Genesis 4

Gn 4.1Adam vērō cognōvit uxōrem suam Hevam, quae concēpit et peperit Cain, dīcēns: Possēdī hominem per Deum.

Adam, moreover, knew his wife Heva, who conceived and gave birth to Cain, saying: I have acquired a man through God.

Note. cognōvit: 'knew', a Hebrew euphemism for sexual union. Possēdī hominem per Deum: Cain's name sounds like the Hebrew verb 'gain, acquire'.

Gn 4.2Rūrsumque peperit frātrem eius Abel. Fuit autem Abel pāstor ovium, et Cain agricola.

And again she gave birth to his brother Abel. Abel, however, was a shepherd of sheep, and Cain a farmer.

Gn 4.3Factum est autem post multōs diēs ut offerret Cain dē frūctibus terrae mūnera Dominō.

It was made, however, after many days, that Cain offered from the fruits of the earth gifts to the Lord.

Note. Factum est … ut offerret: 'it came about that he offered'. factum est followed by an ut-clause (or simply et) is a standard Biblical way to begin a new episode.

Gn 4.4Abel quoque obtulit dē prīmogenitīs gregis suī, et dē adipibus eōrum: et respexit Dominus ad Abel, et ad mūnera eius.

Abel also offered from the first-born of his flock, and from their fat: and the Lord looked back to Abel, and to his gifts.

Gn 4.5Ad Cain vērō, et ad mūnera illīus nōn respexit: īrātusque est Cain vehementer, et concidit vultus eius.

To Cain, however, and to his gifts he did not look back: and Cain was made angry violently, and his face fell.

Gn 4.6Dīxitque Dominus ad eum: Quārē īrātus es? et cūr concidit faciēs tua?

And the Lord said to him: Why are you angry? and why has your face fallen?

Gn 4.7nōnne sī bene ēgeris, recipiēs: sīn autem male, statim in foribus peccātum aderit? sed sub tē erit appetītus eius, et tū domināberis illīus.

(Is it) not (so that) if you (will have) acted well, you will receive: if however badly, at once at the doors sin will be present? but under you will be its desire, and you will be master of it.

Note. nōnne … recipiēs? 'will you not be accepted?' The Hebrew of this verse is difficult, and the Latin follows it closely. appetītus eius: 'its desire', i.e. sin's craving to master you.

Gn 4.8Dīxitque Cain ad Abel frātrem suum: Ēgrediāmur forās. Cumque essent in agrō, cōnsurrēxit Cain adversus frātrem suum Abel, et interfēcit eum.

And Cain said to Abel his brother: Let us go out outside. And when they were in the field, Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and killed him.

Note. Egrediāmur: hortatory subjunctive of the deponent ēgredior, 'let us go out'. Cumque essent: cum + imperfect subjunctive, 'when they were'.

Gn 4.9Et ait Dominus ad Cain: Ubi est Abel frāter tuus? Quī respondit: Nesciō: num custōs frātris meī sum ego?

And the Lord said to Cain: Where is Abel your brother? He answered: I do not know: (surely) I am not the guardian of my brother?

Note. num custōs frātris meī sum ego? num expects the answer 'no'.

Gn 4.10Dīxitque ad eum: Quid fēcistī? vōx sanguinis frātris tuī clāmat ad mē dē terrā.

And he said to him: What have you done? the voice of the blood of your brother shouts to me from the earth.

Note. vōx sanguinis … clāmat: the shed blood is imagined as crying out for justice.

Gn 4.11Nunc igitur maledictus eris super terram, quae aperuit ōs suum, et suscēpit sanguinem frātris tuī dē manū tuā.

Now therefore cursed you will be over the earth, which opened its mouth, and took up the blood of your brother from your hand.

Gn 4.12Cum operātus fueris eam, nōn dabit tibi frūctūs suōs: vagus et profugus eris super terram.

When you (will have) worked it, it will not give to you its fruits: wandering and fugitive you will be over the earth.

Gn 4.13Dīxitque Cain ad Dominum: Maior est inīquitās mea, quam ut veniam merear.

And Cain said to the Lord: Greater is my wickedness than that I should deserve pardon.

Note. Maior est … quam ut veniam merear: 'too great for me to deserve pardon'; comparative + quam ut + subjunctive expresses 'too … to …'. The Hebrew can also mean 'my punishment is greater than I can bear'.

Gn 4.14Ecce ēiicis mē hodiē ā faciē terrae, et ā faciē tuā abscondar, et erō vagus et profugus in terrā: omnis igitur quī invēnerit mē, occīdet mē.

