Genesis 3:21-4:7 (Vespers, 1st reading)
- 21
- Also for Adam and his wife the Lord God made tunics of skin, and clothed them.
- 22
- Then the Lord God said, “Behold, the man has become like one of Us, to know good and evil. And now, lest he put out his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever” –
- 23
- therefore the Lord God sent him out of the garden of Eden to till the ground from which he was taken.
- 24
- So He drove out the man; and He placed cherubim at the east of the garden of Eden, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to guard the way to the tree of life.
- 1
- Now Adam knew Eve his wife, and she conceived and bore Cain, and said, “I have acquired a man from the Lord.”
- 2
- Then she bore again, this time his brother Abel. Now Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
- 3
- And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the Lord.
- 4
- Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the Lord respected Abel and his offering,
- 5
- but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell.
- 6
- So the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry? And why has your countenance fallen?
- 7
- If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin lies at the door. And its desire is for you, but you should rule over it.”