Genesis 4 - Easy To Read Version

¹ Adam and his wife Eve had sexual relations and Eve gave birth to a baby. The baby was named Cain. [24] Eve said, “With the Lord’s help, I have made a man!”

² After that, Eve gave birth to another baby. This baby was Cain’s brother, Abel. Abel became a shepherd. Cain became a farmer.

^3-4 At harvest time, [25] Cain brought a gift to the Lord. Cain brought some of the food that he grew from the ground. But Abel brought some animals from his flock. Abel brought the best parts of his best sheep. [26]

⁵ But the Lord did not accept Cain and his offering. Cain was sad because of this, and he became very angry.

⁶ The Lord asked Cain, “Why are you angry? Why does your face look sad?

⁷ If you do good things, you will be right with me. Then I will accept you. But if you do wrong things, then that sin is in your life. Your sin will want to control you, but you must control that sin.” [27]

⁸ Cain said to his brother Abel, {“Let’s go out to the field.”} So Cain and Abel went to the field. Then Cain attacked his brother Abel and killed him.

⁹ Later, the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?”

¹⁰ Then the Lord said, “What have you done? {You killed your brother!} His blood is like a voice shouting to me from the ground.

¹¹ {You killed your brother,} and the ground opened up to take his blood from your hands. So now, I will cause bad things to happen to that ground.

¹² In the past, {you planted, and your plants grew well. But now} you will plant, and the ground will not help your plants grow. You will not have a home on the earth. You will wander from place to place.”

¹³ Then Cain said, “This punishment is more than I can bear!

¹⁴ Look, you are forcing me to leave my land. I won’t be able to see you or be near you! I won’t have a home! I will be forced to wander from place to place on the earth. And whoever finds me will kill me.”

¹⁵ Then the Lord said to Cain, “{I will not let that happen!} If anyone kills you, Cain, then I will punish that person much, much more.” Then the Lord put a mark on Cain. This mark showed that no person should kill him.

¹⁶ Cain went away from the Lord. Cain lived in the land of Nod. [28]

¹⁷ Cain had sexual relations with his wife. She became pregnant and gave birth to a son named Enoch. Cain built a city and gave the city the same name as his son Enoch.

¹⁸ Enoch had a son named Irad. Irad had a son named Mehujael. Mehujael had a son named Methushael. And Methushael had a son named Lamech.

¹⁹ Lamech married two women. One wife was named Adah, and the other wife was named Zillah.

²⁰ Adah gave birth to Jabal. Jabal was the father [29] of people who live in tents and earn their living by keeping cattle.

²¹ Adah also had another son Jubal. (Jubal was Jabal’s brother.) Jubal was the father of people who play the harp and flute.

²² Zillah gave birth to Tubal-Cain. Tubal-Cain was the father of people who work with bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was named Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives:

²⁴ The punishment for killing Cain was very great! So the punishment for killing me will be much, much greater!”

²⁵ Adam again had sexual relations with Eve. And Eve gave birth to another son. They named him Seth. [30] Eve said, “God has given me another son. Cain killed Abel, but now I have Seth.”

²⁶ Seth also had a son. He named him Enosh. At that time, the people began to pray to the Lord. [31]