Genesis 4

Old Testament · Brenton Septuagint with Greek parallel

Genesis 4

1And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and brought forth Cain and said, I have gained a man through God.Ἀδὰμ δὲ ἔγνω Εὔαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ, καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκε τὸν Κάϊν· καὶ εἶπεν, ἐκτησάμην ἄνθρωπον διὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ.

2And she again bore his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.Καὶ προσέθηκε τεκεῖν τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ τὸν Ἄβελ· καὶ ἐγένετο Ἄβελ ποιμὴν προβάτων, Κάϊν δὲ ἦν ἐργαζόμενος τὴν γῆν.

3And it was so * after some time that Cain brought of the fruits of the earth a sacrifice to the Lord.Καὶ ἐγένετο μεθʼ ἡμέρας ἤνεγκε Κάϊν ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς θυσίαν τῷ Κυρίῳ·

4And Abel † also brought of the first born of his sheep and of his fatlings, and God looked upon Abel and his gifts,Καὶ Ἄβελ ἤνεγκε καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν προβάτων αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν στεάτων αὐτῶν· καὶ ἐπεῖδεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ Ἄβελ, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς δώροις αὐτοῦ.

5but Cain and his sacrifices he regarded not, and Cain was exceedingly sorrowful and his countenance fell.Ἐπὶ δὲ Κάϊν, καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις αὐτοῦ, οὐ προσέσχε· καὶ ἐλυπήθη Κάϊν λίαν, καὶ συνέπεσε τῷ προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ.

6And the Lord God said to Cain, Why are you become very sorrowful and why is your countenance fallen?Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς τῷ Κάϊν, ἵνα τί περίλυπος ἐγένου, καὶ ἵνα τί συνέπεσε τὸ πρόσωπόν σου;

7Have you not sinned if you have brought it rightly, but not rightly divided it? be still, to you shall be his submission, and you shall rule over him.Οὐκ ἐὰν ὀρθῶς προσενέγκῃς, ὀρθῶς δὲ μὴ διέλῃς, ἥμαρτες; ἡσυχασον· πρός σὲ ἡ ἀποστροφὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ σὺ ἄρξεις αὐτοῦ.

8And Cain said to Abel his brother, Let us go out into the plain; and it came to pass that when they were in the plain Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and killed him.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.

9And the Lord God said to Cain, Where is Abel your brother? and he said, I know not, am I my brother's keeper?Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς πρὸς Κάϊν· ποῦ ἔστιν Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου; καὶ εἶπεν, οὐ γινώσκω· μὴ φύλαξ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου εἰμὶ ἐγώ;

10And the Lord said, What have you done? the voice of your brother's blood cries to me out of the ground.Καὶ εἶπε Κύριος, τί πεποίηκας; φωνὴ αἵματος τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου βοᾷ πρός με ἐκ τῆς γῆς.

11And now you are cursed from the earth which has opened her mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.Καὶ νῦν ἐπικατάρατος σὺ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, ἣ ἔχανε τὸ στόμα αὐτῆς δέξασθαι τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου ἐκ τῆς χειρός σου.

12When you till the earth, then it shall not continue to give its strength to you: you shall be groaning and trembling on the earth.Ὅτε ἐργᾷ τὴν γῆν, καὶ οὐ προσθήσει τὴν ἰσχὺν αὐτῆς δοῦναί σοι· στένων καὶ τρέμων ἐσῃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

13And Cain said to the Lord God, My crime is too great for me to be forgiven.Καὶ εἶπε Κάϊν πρὸς Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν, μείζων ἡ αἰτία μου τοῦ ἀφεθῆναί με.

14If you cast me out this day from the face of the earth, ‡ and I shall be hidden from your presence, and I shall be groaning and trembling upon the earth, then it will be that any one that finds me shall kill me.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.

15And the Lord God said to him, Not so, any one that slays Cain shall § suffer sevenfold vengeance; and the Lord God set a mark upon Cain that no one that found him might kill him.Καὶ εἴπεν αὐτῷ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς, οὐχ οὕτω· πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας Κάϊν, ἑπτὰ ἐκδικούμενα παραλύσει. Καὶ ἔθετο Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς σημεῖον τῷ Κάϊν, τοῦ μὴ ἀνελεῖν αὐτὸν πάντα τὸν εὑρίσκοντα αὐτόν.

16So Cain went forth from the presence of God and lived in the land of Nod over against Edem.Ἐξῆλθεν δὲ Κάϊν ἀπὸ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ ᾤκησεν ἐν γῇ Ναὶδ κατέναντι Ἐδέμ.

