4 Then Adam slept with his wife, and she conceived and in due course gave birth to Kayin (Cain). “Yahweh has enabled me to produce a man,” she said. 2 Eventually she also gave birth to Kayin’s brother, Abel. Abel became a shepherd, while Kayin became a crop farmer. 3 Some months later, Kayin brought some of what he’d grown in the ground as an offering to Yahweh, 4 and also Abel brought the best portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. Now Yahweh was pleased with Abel and his offering,[ref] 5 but he didn’t even look towards Kayin and his offering. Kayin got very angry and his face showed his displeasure. 6 Then Yahweh said to Kayin, “Why are you so angry? And why are you frowning like that? 7 If you do what’s right, won’t you be honoured? But if you don’t do what’s right, sin is crouching in the doorway wanting to have you, but you have the control over it.”

8 One day, Kayin spoke to his brother Abel when they were out in the field, and then Kayin attacked him and killed him.[ref]

9 Later Yahweh asked Kayin, “Where’s your brother Abel?”

“I don’t know,” he replied, “It’s not my job to look after my brother.”

10 “What have you done?” Yahweh asked. “Your brother’s blood is calling out to me from the ground.[ref] 11 So now you’re cursed and banished from the soil that your brother’s blood soaked into as a result of your actions. 12 Whenever you till and plant the ground, it will no longer produce good yields for you. You’ll be a fugitive and wandering refugee on the earth.”

13 “My punishment is more than I can bear,” Kayin complained to Yahweh. 14 “Look, you’re now driving me away from the ground I’ve been cultivating to somewhere where you won’t be able to see me. I’ll be a wandering refugee on the earth, and anyone who finds me will kill me.”

15 “Very well,”, replied Yahweh and declared, “If anyone kills Kayin, then that person will receive a seven times greater sentence.” Then Yahweh marked Kayin so that no one who found him would kill him, 16 and Kayin left Yahweh’s presence and settled in the land of Nod to the east of Eden.