8 Cain told Abel his brother. And it came about when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and akilled him.

9 Then the Lord said to Cain, "aWhere is Abel your brother?" And he said, "I do not know. Am I my brother's keeper?"

10 He said, "What have you done? aThe voice of your brother's blood is crying to Me from the ground.

11 "Now ayou are cursed from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother's blood from your hand.

12 "aWhen you cultivate the ground, it will no longer yield its strength to you; byou will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth."

13 Cain said to the Lord, "My punishment is too great to bear!

14 "Behold, You have adriven me this day from the face of the ground; and from Your face I will be hidden, and bI will be a vagrant and a wanderer on the earth, and cwhoever finds me will kill me."

15 So the Lord said to him, "Therefore whoever kills Cain, vengeance will be taken on him asevenfold." And the Lord bappointed a sign for Cain, so that no one finding him would slay him.