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Greek: Septuagint (LXX)
English: John Barach
Chapter4
Cain and Abel
1 Ἀδὰμ δὲ ἔγνω Εὔαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν τὸν Κάϊν· καὶ εἶπεν, ἐκτησάμην ἄνθρωπον διὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. 2 καὶ προσέθηκεν τεκεῖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἄβελ· καὶ ἐγένετο Ἄβελ ποιμὴν προβάτων, Κάϊν δὲ ἦν ἐργαζόμενος τὴν γῆν. 3 καὶ ἐγένετο μεθ' ἡμέρας ἤνεγκεν Κάϊν ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς θυσίαν τῷ κυρίῳ. 4 καὶ Ἄβελ ἤνεγκεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν προβάτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν στεάτων αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐπεῖδεν ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ Ἄβελ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς δώροις αὐτοῦ. 5 ἐπὶ δὲ Κάϊν, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις αὐτοῦ, οὐ προσέσχεν· καὶ ἐλύπησεν τὸν Κάϊν λίαν, καὶ συνέπεσεν τῷ προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ. 6 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς τῷ Κάϊν, ἵνα τί περίλυπος ἐγένου, καὶ ἵνα τί συνέπεσεν τὸ πρόσωπόν σου; 7 οὐκ ἐὰν ὀρθῶς προσενέγκῃς, ὀρθῶς δὲ μὴ διέλῃς, ἥμαρτες; ἡσύχασον· πρὸς σὲ ἡ ἀποστροφὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ σὺ ἄρξεις αὐτοῦ. 1 And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain; and she said, "I have acquired a man through God." 2 And she went on to bear his brother Abel; and Abel became a shepherd of sheep, but Cain was a worker of the earth. 3 And it happened after some days that Cain brought from the fruits of the earth a sacrifice to the Lord. 4 And Abel, he also brought from the firstborn of his sheep and from their fat; and God looked with favor upon Abel and upon his gifts. 5 But upon Cain and upon his sacrifices He did not pay heed; and it grieved Cain greatly, and his countenance fell. 6 And the Lord God said to Cain, "Why have you become deeply grieved, and why has your countenance fallen? 7 If you offer rightly, but do not divide rightly, have you not sinned? Be still; his recourse is toward you, and you shall rule over him."[1]
[1]The Greek phrase "If you offer rightly, but do not divide rightly" (οὐκ ἐὰν ὀρθῶς προσενέγκῃς, ὀρθῶς δὲ μὴ διέλῃς) is different from the Masoretic (Hebrew) text. It suggests that Cain's sin was a ritual error in how he divided or portioned his sacrifice. The difference in the two offerings is that Abel's had blood which led to the Hebrew sacrifices and was a precursor to the death of Jesus.
8 Καὶ εἶπεν Κάϊν πρὸς Ἄβελ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πεδίον· καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ, ἀνέστη Κάϊν ἐπὶ Ἄβελ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν. 9 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Κάϊν· ποῦ ἐστιν Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου; καὶ εἶπεν, οὐ γινώσκω· μὴ φύλαξ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μού εἰμι ἐγώ; 10 καὶ εἶπεν κύριος, τί πεποίηκας; φωνὴ αἵματος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου βοᾷ πρός με ἐκ τῆς γῆς. 11 καὶ νῦν ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἣ ἔχανεν τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς δέξασθαι τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου. 12 ὅτι ἐργᾷ τὴν γῆν, καὶ οὐ προσθήσει τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῆς δοῦναί σοι· στένων καὶ τρέμων ἔσῃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. 13 καὶ εἶπεν Κάϊν πρὸς κύριον τὸν θεόν, μείζων ἡ αἰτία μου τοῦ ἀφεθῆναί με. 14 εἰ ἐκβάλλεις με σήμερον ἀπὸ προσώπου τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου κρυβήσομαι, καὶ ἔσομαι στένων καὶ τρέμων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἔσται πᾶς ὁ εὑρίσκων με, ἀποκτενεῖ με. 15 καὶ εἶπεν αὐτῷ κύριος ὁ θεός, οὐχ οὕτως· πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας Κάϊν, ἑπτὰ ἐκδικούμενα παραλύσει. καὶ ἔθετο κύριος ὁ θεὸς σημεῖον τῷ Κάϊν, τοῦ μὴ ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν πάντα τὸν εὑρίσκοντα αὐτόν. 16 ἐξῆλθεν δὲ Κάϊν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ ᾤκησεν ἐν γῇ Ναὶδ κατέναντι Ἐδέμ. 8 And Cain said to Abel his brother, "Let us go out into the field." And it happened while they were in the field, Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him. 9 And the Lord God said to Cain, "Where is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know; am I my brother's keeper?" 10 And the Lord said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother’s blood cries out to me from the earth. 11 And now, cursed are you 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 shall not continue to give its strength to you; groaning and trembling you shall be upon the earth." 13 And Cain said to the Lord God, "My guilt is too great for me to be forgiven. 14 If you cast me out today from the face of the earth, I shall also be hidden from your face, and I shall be groaning and trembling upon the earth, and it shall be that everyone who finds me will kill me." 15 And the Lord God said to him, "Not so; anyone who kills Cain shall suffer sevenfold vengeance." And the Lord God set a sign[1] upon Cain, so that anyone finding him would not kill him. 16 And Cain went out from the presence of God and dwelt in the land of Naid,[2] opposite Eden.
