Cain and Abel
The first children born outside the garden bring the first murder. Cain works the soil, Abel keeps flocks, and each brings an offering. Abel's is accepted and Cain's is not — the text does not fully explain why, though it notes that Abel brought the best of his flock. Cain's face falls, and God warns him plainly that sin is crouching at the door and he must master it.
He does not. He leads Abel into the field and kills him, then answers God's question with the retort that has outlived the story: am I my brother's keeper? He is made a restless wanderer, but marked for protection — the punishment stops short of blood for blood.
Genesis places the episode immediately after the Fall to show how quickly the damage spreads: one generation from disobedience to fratricide.
Where in scripture
[1] The man knew Eve his wife. She conceived, and gave birth to Cain, and said, “I have gotten a man with Yahweh’s help.” [2] Again she gave birth, to Cain’s brother Abel. Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. [3] As time passed, Cain brought an offering to Yahweh from the fruit of the ground. [4] Abel also brought some of the firstborn of his flock and of its fat. Yahweh respected Abel and his offering, [5] but he didn’t respect Cain and his offering. Cain was very angry, and the expression on his face fell. [6] Yahweh said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why has the expression of your face fallen? [7] If you do well, won’t it be lifted up? If you don’t do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.” …
Genesis 4:1–16 — opening verses
By faith, Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he had testimony given to him that he was righteous, God testifying with respect to his gifts; and through it he, being dead, still speaks.
Hebrews 11:4
[11] For this is the message which you heard from the beginning, that we should love one another; [12] unlike Cain, who was of the evil one, and killed his brother. Why did he kill him? Because his deeds were evil, and his brother’s righteous.
1 John 3:11–12
Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, a public-domain translation.
