Lost Books of the Bible (14 page)

Author’s note:  Since the children were born in pairs, it seems more reasonable to have those that were not twins marry.

               Note the word used in reference to Cain’s heart. He was hard-hearted and the devil gave him ambition – or hope – or aspiration to kill. As if this were something to achieve as a noble end.

Chapter LXXVII

1 But when Adam saw that the older brother hated the younger brother, he attempted to soften their hearts. He said to Cain, "My son, take some of the fruits of your sowing and make an offering to God, so that He might forgive you for your wickedness and your sin." 2 He said also to Abel, "Take some of the fruit of your sowing and make an offering and bring it to God, so that He might forgive you for your wickedness and your sin." 3 Then Abel obeyed his father and took some of his sowing, and made a good offering, and said to his father, Adam, "Come with me and show me how to offer it up." 4 And they went, Adam and Eve with him, and they showed him how to offer up his gift on the altar. Then after that they stood up and prayed that God would accept Abel's offering. 5 Then God looked at Abel and accepted his offering. And God was more pleased with Abel than He was with his offering, because of his good heart and pure body. There was no trace of guile in him. 6 Then they came down from the altar and went to the cave in which they lived. But because of his joy felt at making his offering, Abel repeated it three times a week, following the example of his father Adam. 7 But Cain did not want to make an offering, but after his father became very angry, he offered up a gift once. He took the smallest of his sheep for an offering and when he offered it up, his eyes were on the lamb. 8 Because of this, God did not accept his offering, because his heart was full of murderous thoughts. 9 And they all lived together like this in the cave in which Eve had given birth, until Cain was fifteen years old, and Abel twelve years old.

Chapter LXXVIII

1 Then Adam said to Eve, "The children have grown up. We must think of finding wives for them." 2 Then Eve answered, "How can we do that?" 3 Then Adam said to her, "We will join Abel's sister in marriage to Cain, and Cain's sister to Abel. 4 Then Eve said to Adam, "I do not like Cain because he is hard-hearted. So, let them stay with us until we offer up (an offering) to the Lord in their behalf." 5 And Adam said no more. 6 Meanwhile Satan came to Cain in the form of a man of the field, and said to him, "Look. Adam and Eve have discussed together about the marriage of you two, and they have agreed to marry Abel's sister to you, and your sister to Abel. 7 But if it were not that I love you, I would not have told you this thing. So, if you will take my advice and obey me, I will bring beautiful robes, plenty of gold and silver, and my relations will attend you on your wedding day." 8 Then Cain said with joy, "Where are your relations?" 9 And Satan answered, "My relations are in a garden in the north, where I once meant to bring your father Adam, but he would not accept my offer. 10 But if you will receive my words and if you will come to me after your wedding, you shall rest from the misery in which you are; and you shall rest and be better off than your father Adam." 11 At these words, Satan got Cain’s attention  (opened his ears), and Cain inclined toward Satan to listen (leaned towards his speech). 12 After this, he did not remain in the field, but he went to Eve, his mother, and beat her and cursed her, and said to her, "Why are you planning to take my sister to marry her to my brother? Am I dead?" 13 But his mother quieted him and sent him back to the field where he had been. 14 Then when Adam came, she told him of what Cain had done. 15 Adam was very worried, but held his peace, and did not say a word. 16 Then, the next morning Adam said to Cain his son, "Take of your young and good sheep and offer them up to your God, and I will speak to your brother and have him make an offering of corn to his God." 17 They both obeyed their father Adam, and they took their offerings, and offered them up on the mountain by the altar. 18 But Cain behaved arrogantly (haughtily) toward his brother, and he shoved him from the altar, and would not let him offer up his gift on the altar, but he offered his own offering on it with a proud heart, full of guile and fraud. 19 But Abel set up stones that were near at hand and on that, he offered up his gift with a heart humble and free from guile. 20 Cain was then standing by the altar on which he had offered up his gift and he cried to God to accept his offering, but God did not accept it from Cain, nor did a divine fire come down to consume his offering. 21 But he remained standing over against the altar out of meanness, to make fun of his brother, and he glared at his brother Abel to see if God would accept his offering or not. 22 And Abel prayed to God to accept his offering. Then a divine fire came down and consumed his offering. And God smelled the sweet savor of his offering, because Abel loved Him and rejoice in Him. 23 And because God was well pleased with him, He sent him an angel of light in the form of a man to partake of his offering, because He had smelled the sweet savor of his offering, and he comforted Abel and strengthened his heart. 24 But Cain was looking on all that took place at his brother's offering, and was angry because of it. 25 Then he opened his mouth and blasphemed God because He had not accepted his offering. 26 But God said to Cain, "Why do you look sad? Be in right standing with Me so that I may accept your offering. You have not murmured against Me, but against yourself. 27 And God said this to Cain in rebuke, and because He hated him and his offering. 28 And Cain came down from the altar and his color changed and he had a sad face. And he came to his father and mother and told them all that had happened to him. And Adam grieved much because God had not accepted Cain's offering. 29 But Abel came down rejoicing, and with a glad heart, and told his father and mother how God had accepted his offering. And they rejoiced at it and kissed his face. 30 And Abel said to his father, "Because Cain shoved me from the altar, and would not allow me to offer my gift on it, I made an altar for myself and offered my gift on it."

