Abel

1Adam and his wife Eve came together. She had a baby boy, and she named him Cain. She said, "I have gotten a man from the LORD."

And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD.

NoteThe word LORD in big letters is God's special name. It was the name God's people used for him.

2Later she had his brother Abel. Abel took care of sheep. Cain worked the ground and grew food.

And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

NoteA keeper of sheep is a shepherd. A shepherd leads sheep to grass and water and keeps them safe.

3After some time, Cain brought some of the food he grew. It was an offering, a gift given to the LORD.

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD.

NoteAn offering was a gift people brought to God. It was often food, or an animal from a flock.

4Abel also brought a gift. He brought the first animals born in his flock, and their fat parts. The LORD was pleased with Abel and with his gift.

And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

NoteThe first animals born were the ones people wanted most. The fat parts were the best parts to eat. Abel gave his best.

5But he was not pleased with Cain and with his gift. Cain was very angry, and his face fell.

But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

Note"His countenance fell" means his face changed. He looked angry and sad, and he looked down.

6The LORD said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why has your face fallen?

And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7If you do what is good, will you not be accepted? If you do not do what is good, sin is waiting at your door. It wants you, but you must rule over it."

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

NoteSin means doing what is wrong. Here sin is talked about like an animal. It crouches by the door, waiting to jump.

8Cain talked with his brother Abel. When they were out in the field, Cain turned on his brother Abel and killed him.

And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

9The LORD said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" Cain said, "I do not know. Am I the one who takes care of my brother?"

And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother’s keeper?

NoteA keeper is someone who looks after something. Cain is asking if looking after his brother is his job.

10The LORD said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood cries out to me from the ground.

And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother’s blood crieth unto me from the ground.

NoteBlood cannot really cry out. This is a way of saying the killing could not be hidden. God knew.

11Now you are cursed and sent away from the ground. The ground opened its mouth. It took your brother's blood from your hand.

And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;

NoteTo be cursed means good things are taken away. Life will now be hard for Cain.

12When you work the ground, it will not give you good crops anymore. You will be a runaway and a wanderer on the earth."

When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

NoteA wanderer is someone with no home. He keeps moving from place to place.

13Cain said to the LORD, "My punishment is more than I can bear.

And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

14See, today you have driven me away from this land. I will be hidden from your face. I will be a runaway and a wanderer on the earth. Anyone who finds me will kill me."

Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

Note"Hidden from your face" means far away from God. Cain will live where he cannot be near God.

15The LORD said to him, "So anyone who kills Cain will be paid back seven times." Then the LORD put a mark on Cain. The mark would stop anyone who found him from killing him.

And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.

NoteSeven times means much more than the person did. It is a warning to leave Cain alone. The Bible never says what the mark looked like.

16Cain went away from where the LORD was. He lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.

And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

NoteNod is a name that sounds like the word for wandering. Eden was the garden where Adam and Eve first lived.

25Adam and his wife came together again. She had a son and named him Seth. She said, "God has given me another child in place of Abel, whom Cain killed."

And Adam knew his wife again; and she bare a son, and called his name Seth: For God, said she, hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew.

NoteThe name Seth sounds like the Hebrew word for "given." Eve gave him a name that matched what she said.

26Seth also had a son. He named him Enos. At that time people began to call on the name of the LORD.

And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called his name Enos: then began men to call upon the name of the LORD.

NoteTo "call upon the name of the LORD" means to pray to God out loud. People began to worship him together.

34"So listen. I am sending you prophets, wise men, and teachers. Some of them you will kill. Some you will nail to crosses. Some you will whip in your synagogues. You will chase them from town to town."

Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:

NoteCrucify means to nail someone to a wooden cross. That is how the Romans killed people. To whip someone was to beat them with a lash.

35"So the blood of every good person killed on earth will come on you. It starts with good Abel. It ends with Zacharias, the son of Barachias. You killed him between the temple and the altar."

That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar.

NoteAbel was killed by his brother. That story is in the very first book of the Bible. Zacharias was killed much later, right by the temple. Jesus means every killing from the first one to the last.

36"I tell you the truth. All these things will happen to the people living now."

Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation.

49That is why God's wisdom said this. 'I will send them prophets and apostles. They will kill some of them and hurt others.'

Therefore also said the wisdom of God, I will send them prophets and apostles, and some of them they shall slay and persecute:

NoteAn apostle is someone sent out as a messenger.

50So the people of this time will have to answer for it. They will answer for the blood of every prophet killed since the world began.

That the blood of all the prophets, which was shed from the foundation of the world, may be required of this generation;

Note"Blood" here means the killing of a person. To answer for it means to be blamed for it.

51That means from the killing of Abel to the killing of Zechariah. He died between the altar and the temple. Yes, I tell you, the people of this time will answer for it.

From the blood of Abel unto the blood of Zacharias, which perished between the altar and the temple: verily I say unto you, It shall be required of this generation.

NoteAbel was the first person ever killed, near the start of the Bible. Zechariah was killed much later, near the end of their Bible. So Jesus means every killing from the first to the last one. An altar was a stone table where gifts to God were burned. The temple was the great house in Jerusalem where people worshiped God. The King James spells his name "Zacharias."

4Abel trusted God. So he gave God a better gift than his brother Cain gave. God accepted his gift and said Abel was right and good. Abel died long ago, but his trust still speaks to us.

By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh.

NoteAbel and Cain were the first two brothers ever born. Each one brought God a gift. You can read about them in Genesis.

22Instead you have come to Mount Sion. That is the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem. You have come to angels too many to count.

But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels,

NoteMount Sion is also spelled Zion. It is the hill in Jerusalem where God's temple stood. Here it means God's own home in heaven. Angels are God's messengers, who serve him and carry his words.

23You have come to a great, happy gathering. It is the family of God's firstborn children, whose names are written down in heaven. You have come to God, the Judge of everyone. You have come to the spirits of good people who have now been made perfect.

To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect,

NoteThe firstborn was the oldest child, who had the special place in a family. A town kept a list of everyone who belonged there. "Written down in heaven" means God has a list like that. A judge is someone who decides what is right and what is wrong.

24You have come to Jesus. He brings God and people together in a new agreement. You have come to his sprinkled blood, which says something better than Abel's blood said.

And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel.

NoteAn agreement like this is called a covenant. It is a serious promise between God and people. Long ago, priests sprinkled animal blood on people and things. That was a sign that wrong things were washed away. Abel was one of the first two brothers who ever lived. His brother Cain killed him. In that old story, Abel's blood cried out for fairness.