New International Reader s Version - NIrV - 1996
Genesis 4
1
Adam made love to his wife Eve. She became pregnant and gave birth to Cain. She said, "With the Lord's help I have had a baby boy."
Reference
People
2
Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel took care of sheep. Cain worked the ground.
Reference
People
3
After some time, Cain gathered some of the things he had grown. He brought them as an offering to the Lord.
Reference
References Lord
Numbers 18:12
4
But Abel brought the fattest parts of some of the lambs from his flock. They were the male animals that were born first to their mothers. The Lord was pleased with Abel and his offering.
Reference
Parallel theme
Hebrews 9:22
Genesis 15:17
References Lord
Proverbs 3:9
Exodus 13:12
Sacrifice
Hebrews 11:4
Numbers 18:17
Psalm 20:3
2 Chronicles 7:1
1 Chronicles 21:26
1 Kings 18:38
5
But he wasn't pleased with Cain and his offering. So Cain became very angry. His face was sad.
Reference
7
Do what is right. Then you will be accepted. If you don't do what is right, sin is waiting at your door to grab you. It longs to have you. But you must rule over it."
Reference
8
Cain said to his brother Abel, "Let's go out to the field." So they went out. There Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.
Reference
Parallel theme
Matthew 23:35
Jude 1:11
Luke 11:51
Micah 7:6
2 Samuel 14:6
Nehemiah 6:2
2 Samuel 3:27
9
Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I supposed to look after my brother?"
Reference
10
The Lord said, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground.
Reference
Blood
Hebrews 12:24
Psalm 72:14
Psalm 9:12
Numbers 35:33
Job 16:18
Parallel theme
Hebrews 11:4
James 5:4
Isaiah 5:7
11
"So I am putting a curse on you. I am driving you away from the ground. It has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.
Reference
12
When you work the ground, it will not produce its crops for you anymore. You will be a restless person who wanders around on the earth."
Reference
14
Today you are driving me away from the land. I will be hidden from you. I'll be a restless person who wanders around on the earth. Anyone who finds me will kill me."
Reference
15
But the Lord said to him, "No. Anyone who kills you will be paid back seven times." The Lord put a mark on Cain. Then anyone who found him wouldn't kill him.
Reference
16
So Cain went away from the Lord. He lived in the land of Nod. It was east of Eden.
Reference
Parallel theme
Jeremiah 23:39
Exodus 20:18
Genesis 4:14
References Lord
Job 2:7
Jeremiah 52:3
Genesis 3:8
2 Kings 13:23
2 Kings 24:20
17
Cain made love to his wife. She became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. At that time Cain was building a city. He named it after his son Enoch.
Reference
People
Parallel theme
Psalm 49:11
18
Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad was the father of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael. And Methushael was the father of Lamech.
People
19
Lamech married two women. One was named Adah, and the other was named Zillah.
Reference
People
Parallel theme
Genesis 2:24
20
Adah gave birth to Jabal. He was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock.
People
22
Zillah also had a son. His name was Tubal-Cain. He made all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.
People
23
Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to me. You wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man because he wounded me. I have killed a young man because he hurt me.
24
Anyone who would have killed Cain would have been paid back seven times. But anyone who hurts me will be paid back 77 times."
Reference
25
Adam made love to his wife again. She gave birth to a son and named him Seth. She said, "God has given me another child. The child will take the place of Abel, because Cain killed him."
Reference
People
26
Seth also had a son. He named him Enosh. At that time people began to worship the Lord.
Reference
People
Parallel theme
Luke 3:38
References Lord
Psalm 116:17
Joel 2:32
1 Kings 18:24
Zephaniah 3:9
Genesis 12:8
Genesis 26:25
Isaiah 48:1
Isaiah 44:5
Jeremiah 33:16
Chapter Summary
Chapter 4 begins with the aftermath of the fall. This is the chapter in which sin, introduced in chapter three, manifests for the first time in a family.
It starts with Eve conceiving and subsequently birthing Cain, and later having another son, Abel. The two grow up and lead very different lives, with Cain working the land and tending to it, and Abel going into animal husbandry and taking care of his flock. When the time comes for offerings to the Lord, Cain offers the fruits of the land, while Abel offers the firstborn of his flock and their fatty portions, which are described as a pleasing aroma to God. God rejects Cain’s offering, but it is unclear why, as the text only mentions Abel’s offering being made with the best parts. Cain’s response to this perceived injustice was anger and frustration, his countenance falling, as the text describes it.
God reproaches Cain, asking him why he is angry and subsequently warns him that sin is waiting to ambush him, like a predator at the door, but that he will have power over it. This warning from God is important, as it demonstrates the spiritual stakes of this confrontation with Cain.
Cain, being unsatisfied with God’s response, invites his brother out to the field. There, Cain kills Abel, becoming the first murderer in the Bible.
God asks Cain where Abel is, and Cain responds that he does not know, saying that he is not responsible for his brother’s life. God tells Cain that Abel’s blood cries out from the earth, and that the land has been contaminated by it, which will make it barren in the future.
