Adah gave birth to Jabal; Jabal became the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock. (21) And his brother’s name was Jubal; Jubal became the father of all those who play the harp and the flute. (22) And Zillah also gave birth to a son named Tubal-cain, he became the forger of all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. Tubal-cain’s sister was Naamah.
(23) Then Lamech said to his wives, Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; you wives of Lamech, listen to my speech. I will kill a man if he wounds me, even a young man if he so much as bruises me. (24) If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, certainly Lamech shall avenge himself seventy sevenfold.
(25) And Adam lay with* his wife again; and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, Because, she explained, God has given me another child in the place of Abel; since Cain killed him. (26) And Seth also had a son; and he named him Enosh. Then men began to call upon the name of Jehovah.
*Literally, “he knew his wife”
Now proceed to the next section of this study, entitled, Exploring the Passage.
