Genesis 4

1. Adam lay with his wife Eve, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Cain, She said, "With the help of the Lord I have brought forth a man."
2. Later she gave birth to his brother Abel. Now Abel kept flocks, and Cain worked the soil.
3. In the course of time Cain brought some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.
4. But Abel brought fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock. The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering
5. but on Cain and his offering he did not look with favor. So Cain was very angry, and his face was downcast.
6.Then the Lord said to Cain, "Why are you angry? Why is our face downcast?
7.If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must master it."
8. Now Cain said to his brother Abel "Let's go out to the field."And while they were in the field, Cain attacked his brother and killed him.
9. Then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" "I don't know," he replied. "Am I my brother's keeper?"
10. The Lord said,, "What have you done? Listen! Your brother's blood cries out to Me from the ground.
11. Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground which opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from our hand.
12. When you work the ground it will not longer yield its crops for you. You will be a restless wanderer on the earth."
13.Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is more than I can bear.
14. Today you are driving me from the land, and I will be hidden from your presence; I will be a restless wanderer on the earth, and whoever finds me will kill me."
15. But the Lord said to him, "Not so, if anyone kills Cain, he will suffer vengeance seven times over." Then He put a mark on Cain so that no one who found him would kill him.
16. So Cain went out from the Lord's presence and lived in the land of Nod, east of Eden.
17. Cain lay with his wife, and she became pregnant and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was then building a city, and he named it after his son Enoch.
18. To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father of Mehujael, and Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.
19. Lamech married two women, one named Adah and the other Zillah.
20. Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the father of those who live in tents and raise livestock.
21.His brother's name was Juabal: he was the father of those who play the harp and flute.
22. Zillah also had a son, Tubal-Cain, who forged all kinds of tools out of bronze and iron. Tubal-Cain's sister was Naamah.
23. Lamech said to his wives, "Adah and Zillah, listen to me; wives of Lamech, hear my words. I have killed a man for wounding me, a young man for injuring me.
24. If Cain is avenged seven times, then Lamech seventy-seven times."
25. Adam lay with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son and named him Seth, saying, "God has granted me another child in place of Abel, since Cain killed him."
26. Seth also had a son and he name him Enosh. At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord.

My Thoughts
I find it interesting as I read through this chapter how much of history was being made in one short chapter. And yet, at that time, there was little realization of the significance of it all. And yet, just as we do today, each person continued one day at a time, one step at a time with their lives. Dreams, disappointments, heartaches, joys, all wrapped together in the tapestry that is woven each day by man and woman alike.

I also found it interesting how after all these ups and downs, at the very end of the chapter there is a verse, almost like an afterthought - At that time men began to call on the name of the Lord. I had to wonder how this chapter may have been different if this had come in the beginning of the chapter, before all the drama. And I'm reminded how like us today they were back then.