17And Cain knew his wife, and having conceived she bore Enoch; and he ** built a city; and he named the city after the name of his son, Enoch.Καὶ ἔγνω Κάϊν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ· καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκε τὸν Ἐνώχ. Καὶ ἦν οἰκοδομῶν πόλιν· καὶ ἐπῳνόμασε τὴν πόλιν ἐπὶ τῷ ὀνόματι τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ, Ἐνώχ.

18And to Enoch was born Gaidad; and Gaidad begot Maleleel; and Maleleel begot Mathusala; and Mathusala begot Lamech.Ἐγενήθη δὲ τῷ Ἐνὼχ Γαϊδάδ· καὶ Γαϊδὰδ ἐγέννησε τὸν Μαλελεὴλ· καὶ Μαλελεὴλ ἐγέννησε τὸν Μαθουσάλα· καὶ Μαθουσάλα ἐγέννησε τὸν Λάμεχ.

19And Lamech took to himself two wives; the name of the one was Ada, and the name of the second Sella.Καὶ ἔλαβεν ἑαυτῷ Λάμεχ δύο γυναῖκας· ὄνομα τῇ μιᾷ, Ἀδά· καὶ ὄνομα τῇ δευτέρᾳ, Σελλά.

20And Ada bore Jobel; he was the father of those that dwell in tents, feeding cattle.Καὶ ἔτεκεν Ἀδὰ τὸν Ἰωβήλ· οὗτος ἦν πατὴρ οἰκούντων ἐν σκηναῖς κτηνοτρόφων.

21And the name of his brother was Jubal; he it was who †† invented the lute and harp.Καὶ ὄνομα τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ, Ἰουβάλ· οὗτος ἦν ὁ καταδείξας ψαλτήριον καὶ κιθάραν.

22And Sella ‡‡ also bore Thobel; he was a smith, a manufacturer both of brass and iron; and the sister of Thobel was Noema.Σελλὰ δὲ καὶ αὐτὴ ἔτεκε τὸν Θόβελ· καὶ ἦν σφυροκόπος χαλκεὺς χαλκοῦ καὶ σιδήρου. ἀδελφὴ δὲ Θόβελ, Νοεμά.

23And Lamech said to his wives, Ada and Sella, Hear my voice, you wives of Lamech, consider my words, because I have slain a man to my §§ sorrow and a youth to my *** grief.Εἶπε δὲ Λάμεχ ταῖς ἑαυτοῦ γυναιξίν, Ἀδὰ καὶ Σελλὰ, ἀκούσατέ μου τῆς φωνῆς, γυναῖκες Λάμεχ, ἐνωτίσασθέ μου τοὺς λόγους· ὅτι ἄνδρα ἀπέκτεινα εἰς τραῦμα ἐμοὶ, καὶ νεανίσκον εἰς μώλωπα ἐμοί.

24Because vengeance has been exacted seven times on Cain's behalf, on Lamech's it shall be seventy times seven.Ὅτι ἑπτάκις ἐκδεδίκηται ἐκ Κάϊν· ἐκ δὲ Λάμεχ, ἑβδομηκοντάκις ἑπτά.

25And Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore a son, and called his name Seth, saying, For God has raised up to me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain killed.Ἔγνω δὲ Ἀδὰμ Εὔαν τὴν γυναῖκα αὐτοῦ· καὶ συλλαβοῦσα ἔτεκεν υἱόν· καὶ ἐπωνόμασε τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Σὴθ, λέγουσα, ἐξανέστησε γάρ μοι ὁ Θεὸς σπέρμα ἕτερον ἀντὶ Ἄβελ, ὃν ἀπέκτεινε Κάϊν.

26And Seth had a son, and he called his name Enos: he ††† hoped to call on the name of the Lord God.Καὶ τῷ Σὴθ ἐγένετο υἱός· ἐπωνόμασε δὲ τὸ ὄνομα αὐτοῦ, Ἑνώς· οὗτος ἤλπισεν ἐπικαλεῖσθαι τὸ ὄνομα Κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ.

Translator's Notes

These notes come from the printed edition of Sir Lancelot Brenton's classic English translation of the Septuagint (LXX), and record where the Greek differs from the English rendering or admits more than one reading.

• v. 3*Gr. after days.
• v. 4†Gr. he also.
• v. 14‡Or, then shall I be.
• v. 15§Gr. pay seven penalties.
• v. 17**Or, was building.
• v. 21††Gr. made known.
• v. 22‡‡Gr. she also.
• v. 23§§Gr. wound.
• v. 23***Gr. hurt.
• v. 26†††Or, trusted, q.d. had faith to call &c.