Monday, February 17, 2025

¹The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have gotten a man with the LORD’s help.” ²Again she gave birth, to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. ³As time passed, Cain brought an offering to the LORD from the fruit of the ground. ⁴Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. The LORD 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. ⁶The LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? ⁷If 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. ⁹The LORD said to Cain, “Where is Abel, your brother?” He said, “I don’t know. Am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰The LORD 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. ¹²From now on, when you till the ground, it won’t yield its strength to you. You will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.” ¹³Cain said to the LORD, “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 on the earth. Whoever finds me will kill me.” ¹⁵The LORD said to him, “Therefore whoever slays Cain, vengeance will be taken on him sevenfold.” The LORD appointed a sign for Cain, so that anyone finding him would not strike him. ²⁵Adam knew his wife again. She gave birth to a son, and named him Seth, saying, “for God has given me another child instead of Abel, for Cain killed him.”