Cain and Abel (iv. 1-12)

Cain and Abel (iv. 1-12; cf. Gen. iv.).

IV. And in the third week in the second jubilee

64-70 A.M.

she gave birth to Cain, and in the fourth she gave birth

71-77 A.M.

to Abel, and in the fifth she gave birth to her daughter

78-84 A.M.

’Âwân. ³ 2. And in the first (year) of the third jubilee,

99-105 A.M.

Cain slew Abel because (God) accepted the sacrifice of Abel, and did not accept the offering of Cain. 3. And he slew him in the field: and his blood cried from the ground to heaven, complaining because he had slain him. ⁴ 4. And the Lord reproved Cain because of Abel, because he had slain him, and he made him a fugitive on the earth because of the blood of his brother, and he cursed him upon the earth. ⁵

5. And on this account it is written on the heavenly tables, "Cursed is he who smiteth his neighbour treacherously, and let all who have seen and heard say, So be it; and the man who hath seen and not declared (it), let him be accursed as the other." ⁶. And for this reason we announce when we come before the Lord our God all the sin which is committed in heaven and on earth, and in light and in darkness, and everywhere. 7. And Adam and his wife mourned for Abel four weeks of years, and in the fourth year

(99-127) 130 A.M.

of the fifth week they became joyful, and Adam knew

p. 52

his wife again, and she bare him a son, and he ¹ called his name Seth; for he said "God hath raised up a second seed unto us on the earth instead of Abel; for Cain slew him." ² 8. And in the sixth week he

134-140 A.M.

begat his daughter ’Azûrâ. 9. And Cain took ’Âwân his sister to be his wife and she bare him Enoch ³ at

190-196 A.M.

the close of the fourth jubilee. And in the first year of the first week of the fifth jubilee, houses were built

197 A.M.

on the earth, and Cain built a city, and called its name after the name of his son Enoch. 10. And Adam knew Eve his wife and she bare yet nine sons. ⁴

225-231 A.M.

11. And in the fifth week of the fifth jubilee Seth took ’Azûrâ his sister to be his wife, and in the fourth

235 A.M.

(year of the sixth week) she bare him Enos. ⁵ 12. He ⁶ began to call on the name of the Lord on the earth.

Footnotes

51:3 i.e. "iniquity" (Heb. ’āwen). Another daughter, ’Azûrâ (= "well guarded"), was born later. Cain married ’Âwân and Seth ’Azûrâ. There is great divergence as to these names in later writers . According to Pirḳe de R. Eliezer, Cain's wife was his twin-sister (xxi.).

51:4 Cf. Gen. iv. 4, 5, 8, 10.

51:5 Cf. Gen. iv. 11-12.

51:6 Cf. Deut. xxvii. 24.

52:1 So Sam.; but MT "she." In our Book it is generally the father who names the child.

52:2 Cf. Gen. iv. 25.

52:3 Cf. Gen. iv. 17.

52:4 Pseudo-Philo, Bibl. Antiq., gives the names of these nine sons.

52:5 Cf. Gen. iv. 26.

52:6 So LXX and Vulg.; but MT "then it was begun (men began)."