Genesis 4

Genesis 4:1

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

Then Adam, after his banishment out of paradise, had carnal knowledge of Evah his wife; which conceived and bare a son, whom she, acknowledging the performance of God’s promise and blessing, called Cain, that is, Possession; because, said she, I have obtained a man, even after my fall, by the gift of the Lord.

Genesis 4:4

And 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.

And Abel also himself brought of the first fruits of his flock, and of the fattest and best of them, with a faithful and cheerful heart; and the Lord shewed, by some visible testimony, that he did graciously accept both Abel’s person and offering.

Genesis 4:5

And Cain was exceeding wroth, and his countenance fell.

And Cain was exceedingly moved with anger and envy, against God and his brother; and bewrayed extreme discontentment in his countenance, which was now churlish and dejected.

Genesis 4:7

If thou do well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou dost not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

If thou do well, and offer in faith, is there any doubt, but thou shalt be accepted, as well as thy brother? but if thou do amiss, both the conscience of thy sin shall be ever ready to afflict and torment thee, and the due revenge of sin shall continually wait upon thee: and, as for thy brother, there is no cause of heart-burning towards him; for, both by nature and his own will, he is subject unto thee, and thou, as the elder brother, mayest command him.

Genesis 4:9

Am I my brother’s keeper?

Am I to wait upon my younger brother, or should not he rather attend upon me? Why shouldest thou ask an account of him from me?

Genesis 4:10

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

Again, God said, What villany is this, that thou hast done? Behold, how silent soever thou be in the confession of thy sin, the blood of thy brother, which thou hast shed, cries loud in my ears, out of the earth, for vengeance against thee.

Genesis 4:11

And now art thou cursed from the earth, which, &c.

Now, therefore, cursed be thou, both in thy pains which thou bestowest upon the ground, and in thy flight from this earth which hath, &c.

Genesis 4:12

When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

And wheresoever thou shalt bestow thy pains in tilling the ground, it shall not henceforth yield thee her wonted increase; neither shalt thou be able to settle thyself any where: for thine unquiet conscience shall not suffer thee to rest, but shall drive thee from place to place, so as thou shalt be a miserable vagabond and runagate in the earth.

Genesis 4:13

And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

Then Cain said unto the Lord, Alas, how shall I abide this curse? The punishment, which thou inflictest upon me, is intolerable.

Genesis 4:14

Behold, 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.

For, behold, thou castest me out of this earth, and out of thy protection and grace, wherein alone is all safety; and I, driven with the horrors of my own conscience, shall be a vagrant and runagate upon earth, I know not whither; and whosoever findeth me, though of mine own loins, shall kill me, as I have done my brother.

Genesis 4:15

And 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.

Then the Lord said unto him, Fear not this danger of thy death. I would have it the chief part of thy punishment to live long and miserable, for fearful example unto others: whosoever therefore shall kill Cain, though so bloody a murtherer, he shall be punished by many degrees more severely than Cain himself, for the blood of his brother. And God set a visible and conspicuous mark upon the body of Cain, that whosoever met him might hereby be warned, not to lay hands upon him, notwithstanding his just desert of death.

Genesis 4:16

Then Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

Then Cain was shut out from the protection of God, and that place where were visible signs of God’s presence and means of his worship: and dwelt, after his uncertain and wandering manner, in that land, which was afterwards, from his aberration, called the land of Nod, toward the East side of Eden.

Genesis 4:23

And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah 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.

And Lamech said to his wives, Adah and Zillah: What tell you me of any dangers and fears? Hear my voice, O ye faint-hearted wives of Lamech, and hearken unto my speech; I pass not of the strength of any adversary: for I know my own valour and power to revenge; if any man give me but a wound or a stroke, though he be never so young and lusty, I can, and will kill him dead.

Genesis 4:24

If Cain shall be avenged sevenfold, truly Lamech seventy and sevenfold.

And if the murtherer of Cain shall find it avenged upon him sevenfold, how then shall the violence offered to Lamech escape the revenge of seventy times sevenfold?

Genesis 4:26

Then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

Then, after all the dissoluteness and profaneness of Cain’s posterity, men began to gather themselves into congregations for public service of God, and to make open and solemn profession of religion.