See, you throw me out today from the face of the earth, and from your face I will be hidden, and I will be wandering and fugitive in the earth: everyone therefore who (will have) found me, will kill me.

Gn 4.15Dīxitque eī Dominus: Nēquāquam ita fīet: sed omnis quī occīderit Cain, septuplum pūniētur. Posuitque Dominus Cain signum, ut nōn interficeret eum omnis quī invēnisset eum.

And the Lord said to him: By no means will it be made thus: but everyone who (will have) killed Cain will be punished sevenfold. And the Lord placed on Cain a sign, so that everyone who had found him should not kill him.

Note. septuplum: adverbial accusative, 'sevenfold'. Posuit … signum: 'set a sign (mark) on Cain'; Cain is dative.

Gn 4.16Ēgressusque Cain ā faciē Dominī, habitāvit profugus in terrā ad orientālem plagam Eden.

And Cain, having gone out from the face of the Lord, lived (as a) fugitive in the earth at the eastern region of Eden.

Gn 4.17Cognōvit autem Cain uxōrem suam, quae concēpit, et peperit Henoch: et aedificāvit cīvitātem, vocāvitque nōmen eius ex nōmine fīliī suī, Henoch.

Cain, moreover, knew his wife, who conceived, and gave birth to Henoch: and he built a city, and called its name from the name of his son, Henoch.

Gn 4.18Porrō Henoch genuit Irad, et Irad genuit Maviaël, et Maviaël genuit Mathusaël, et Mathusaël genuit Lamech.

Further, Henoch begot Irad, and Irad begot Maviael, and Maviael begot Mathusael, and Mathusael begot Lamech.

Note. genuit: perfect of gignō, 'fathered, begot'. The genealogy uses the same verb in a chain: X genuit Y, et Y genuit Z.

Gn 4.19Quī accēpit duās uxōrēs, nōmen ūnī Ada, et nōmen alterī Sella.

He received two wives, the name to one (was) Ada, and the name to the other Sella.

Gn 4.20Genuitque Ada Iabel, quī fuit pater habitantium in tentōriīs, atque pāstōrum.

And Ada gave birth to Iabel, who was the father of (those) living in tents, and of shepherds.

Gn 4.21Et nōmen frātris eius Iubal: ipse fuit pater canentium citharā et organō.

And the name of his brother (was) Iubal: he was the father of (those) singing with the lyre and the pipe.

Gn 4.22Sella quoque genuit Tubalcain, quī fuit malleātor et faber in cūncta opera aeris et ferrī. Soror vērō Tubalcain, Noëma.

Sella also gave birth to Tubalcain, who was a hammerer and craftsman into all works of bronze and iron. The sister, moreover, of Tubalcain (was) Noema.

Gn 4.23Dīxitque Lamech uxōribus suīs Adae et Sellae: "Audīte vōcem meam, uxōrēs Lamech; auscultāte sermōnem meum: quoniam occīdī virum in vulnus meum, et adolēscentulum in līvōrem meum.

And Lamech said to his wives Ada and Sella: Hear my voice, wives of Lamech; listen to my speech: since I have killed a man into my wound, and a young man into my bruise.

Note. Lamech's song is the first poem in the Bible. in vulnus meum, in līvōrem meum: in + accusative, 'for (giving) my wound … my bruise'.

Gn 4.24Septuplum ultiō dabitur dē Cain: dē Lamech vērō septuāgiēs septiēs."

Sevenfold vengeance will be given concerning Cain: concerning Lamech, however, seventy times seven times.

Note. septuāgiēs septiēs: 'seventy times seven(fold)' or 'seventy-seven times'; the numeral adverbs answer the earlier septuplum.

Gn 4.25Cognōvit quoque adhūc Adam uxōrem suam: et peperit fīlium, vocāvitque nōmen eius Seth, dīcēns: Posuit mihi Deus sēmen aliud prō Abel, quem occīdit Cain.

Adam knew also still his wife: and she gave birth to a son, and called his name Seth, saying: God has placed for me another seed in place of Abel, whom Cain killed.

Gn 4.26Sed et Seth nātus est fīlius, quem vocāvit Enōs: iste coepit invocāre nōmen Dominī.

But also to Seth was born a son, whom he called Enos: this (man) began to call upon the name of the Lord.

Note. Seth nātus est fīlius: Seth is dative, 'a son was born to Seth'. coepit invocāre nōmen Dominī: the beginning of worship under God's name.