1 And so they walked on until they came to a place they were alone where there were no sheep. Then Heḇel said to Qayin, “Look, my brother, we are tired from walking. We see none of the trees, or fruits, or the growing green plants, or the sheep, or any of the things of which you told me. Where are those sheep of yours that you told me to baraḵ?”
2 Then Qayin said to him, “Come on, and you shall see many beautiful things very soon, but go before me until I catch up to you.”
3 Then Heḇel went on but Qayin stayed behind him.
4 And Heḇel was innocently walking, without suspecting any craftiness, not thinking that his brother would kill him.
5 Then Qayin came up to him, comforted him with his words while walking a little behind him. Then he ran up to him and beat him with the staff, blow after blow, until he was dazed.
6 But when Heḇel fell down on the ground and saw that his brother meant to kill him, he said to Qayin, “O, my brother, have pity on me. By the breasts we have sucked, do not hit me! By the womb that bore us and that brought us into the world, do not beat me to death with that staff! If you are set on killing me, take one of these large stones and kill me outright.”
7 Then Qayin, the hard-hearted, and cruel murderer, took a large stone, and beat his brother’s head with it until his brains oozed out, and he wallowed in his blood, before him.
8 And Qayin was not sorry for what he had done.
9 But when the blood of righteous Heḇel fell on the earth, it trembled as it drank his blood, and would have destroyed Qayin because of it.
10 And the blood of Heḇel cried mysteriously to Elohim to avenge him of his murderer.
11 Then Qayin began to dig furiously at the ground to bury his brother, because he was shaking from fear that came over him when he saw the earth tremble because of him.
12 He then threw his brother into the hole he made, and covered him with dust. But the ground would not receive him and it threw him up at once.
13 Again Qayin dug the ground and covered his brother in it, but again the ground threw him up. Three times the ground threw up the body of Heḇel on itself.
14 The muddy ground threw him up the first time because he was not the first creation. It threw him up the second time and would not receive him because he was righteous and good and was killed without a cause. The ground threw him up the third time and would not receive him so that there might remain before his brother a witness against him.
15 And so the earth mocked Qayin until the Word of Elohim came to him concerning his brother.
16 Then Elohim was angry and very much displeased at Heḇel’s death. And He thundered from the shamayim, and lightning went out from Him, and the Word of 𐤉𐤄𐤅𐤄 Elohim came from the shamayim to Qayin, and said to him, “Where is Heḇel, your brother?”
17 Then Qayin answered with a proud heart and a gruff voice, “How am I to know, O Elohim? Am I my brother’s keeper?”
18 Then Elohim said to Qayin, “Cursed be the earth that has drunk the blood of Heḇel, your brother. And as for you, you will always be trembling and shaking, and this will be a mark on you so that whoever finds you will kill you.”
19 But Qayin cried because Elohim had said those words to him. And Qayin said to Him, “O Elohim, whosoever finds me shall kill me, and I shall be blotted out from the face of the earth.”
20 Then Elohim said to Qayin, “Whoever finds you will not kill you,” because before this, Elohim had been saying to Qayin, “I shall put seven punishments on anyone that kills Qayin.” For the Word of Elohim to Qayin was, “Where is your brother?” Elohim said it in mercy to him, to try and make him repent.
21 And if Qayin had repented at that time, and had said, “O Elohim, forgive me my sin, and the murder of my brother,” Elohim would then have forgiven him his sin.
22 But Elohim said to Qayin, “Cursed be the ground that has drunk the blood of your brother.” That also, was Elohim’s mercy on Qayin, because Elohim did not curse him, but He cursed the ground, although it was not the ground that had killed Heḇel, and committed a wicked sin.
23 But it was fitting that the curse should fall on the murderer, and yet, in mercy did Elohim manage His thoughts so that no one should know the extent of His anger for He turned it away from Qayin.
24 And He said to him, “Where is your brother?” To which he answered and said, “I know not.” Then the Creator said to him, “Be trembling and quaking.”
25 Then Qayin trembled and became terrified, and through this sign Elohim made him an example before all the creation to show him as the murderer of his brother. Also Elohim brought trembling and terror over him so that he might see the peace he had before and also see the trembling and terror he endured at the end, so that he might humble himself before Elohim and repent of his sin, and seek the peace that he enjoyed at first.
26 The Word of Elohim said, “I will put seven punishments on anyone who kills Qayin.” So, Elohim was not seeking to kill Qayin with the sword, but He sought to make him die of fasting, and praying, and crying by His discipline, until the time that he was delivered from his sin.
27 And the seven punishments are the seven generations during which Elohim awaited Qayin for the murder of his brother.
28 But, ever since he had killed his brother, Qayin could find no rest in any place, so he went back to Aḏam and Ḥawwah, trembling, terrified, and defiled with blood.