[1]The Greek word semeion (σημεῖον) is the same word used for "miracle" or "sign" in the New Testament. It indicates a visible, divine token of protection.
[2]While the Hebrew text refers to the land of "Nod" (meaning "wandering"), the LXX transliterates it as Naid. This underscores the LXX translator's tendency to treat geographical locations as proper names.
17 Καὶ ἔγνω Κάϊν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ· καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν τὸν Ἐνώχ. καὶ ἦν οἰκοδομῶν πόλιν· καὶ ἐπωνόμασεν τὴν πόλιν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, Ἐνώχ. 18 ἐγενήθη δὲ τῷ Ἐνὼχ Γαϊδάδ· καὶ Γαϊδὰδ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Μαιήλ·1 καὶ Μαιὴλ ἐγέννησεν τὸν Μαθουσάλα· καὶ Μαθουσάλα ἐγέννησεν τὸν Λάμεχ. 17 And Cain knew his wife, and she conceived and bore Enoch. And he was building a city; and he named the city after the name of his son, Enoch. 18 And to Enoch was born Gaidad; and Gaidad fathered Maiel; and Maiel fathered Mathusala; and Mathusala fathered Lamech.
19 Καὶ ἔλαβεν ἑαυτῷ Λάμεχ δύο γυναῖκας· ὄνομα τῇ μιᾷ. Ἀδὰ καὶ ὄνομα τῇ δευτέρᾳ Σελλά. 20 καὶ ἔτεκεν Ἀδὰ τὸν Ἰωβέλ· οὗτος ἦν ὁ πατὴρ οἰκούντων ἐν σκηναῖς κτηνοτρόφων. 21 καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ, Ἰουβάλ· οὗτος ἦν ὁ καταδείξας ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν. 22 Σελλὰ δὲ ἔτεκεν καὶ αὐτὴ τὸν Θοβέλ· καὶ ἦν σφυροκόπος χαλκεὺς χαλκοῦ καὶ σιδήρου· ἀδελφὴ δὲ Θοβέλ, Νοεμά. 23 εἶπεν δὲ Λάμεχ ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ γυναιξίν, Ἀδὰ καὶ Σελλά, ἀκούσατέ μου τῆς φωνῆς, γυναῖκες Λάμεχ, ἐνωτίσασθέ μου τοὺς λόγους· ὅτι ἄνδρα ἀπέκτεινα εἰς τραῦμα ἐμοί, καὶ νεανίσκον εἰς μώλωπα ἐμοί. 24 ὅτι ἑπτάκις ἐκδεδίκηται ἐκ Κάϊν· ἐκ δὲ Λάμεχ, ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά. 19 And Lamech took for himself two wives; the name of the first was Ada and the name of the second was Zella. 20 And Ada bore Jobel; he was the father of those dwelling in tents and cattle-breeders. 21 And the name of his brother was Jubal; he was the one who invented the psaltery and the lyre.[1] 22 And Zella also bore Thobel; and he was a smith,[2] a worker of bronze and iron; and the sister of Thobel was Noema. 23 And Lamech said to his wives, "Ada and Zella, hear my voice, wives of Lamech, give ear to my words: for I have killed a man to my wounding, and a young man to my bruising. 24 For if Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy times seven."
[1]The psaltery and kithara (ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν) are Greek instruments used to translate the Hebrew kinnor and ugab.
[2]The term sphyrokopos (σφυροκόπος) means "hammer-beater," emphasizing the technological shift into the Bronze and Iron ages.
25 Ἔγνω δὲ Ἀδὰμ Εὔαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ· καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν υἱόν· καὶ ἐπωνόμασεν τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Σήθ, λέγουσα, ἐξανέστησεν γάρ μοι ὁ θεὸς σπέρμα ἕτερον ἀντὶ Ἄβελ, ὃν ἀπέκτεινεν Κάϊν. 26 καὶ τῷ Σὴθ ἐγένετο υἱός· ἐπωνόμασεν δὲ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, Ἐνώς· οὗτος ἤλπισεν ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομα κυρίου τοῦ θεοῦ. 25 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived and bore a son; and she called his name Seth, saying, "For God has raised up for me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain killed." 26 And to Seth a son was born; and he called his name Enos; he hoped to call upon the name of the Lord God.