Cain Murders Abel

4 Now the man knew his wife Eve, and she conceived and bore Cain,^[a] saying, “I have produced a man with the help of the Lord.” ² Next she bore his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, and Cain a tiller of the ground.^{(A) 3} In the course of time Cain brought to the Lord an offering of the fruit of the ground,^{(B) 4} and Abel for his part brought of the firstlings of his flock, their fat portions. And the Lord had regard for Abel and his offering,^{(C) 5} but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.^{(D) 6} The Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why has your countenance fallen? ⁷ If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”

⁸ Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let us go out to the field.”^[b] And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel and killed him.^{(E) 9} Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” He said, “I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper?” ¹⁰ And the Lord said, “What have you done? Listen, your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground!^{(F) 11} And now you are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. ¹² When you till the ground, it will no longer yield to you its strength; you will be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth.”^{(G) 13} Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear! ¹⁴ Today you have driven me away from the soil, and I shall be hidden from your face; I shall be a fugitive and a wanderer on the earth, and anyone who meets me may kill me.”^{(H) 15} Then the Lord said to him, “Not so!^[c] Whoever kills Cain will suffer a sevenfold vengeance.” And the Lord put a mark on Cain, so that no one who came upon him would kill him.^{(I) 16} Then Cain went away from the presence of the Lord and settled in the land of Nod,^[d] east of Eden.

Beginnings of Civilization

¹⁷ Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch, and he built a city and named it Enoch after his son Enoch.^{(J) 18} To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael the father of Methushael, and Methushael the father of Lamech.^{(K) 19} Lamech took two wives; the name of the one was Adah, and the name of the other Zillah. ²⁰ Adah bore Jabal; he was the ancestor of those who live in tents and have livestock. ²¹ His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the ancestor of all those who play the lyre and pipe. ²² Zillah bore Tubal-cain, who made all kinds of bronze and iron tools. The sister of Tubal-cain was Naamah.

²³ Lamech said to his wives:

²⁵ Adam knew his wife again, and she bore a son and named him Seth,^[e] for she said, “God has appointed for me another child instead of Abel, because Cain killed him.”^{(N) 26} To Seth also a son was born, and he named him Enosh. At that time people began to invoke the name of the Lord.^(O)

Adam’s Descendants to Noah and His Sons

5 This is the list of the descendants of Adam. When God created humans,^[f] he made them^[g] in the likeness of God.^{(P) 2} Male and female he created them, and he blessed them and called them humans^[h] when they were created.^(Q)

³ When Adam had lived one hundred thirty years, he became the father of a son in his likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth.^{(R) 4} The days of Adam after he became the father of Seth were eight hundred years, and he had other sons and daughters. ⁵ Thus all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred thirty years, and he died.^(S)

⁶ When Seth had lived one hundred five years, he became the father of Enosh.^{(T) 7} Seth lived after the birth of Enosh eight hundred seven years and had other sons and daughters.^{(U) 8} Thus all the days of Seth were nine hundred twelve years, and he died.

⁹ When Enosh had lived ninety years, he became the father of Kenan. ¹⁰ Enosh lived after the birth of Kenan eight hundred fifteen years and had other sons and daughters. ¹¹ Thus all the days of Enosh were nine hundred five years, and he died.^(V)

¹² When Kenan had lived seventy years, he became the father of Mahalalel.^{(W) 13} Kenan lived after the birth of Mahalalel eight hundred and forty years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁴ Thus all the days of Kenan were nine hundred and ten years, and he died.

¹⁵ When Mahalalel had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Jared.^{(X) 16} Mahalalel lived after the birth of Jared eight hundred thirty years and had other sons and daughters. ¹⁷ Thus all the days of Mahalalel were eight hundred ninety-five years, and he died.

¹⁸ When Jared had lived one hundred sixty-two years he became the father of Enoch.^{(Y) 19} Jared lived after the birth of Enoch eight hundred years and had other sons and daughters. ²⁰ Thus all the days of Jared were nine hundred sixty-two years, and he died.

²¹ When Enoch had lived sixty-five years, he became the father of Methuselah.^{(Z) 22} Enoch walked with God after the birth of Methuselah three hundred years and had other sons and daughters. ²³ Thus all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty-five years. ²⁴ Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him.^(AA)

²⁵ When Methuselah had lived one hundred eighty-seven years, he became the father of Lamech. ²⁶ Methuselah lived after the birth of Lamech seven hundred eighty-two years and had other sons and daughters.^{(AB) 27} Thus all the days of Methuselah were nine hundred sixty-nine years, and he died.

²⁸ When Lamech had lived one hundred eighty-two years, he became the father of a son; ²⁹ he named him Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the toil of our hands.”^{(AC) 30} Lamech lived after the birth of Noah five hundred ninety-five years and had other sons and daughters. ³¹ Thus all the days of Lamech were seven hundred seventy-seven years, and he died.

