Chapter 4
Remember the jealousy of Cain, Esau, and others
| 1 Γέγραπται γὰρ οὕτως· Καὶ ἐγένετο μεθ᾿ ἡμέρας, ἤνεγκεν Κάϊν ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν τῆς γῆς θυσίαν τῷ θεῷ, καὶ Ἄβελ ἤνεγκεν καὶ αὐτὸς ἀπὸ τῶν πρωτοτόκων τῶν προβάτων καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν στεάτων αὐτῶν. | For so it is written, “And it happened after certain days that Cain brought to God a sacrifice offering of the fruits of the earth, and Abel also brought of the firstborn of the sheep and of their fat. |
| 2 καὶ ἐπεῖδεν ὁ θεὸς ἐπὶ Ἄβελ καὶ ἐπὶ τοῖς δώροις αὐτοῦ, ἐπὶ δὲ Κάϊν καὶ ἐπὶ ταῖς θυσίαις αὐτοῦ οὐ προσέσχεν. | And God looked upon Abel and on his gifts, but He did not respond to Cain and to his sacrifices. |
| 3 καὶ ἐλυπήθη Κάϊν λίαν καὶ συνέπεσεν τῷ προσώπῳ αὐτοῦ. | And Cain grieved greatly, and his face fell. |
| 4 καὶ εἶπεν ὁ θεὸς πρὸς Κάϊν· Ἱνατί[1] περίλυπος ἐγένου, καὶ ἱνατί[1] συνέπεσεν τὸ πρόσωπόν σου; οὐκ ἐὰν ὀρθῶς προσενέγκῃς, ὀρθῶς δὲ μὴ διέλῃς, ἥμαρτες; | And God said to Cain, ‘Why are you very grieved and why did your face fall? If you had offered properly and had not divided properly, did you not sin? |
| 5 ἡσύχασον· πρὸς σὲ ἡ ἀποστροφὴ αὐτοῦ, καὶ σὺ ἄρξεις αὐτοῦ. | Be quiet! He will turn to you and you will rule over him.’[2] |
| 6 καὶ εἶπεν Κάϊν πρὸς Ἄβελ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ· Διέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πεδίον. καὶ ἐγένετο ἐν τῷ εἶναι αὐτοὺς ἐν τῷ πεδίῳ, ἀνέστη Κάϊν ἐπὶ Ἄβελ τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέκτεινεν αὐτόν. | And Cain said to Abel his brother, ‘Let us go over to the plain.’ And it happened, while they were in the plain, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.” |
| 7 ὁρᾶτε, ἀδελφοί, ζῆλος καὶ φθόνος ἀδελφοκτονίαν κατειργάσατο. | You see, brothers, jealousy and envy produced fratricide. |
| 8 διὰ ζῆλος ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν Ἰακὼβ ἀπέδρα ἀπὸ προσώπου Ἠσαῦ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ. | Because of jealousy our father Jacōb ran away from the face of Ēsau his brother. |
| 9 ζῆλος ἐποίησεν Ἰωσὴφ μέχρι θανάτου διωχθῆναι καὶ μέχρι δουλείας εἰσελθεῖν. | Jealousy caused Joseph to be persecuted to the point of death, and to go into slavery. |
| 10 ζῆλος φυγεῖν ἠνάγκασεν Μωϋσῆν ἀπὸ προσώπου Φαραὼ βασιλέως Αἰγύπτου ἐν τῷ ἀκοῦσαι αὐτὸν ἀπὸ τοῦ ὁμοφύλου. Τίς σε κατέστησεν κριτὴν ἢ δικαστὴν ἐφ᾿ ἡμῶν; μὴ ἀνελεῖν με σὺ θέλεις, ὃν τρόπον ἀνεῖλες ἐχθὲς τὸν Αἰγύπτιον; | Jealousy compelled Moses to flee from the face of Pharaoh king of Egypt while it was said to him by his own countryman, “Who made you a judge or an authority over us? Would you slay me, even as yesterday you killed the Egyptian?” |
| 11 διὰ ζῆλος Ἀαρὼν καὶ Μαριὰμ ἔξω τῆς παρεμβολῆς ηὐλίσθησαν. | Because of jealousy Aaron and Miriam were lodged outside the camp. |
| 12 ζῆλος Δαθὰν καὶ Ἀβειρὼν ζῶντας κατήγαγεν εἰς ᾅδου διὰ τὸ στασιάσαι αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸν θεράποντα τοῦ θεοῦ Μωϋσῆν. | Jealousy brought Dathan and Abiram down alive to HCades, because they rebelled against Moses the servant of God. |
| 13 διὰ ζῆλος Δαυὶδ φθόνον ἔσχεν οὐ μόνον ὑπὸ τῶν ἀλλοφύλων, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ Σαοὺλ βασιλέως Ἰσραὴλ ἐδιώχθη. | Because of jealousy David not only was envied by the Philistines, but also was persecuted by Saul, king of Israel. |
[1] Alt. text in two words: ἵνα τί. ⇧
[2] This last phrase has also been translated: Be at peace: your offering returns to yourself, and you will again possess it.⇧