Adam and Eve had two sons: the
elder of them was named Cain; which name, when it is interpreted, signifies a
possession: the younger was Abel, which signifies
sorrow. They had also daughters. Now the two
brethren were pleased with
different courses of life: for Abel, the younger, was a lover of
righteousness; and believing that God was present at all his actions, he excelled in
virtue; and his
employment was that of a
shepherd. But Cain was not only very
wicked in other respects, but was
wholly intent upon getting; and he first
contrived to plough the ground. He
slew his brother on the
occasion following:-They had resolved to
sacrifice to God. Now Cain brought the fruits of the
earth, and of his
husbandry; but Abel brought milk, and the first-fruits of his flocks: but God was more
delighted with the
latter oblation, when he was honored with what grew naturally of its own
accord, than he was with what was the
invention of a
covetous man, and gotten by forcing the ground;
whence it was that Cain was very
angry that Abel was preferred by God before him; and he
slew his brother, and hid his dead body, thinking to
escape discovery. But God, knowing what had been done, came to Cain, and asked him what was become of his brother, because he had not seen him of many days; whereas he used to
observe them conversing together at other times. But Cain was in
doubt with himself, and knew not what answer to give to God. At first he said that he was himself at a loss about his brother's disappearing; but when he was provoked by God, who pressed him
vehemently, as resolving to know what the
matter was, he replied, he was not his brother's
guardian or keeper, nor was he an observer of what he did. But, in return, God convicted Cain, as having been the murderer of his brother; and said, "I
wonder at thee, that thou knowest not what is become of a man whom thou thyself hast destroyed." God therefore did not
inflict the
punishment [of death] upon him, on
account of his offering
sacrifice, and
thereby making
supplication to him not to be
extreme in his
wrath to him; but he made him accursed, and threatened his
posterity in the seventh
generation. He also cast him, together with his wife, out of that land. And when he was afraid that in wandering about he should fall among Wild beasts, and by that means
perish, God
bid him not to
entertain such a
melancholy suspicion, and to go over all the
earth without fear of what
mischief he
might suffer from wild beasts; and
setting a mark upon him, that he
might be known, he commanded him to
depart.
And when Cain had traveled over many countries, he, with his wife, built a city, named Nod, which is a place so called, and there he settled his
abode; where also he had children. However, he did not
accept of his
punishment in order to
amendment, but to
increase his wickedness; for he only aimed to
procure every thing that was for his own bodily pleasure, though it obliged him to be
injurious to his neighbors. He
augmented his
household substance with much
wealth, by
rapine and
violence; he excited his
acquaintance to
procure pleasures and spoils by robbery, and became a great
leader of men into
wicked courses. He also introduced a change in that way of
simplicity wherein men lived before; and was the
author of measures and weights. And whereas they lived innocently and generously while they knew nothing of such arts, he changed the world into
cunning craftiness. He first of all set boundaries about lands: he built a city, and
fortified it with walls, and he compelled his family to come together to it; and called that city Enoch, after the name of his eldest son Enoch. Now Jared was the son of Enoch; whose son was Malaliel; whose son was Mathusela; whose son was Lamech; who had seventy-seven children by two wives, Silla and Ada. Of those children by Ada, one was Jabal: he erected tents, and loved the life of a
shepherd. But Jubal, who was born of the same mother with him, exercised himself in music;and invented the psaltery and the
harp. But Tubal, one of his children by the other wife, exceeded all men in
strength, and was very
expert and
famous in
martial performances. He procured what tended to the pleasures of the body by that
method; and first of all invented the art of making brass. Lamech was also the father of a daughter, whose name was Naamah. And because he was so
skillful in matters of
divine revelation, that he knew he was to be punished for Cain's
murder of his brother, he made that known to his wives. Nay, even while Adam was alive, it came to pass that the
posterity of Cain became
exceeding wicked, every one successively dying, one after another, more
wicked than the
former. They were
intolerable in war, and
vehement in robberies; and if any one were slow to
murder people, yet was he
bold in his
profligate behavior, in acting unjustly, and doing injuries for
gain.
. Now Adam, who was the first man, and made out of the
earth, [for our
discourse must now be about him,] after Abel was slain, and Cain fled away, on
account of his
murder, was
solicitous for
posterity, and had a
vehement desire of children, he being two hundred and thirty years old; after which time he lived other seven hundred, and then died. He had indeed many other children, but Seth in
particular. As for the rest, it would be
tedious to name them; I will therefore only
endeavor to give an
account of those that proceeded from Seth. Now this Seth, when he was brought up, and came to those years in which he could
discern what was good, became a
virtuous man; and as he was himself of an
excellent character, so did he leave children behind him who imitated his virtues.All these proved to be of good dispositions. They also inhabited the same country without dissensions, and in a happy
condition, without any misfortunes falling upon them,
till they died. They also were the inventors of that
peculiar sort of
wisdom which is concerned with the heavenly bodies, and their order. And that their inventions
might not be
lost before they were sufficiently known, upon Adam's
prediction that the world was to be destroyed at one time by the
force of fire, and at another time by the
violence and
quantity of water, they made two pillars,the one of brick, the other of stone: they inscribed their discoveries on them both, that in case the
pillar of brick should be destroyed by the
flood, the
pillar of stone
might remain, and
exhibit those discoveries to mankind; and also
inform them that there was another
pillar of brick erected by them. Now this remains in the land of Siriad to this day.