³² After Noah was five hundred years old, Noah became the father of Shem, Ham, and Japheth.^(AD)

The Wickedness of Humans

6 When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,^{(AE) 2} the sons of God saw that they were fair, and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.^{(AF) 3} Then the Lord said, “My spirit shall not abide^[i] in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.”^{(AG) 4} The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.

⁵ The Lord saw that the wickedness of humans was great in the earth and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.^{(AH) 6} And the Lord was sorry that he had made humans on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart.^{(AI) 7} So the Lord said, “I will blot out from the earth the humans I have created—people together with animals and creeping things and birds of the air—for I am sorry that I have made them.” ⁸ But Noah found favor in the sight of the Lord.^(AJ)

Noah Pleases God

⁹ These are the descendants of Noah. Noah was a righteous man, blameless in his generation; Noah walked with God.^{(AK) 10} And Noah had three sons: Shem, Ham, and Japheth.^(AL)

¹¹ Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. ¹² And God saw that the earth was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted its ways upon the earth.^{(AM) 13} And God said to Noah, “I have determined to make an end of all flesh, for the earth is filled with violence because of them; now I am going to destroy them along with the earth.^{(AN) 14} Make yourself an ark of cypress^[j] wood; make rooms in the ark, and cover it inside and out with pitch.^{(AO) 15} This is how you are to make it: the length of the ark three hundred cubits, its width fifty cubits, and its height thirty cubits. ¹⁶ Make a roof^[k] for the ark, and finish it to a cubit above, and put the door of the ark in its side; make it with lower, second, and third decks. ¹⁷ For my part, I am going to bring a flood of waters on the earth, to destroy from under heaven all flesh in which is the breath of life; everything that is on the earth shall die.^{(AP) 18} But I will establish my covenant with you, and you shall come into the ark, you, your sons, your wife, and your sons’ wives with you.^{(AQ) 19} And of every living thing, of all flesh, you shall bring two of every kind into the ark, to keep them alive with you; they shall be male and female.^{(AR) 20} Of the birds according to their kinds and of the animals according to their kinds, of every creeping thing of the ground according to its kind, two of every kind shall come in to you, to keep them alive.^{(AS) 21} Also take with you every kind of food that is eaten, and store it up, and it shall serve as food for you and for them.” ²² Noah did this; he did all that God commanded him.^(AT)

The Great Flood

7 Then the Lord said to Noah, “Go into the ark, you and all your household, for I have seen that you alone are righteous before me in this generation.^{(AU) 2} Take with you seven pairs of all clean animals, the male and its mate; and a pair of the animals that are not clean, the male and its mate;^{(AV) 3} and seven pairs of the birds of the air also, male and female, to keep their kind alive on the face of all the earth. ⁴ For in seven days I will send rain on the earth for forty days and forty nights, and every living thing that I have made I will blot out from the face of the ground.” ⁵ And Noah did all that the Lord had commanded him.

⁶ Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of waters came on the earth. ⁷ And Noah with his sons and his wife and his sons’ wives went into the ark to escape the waters of the flood.^{(AW) 8} Of clean animals and of animals that are not clean and of birds and of everything that creeps on the ground, ⁹ two and two, male and female, went into the ark with Noah, as God had commanded Noah. ¹⁰ And after seven days the waters of the flood came on the earth.

¹¹ In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth, and the windows of the heavens were opened.^{(AX) 12} The rain fell on the earth forty days and forty nights.^{(AY) 13} On the very same day Noah with his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons entered the ark,^{(AZ) 14} they and every wild animal of every kind and all domestic animals of every kind and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth and every bird of every kind.^{[l] 15} They went into the ark with Noah, two and two of all flesh in which there was the breath of life.^{(BA) 16} And those that entered, male and female of all flesh, went in as God had commanded him, and the Lord shut him in.^(BB)

¹⁷ The flood continued forty days on the earth, and the waters increased and bore up the ark, and it rose high above the earth.^{(BC) 18} The waters swelled and increased greatly on the earth, and the ark floated on the face of the waters.^{(BD) 19} The waters swelled so mightily on the earth that all the high mountains under the whole heaven were covered; ²⁰ the waters swelled above the mountains, covering them fifteen cubits deep. ²¹ And all flesh died that moved on the earth, birds, domestic animals, wild animals, all swarming creatures that swarm on the earth, and all human beings;^{(BE) 22} everything on dry land in whose nostrils was the breath of life died.^{(BF) 23} He blotted out every living thing that was on the face of the ground, human beings and animals and creeping things and birds of the air; they were blotted out from the earth. Only Noah was left and those with him in the ark.^{(BG) 24} And the waters swelled on the earth for one hundred fifty days.^(BH)