Stories From The Hebrew Bible
THE FIRST BABY IN THE WORLD, AND HIS BROTHER
Stories From The Hebrew Bible
THE FIRST BABY IN THE WORLD,
AND HIS BROTHER
So Adam and his wife went out into the world to live and to work. For a time they were all alone, but after a while God gave them a little child of their own, the first baby that ever came into the world. Eve named him Cain; and after a time another baby came, whom she named Abel.
When the two boys grew up, they worked, as their father worked before them. Cain chose to work in the fields and to raise grain and fruits. Abel had a flock of sheep and became a shepherd.
Each of these brothers, Cain and Abel, offered to God his own gift. Cain brought the fruits and the grain which he had grown; and Abel brought a sheep from his flock, and killed it and burned it upon the altar. For some reason God was pleased with Abel and his offering, but was not pleased with Cain and his offering. Many years later, in the New Testament, God would reveal that “by faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain.”
And God showed that He was not pleased with Cain, and Cain, instead of being sorry for his sin and asking God to forgive him, was very angry with God and angry also toward his brother Abel. When they were out in the field together, Cain killed his brother Abel. So the first baby in the world grew up to be the murderer of his own brother.
And the Lord said to Cain, “Where is Abel your brother?”
And Cain answered, “I do not know; why should I take care of my brother?”
Then the Lord said to Cain,
What is this that you have done? Your brother’s blood is like a voice crying to Me from the ground. Do you see how the ground has opened, like a mouth, to drink your brother’s blood? As long as you live, you shall be under God’s curse for the murder of your brother. You shall wander over the earth, and shall never find a home, because you have done this wicked deed.
And Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear. You have driven me out from among men; and You have hid Your face from me. If any man finds me, he will kill me, because I shall be alone, and no one will be my friend.”
And God said to Cain, “If anyone harms Cain, he shall be punished for it.” And the Lord God placed a mark on Cain, so that whoever met him would know him, and would know also that God had forbidden any man to harm him. Then Cain went away from home, to live in another place. And Cain built a city in that land; and named the city after his first child, whom he had called Enoch.