As punishment for his crime, Cain is sentenced to be a wanderer on the face of the earth, but he is disappointed at this penalty, claiming that his punishment is too severe, that any man finding him will kill him. God places a mark over Cain, promising that no man may kill him and that those who do will suffer a seventy-sevenfold retribution. Even when committing such a horrendous crime, Cain was shown mercy by God, who warned him not to kill his brother.
Cain leaves the land of Eden, wandering to the east of it, where he finds a settlement in a land called Nod, where he proceeds to have numerous children with his wife and found a city named after his son, Enoch. There are several more generations described in this chapter, beginning with Cain’s lineage and ending with Lamech, who had two wives, Adah and Zillah. His children were notable people, as the text describes them as pioneers. His son Jabal was the first to live in tents and raise livestock. His brother Jubal was the first musician, forging the harp and the flute. Tubal-Cain was a metalworker, making bronze and iron implements.
Lamech was a violent man, as demonstrated by his boastful song for his wives concerning the killing of a man, which seems similar to how Cain had boasted of his crime immediately after committing it. Lamech states that he had killed a man for wounding his son and that he would be due for a seventy-sevenfold retaliation for this, comparing it to Cain’s punishment.
The chapter ends with Adam and Eve having another son, Seth, whom Eve considers to be a replacement for Abel, who was murdered, and that he was born when she said to God, “Bring us another son.”
Seth grows up and has a son named Enosh, and it is here that the chapter ends with the statement that men began calling out to the name of the Lord.
The chapter is significant in that it shows that sin never stays confined to one person or event, as shown by the proliferation of it in the descendants of Cain and subsequently in Adam’s other sons. It begins with Abel murdering his brother, and ends with the descendants of Seth worshipping the Lord. It shows the corruption of humanity and the consequences of sin, but also the redemption that can be found in God. Even before the flood described in Genesis 7, the culture of humanity has already largely turned towards sin, with people becoming proud, boastful, and violent. However, this is balanced with God’s continual mercy and the faith of people such as Seth turning back to God.
It starts with Eve conceiving and subsequently birthing Cain, and later having another son, Abel. The two grow up and lead very different lives, with Cain working the land and tending to it, and Abel going into animal husbandry and taking care of his flock. When the time comes for offerings to the Lord, Cain offers the fruits of the land, while Abel offers the firstborn of his flock and their fatty portions, which are described as a pleasing aroma to God. God rejects Cain’s offering, but it is unclear why, as the text only mentions Abel’s offering being made with the best parts. Cain’s response to this perceived injustice was anger and frustration, his countenance falling, as the text describes it.
God reproaches Cain, asking him why he is angry and subsequently warns him that sin is waiting to ambush him, like a predator at the door, but that he will have power over it. This warning from God is important, as it demonstrates the spiritual stakes of this confrontation with Cain.
Cain, being unsatisfied with God’s response, invites his brother out to the field. There, Cain kills Abel, becoming the first murderer in the Bible.
God asks Cain where Abel is, and Cain responds that he does not know, saying that he is not responsible for his brother’s life. God tells Cain that Abel’s blood cries out from the earth, and that the land has been contaminated by it, which will make it barren in the future.
As punishment for his crime, Cain is sentenced to be a wanderer on the face of the earth, but he is disappointed at this penalty, claiming that his punishment is too severe, that any man finding him will kill him. God places a mark over Cain, promising that no man may kill him and that those who do will suffer a seventy-sevenfold retribution. Even when committing such a horrendous crime, Cain was shown mercy by God, who warned him not to kill his brother.
Cain leaves the land of Eden, wandering to the east of it, where he finds a settlement in a land called Nod, where he proceeds to have numerous children with his wife and found a city named after his son, Enoch. There are several more generations described in this chapter, beginning with Cain’s lineage and ending with Lamech, who had two wives, Adah and Zillah. His children were notable people, as the text describes them as pioneers. His son Jabal was the first to live in tents and raise livestock. His brother Jubal was the first musician, forging the harp and the flute. Tubal-Cain was a metalworker, making bronze and iron implements.
Lamech was a violent man, as demonstrated by his boastful song for his wives concerning the killing of a man, which seems similar to how Cain had boasted of his crime immediately after committing it. Lamech states that he had killed a man for wounding his son and that he would be due for a seventy-sevenfold retaliation for this, comparing it to Cain’s punishment.
The chapter ends with Adam and Eve having another son, Seth, whom Eve considers to be a replacement for Abel, who was murdered, and that he was born when she said to God, “Bring us another son.”
Seth grows up and has a son named Enosh, and it is here that the chapter ends with the statement that men began calling out to the name of the Lord.
The chapter is significant in that it shows that sin never stays confined to one person or event, as shown by the proliferation of it in the descendants of Cain and subsequently in Adam’s other sons. It begins with Abel murdering his brother, and ends with the descendants of Seth worshipping the Lord. It shows the corruption of humanity and the consequences of sin, but also the redemption that can be found in God. Even before the flood described in Genesis 7, the culture of humanity has already largely turned towards sin, with people becoming proud, boastful, and violent. However, this is balanced with God’s continual mercy and the faith of people such as Seth turning back to God.