Cain and Abel Bring Their Offerings

1 And the man knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and she said, “Look, a son has been given to me from before the Lord.” 2 And she bore again, his brother Abel. And Abel was a shepherd of sheep, and Cain was a worker of the earth. 3 And at the end of days Cain brought a gift from the fruits of the earth to the name of the Lord. 4 And Abel too brought one, from the firstborn of his flock and from their fat animals. And the Lord accepted Abel and his offering with favor, 5 but Cain and his offering he did not accept with favor. And Cain grew very angry, and the look of his face changed. 6 And the Lord said to Cain, “Why now are you angry, and why now has the look of your face changed? 7 Is it not so that if you do your deeds well in this world, you will be loosed and forgiven in the world to come? But if you do not do your deeds well in this world, your sin is kept for the day of the great judgment, and at the door of your heart your sin lies crouching. And into your hand I have given power over the evil inclination, and you shall rule over it, whether for innocence or for sin.”⁠a

Cain and Abel Debate Judgment

8 And Cain said to Abel his brother, “Come, let the two of us go out to the face of the field.” And when the two of them had gone out to the face of the field, Cain spoke up and said to Abel, “I see that the world was not created with mercy, and it is not governed by the fruit of good deeds, and there is favoritism in judgment. Otherwise why was your offering accepted with favor, and my offering was not accepted from me with favor?” Abel spoke up and said to Cain, “I see that the world was created with mercy, and it is governed by the fruit of good deeds. And because my good deeds were better than yours, my offering was accepted from me with favor, and your offering was not accepted from you with favor.” Cain spoke up and said to Abel, “There is no judgment, and there is no judge, and there is no other world.⁠b There is no good reward given to the righteous, and no punishment taken from the wicked.” Abel spoke up and said to Cain, “There is judgment, and there is a judge, and there is another world. There is good reward given to the righteous, and punishment taken from the wicked in the world to come.” And over this matter the two of them were quarreling on the face of the field. And Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.

Cain’s Punishment

9 And the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?” And he said, “I do not know. Am I my brother’s guardian?” 10 And he said, “What is this that you have done? The voice of the blood of the multitudes of righteous people who were to arise from Abel your brother is crying out against you before me from the earth. 11 And now, cursed shall you be from the earth, which has opened its mouth to receive the blood of your brother from your hand. 12 When you work the earth, it will no longer give you the fruits of its harvest. An exile and a wanderer you will be, Cain, on the earth.” 13 And Cain said before the Lord, “My sins are too many to bear, but there is power before you to loose and to forgive. 14 Look, you have driven me today from the face of the earth, and from before you it is not possible for me to hide. And Cain will be an exile and a wanderer on the earth, and whoever meets him will kill him.” 15 And the Lord said to him with an oath, “Anyone who kills Cain, it will be held in suspense for him for seven generations.” And the Lord put a sign on Cain so that whoever met him would not kill him. 16 And Cain went out from before the Lord and lived in the land, an exile and a wanderer, to the east of Eden. And before he killed Abel, the earth used to grow for him what was like the fruits of the garden of Eden; but once he sinned and killed Abel, it turned to growing thorns and thistles for him.

The Descendants of Cain

17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he was building a city, and he called the name of the city after the name of his son Enoch. 18 And to Enoch Irad was born, and Irad fathered Mehujael, and Mehujael fathered Methushael, and Methushael fathered Lamech. 19 And Lamech took two wives for himself. The name of the one was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 20 And Adah bore Jabal. He was the father of all who live in tents and own cattle. 21 And the name of his brother was Jubal. He was the father of all who play the lyre and the pipe. 22 And Zillah too bore Tubal-Cain, a craftsman in every craft of bronze and iron. And the sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah; she devised dirges and songs. 23 And Lamech said to his two wives, “Adah and Zillah, hear my voice; wives of Lamech, listen to the words of my mouth. For I have not killed a man, that I should be killed because of him, and I have not harmed a young man, that my descendants should be destroyed after me. 24 For Cain, who killed Abel, it was held in suspense for seven generations; and for Lamech, his son’s son, who did not kill, it is only right that it be held in suspense for him for seventy-seven generations.”

The Birth of Seth

25 And Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son, and she called his name Seth: “For the Lord has appointed me another son in place of Abel, because Cain killed him.” 26 And to Seth also a son was born, and he called his name Enosh. Then people began to make idols for themselves and to call them by the name of the Memra of the Lord.