2:1 Therefore ²  you are without excuse, ³  whoever you are, ⁴  when you judge someone else. ⁵  For on whatever grounds ⁶  you judge another, you condemn yourself, because you who judge practice the same things. 2:2 Now we know that God’s judgment is in accordance with truth ⁷  against those who practice such things. 2:3 And do you think, ⁸  whoever you are, when you judge ⁹  those who practice such things and yet do them yourself, ¹⁰  that you will escape God’s judgment? 2:4 Or do you have contempt for the wealth of his kindness, forbearance, and patience, and yet do not know ¹¹  that God’s kindness leads you to repentance? 2:5 But because of your stubbornness ¹²  and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath for yourselves in the day of wrath, when God’s righteous judgment is revealed! ¹³  2:6 He ¹⁴  will reward ¹⁵  each one according to his works: ¹⁶  2:7 eternal life to those who by perseverance in good works seek glory and honor and immortality, 2:8 but ¹⁷  wrath and anger to those who live in selfish ambition ¹⁸  and do not obey the truth but follow ¹⁹  unrighteousness. 2:9 There will be ²⁰  affliction and distress on everyone ²¹  who does evil, on the Jew first and also the Greek, ²²  2:10 but ²³  glory and honor and peace for everyone who does good, for the Jew first and also the Greek. 2:11 For there is no partiality with God. 2:12 For all who have sinned apart from the law ²⁴  will also perish apart from the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law. 2:13 For it is not those who hear the law who are righteous before God, but those who do the law will be declared righteous. ²⁵  2:14 For whenever the Gentiles, ²⁶  who do not have the law, do by nature ²⁷  the things required by the law, ²⁸  these who do not have the law are a law to themselves. 2:15 They ²⁹  show that the work of the law is written ³⁰  in their hearts, as their conscience bears witness and their conflicting thoughts accuse or else defend ³¹  them, ³²  2:16 on the day when God will judge ³³  the secrets of human hearts, ³⁴  according to my gospel ³⁵  through Christ Jesus.

2:17 But if you call yourself a Jew and rely on the law ³⁶  and boast of your relationship to God ³⁷  2:18 and know his will ³⁸  and approve the superior things because you receive instruction from the law, ³⁹  2:19 and if you are convinced ