STORIES FROM THE BIBLE -- 2

                                                          CAIN AND ABEL

 

   Adam and his wife Eve went out into the world to live and to work. For a time they

were all alone, After a while God gave them a little child of their own, the first baby

that ever came into the world. Eve named him Cain; and after a time another baby

came, whom she named Abel. When the two boys grew up, they worked, as their father worked before them. Cain, the elder brother, chose to work in the fields, and to raise

grain and fruits. Abel, the younger brother, had a flock of sheep and became a

shepherd.

 

   While Adam and Eve were living in the garden of Eden, they could talk with God and

hear God's voice speaking to them. But now that they were out in the world, they could

no longer talk with God freely, as before. So when they came to God, they built an altar

of stones heaped up, and upon it, they laid something as a gift to God, and burned it,

to show that it was not their own, but was given to God, whom they could not see.

Then before the altar they made their prayer to God, and asked God to forgive their sins,

all that they had done was wrong; and prayed God to bless them and do good to them.

 

   Each of these brothers,Cain and Abel, offered upon the altar to God his own gift.

Cain brought the fruits and the grain which he had grown; and Abel brought a sheep

from his flock,and killed it and burned it upon the altar. For some reason God was pleased with Abel and his offering, but was not pleased with Cain and his offering.

Perhaps God wished Cain to offer something that had life, as Abel offered; perhaps

Cain's heart was not right when he came before God. And God showed that He was

not pleased with Cain; and Cain, instead of being sorry for his sin, and asking God to           forgive him, was very angry with God, and angry also toward his brother Abel.

 

   When they were out in the field together Cain struck his brother Abel and killed him.

So the first baby in the world grew up to be the murderer of his own brother. And the

Lord said to Cain, " Where is Abel, your brother?" And Cain answered, " I do not know ;

why should I take care of my brother?" Then the Lord said to Cain, " What is this that

you have done? Your brother's blood is like a voice crying to me from the ground.

Do you see how the ground has opened, like a mouth, to drink your brother's blood?  

As long as you live, you shall be under God's curse for the murder of your brother.

You shall wander over the earth, and shall never find a home, because you have done

this wicked deed."

 

   And Cain said to the Lord, " My punishment is greater than I can bear. Thou hast

driving me out from among men; and thou hast hid thy face from me. If any man finds

me he will kill me, because I shall be alone, and no one will be my friend." And God said to Cain, " If anyone harms Cain, he shall be punished for it." And the Lord God placed

a mark on Cain, so that whoever met him should know him, and should know also that

God had forbidden any man to harm him. Then Cain and his wife went away from

Adam's home to live in a place by themselves, and there they had children. And Cain's family built a city that land; and Cain named the city after his first child, whom he had          called Enoch.