31 But when Adam heard this he was very sorry because it was the altar he had built at first, and on which he had offered his own gifts. 32 Cain was so resentful and so angry that he went into the field. There, Satan came to him and said to him, "Your brother Abel has taken refuge with your father Adam, because you shoved him from the altar. They have kissed his face and they rejoice over him far more than over you." 33 When Cain heard these words of Satan he was filled with rage but he let no one know. But he was laying in wait to kill his brother, until he brought him into the cave, and then said to him: 34 "Brother, the country is so beautiful and there are such beautiful and pleasurable trees in it, and charming to look at! But brother, you have never been one day in the field to take your pleasure in that place. 35 Today, my brother, I wish very much that you would come into the field with me, to enjoy yourself and to bless our fields and our flocks, for you are righteous, and I love you much, O my brother! But you have alienated yourself from me." 36 Then Abel agreed to go with his brother Cain into the field. 37 But before going out, Cain said to Abel, "Wait for me and I will fetch a staff because of wild beasts." 38 Then Abel stood innocently waiting. But Cain, the presumptuous, got a staff and went out. 39 And Cain and his brother Abel began to walk in the path. Cain was talking to him, and comforting him, to make him forget everything.

Chapter LXXIX

1 And so they walked on until they came to a place they were alone where there were no sheep. Then Abel said to Cain, "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 bless?" 2 Then Cain 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 Abel went on but Cain stayed behind him. 4 And Abel was innocently walking, without suspecting any craftiness, not thinking that his brother would kill him. 5 Then Cain 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 Abel fell down on the ground and saw that his brother meant to kill him, he said to Cain, "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 Cain, 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 Cain was not sorry for what he had done. 9 But when the blood of righteous Abel fell on the earth, it trembled as it drank his blood, and would have destroyed Cain because of it. 10 And the blood of Abel cried mysteriously to God to avenge him of his murderer. 11 Then Cain 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 Cain 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 Abel 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 Cain until the Word of God came to him concerning his brother. 16 Then God was angry and very much displeased at Abel's death. And He thundered from heaven, and lightning went out from Him, and the Word of the Lord God came from heaven to Cain, and said to him, "Where is Abel, your brother?" 17 Then Cain answered with a proud heart and a gruff voice, "How am I to know, O God? Am I my brother's keeper?" 18 Then God said to Cain, "Cursed be the earth that has drunk the blood of Abel, 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 Cain cried because God had said those words to him. And Cain said to Him, "O God, whosoever finds me shall kill me, and I shall be blotted out from the face of the earth." 20 Then God said to Cain, "Whoever finds you will not kill you," because before this, God had been saying to Cain, "I shall put seven punishments on anyone that kills Cain." For the word of God to Cain was, "Where is your brother?" God said it in mercy to him, to try and make him repent. 21 And if Cain had repented at that time, and had said, "O God, forgive me my sin, and the murder of my brother," God would then have forgiven him his sin. 22 But God said to Cain, "Cursed be the ground that has drunk the blood of your brother" That also, was God's mercy on Cain, because God did not curse him, but He cursed the ground, although it was not the ground that had killed Abel, and committed a wicked sin. 23 But it was fitting that the curse should fall on the murderer, and yet, in mercy did God managed His thoughts so that no one should know the extent of His anger for He turned it away from Cain. 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 Cain trembled and became terrified, and through this sign God made him an example before all the creation to show him as the murderer of his brother. Also God 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 God and repent of his sin, and seek the peace that he enjoyed at first. 26 The word of God said, "I will put seven punishments on anyone who kills Cain." So, God was not seeking to kill Cain 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 God awaited Cain for the murder of his brother. 28 But, ever since he had killed his brother, Cain could find no rest in any place, so he went back to Adam and Eve, trembling, terrified, and defiled with blood.

This ends The First Book of Adam and Eve

Author’s note: Wallowing in the blood of a kill coveys an extreme in animal behavior and state.

               What is amazing about this chapter is the limits explored to explain the thoughts, actions, and strategy of God toward Cain. We are told that the enigmatic mark left on Cain as a curse is actually the physical trait of shaking and trembling in fear. One may ask if this is the mark of cowardice exhibited by a bully.

               The explanation of God’s first statement to kill Cain, then cursing anyone who would kill Cain, then “waiting for Cain seven generations is wordy, convoluted, and odd. The author seems to be attempting to put all of the pieces together in some reasonable manner. This could be due to the knitting together of several sources with the last man left with the task of tying the story together into a cohesive conclusion.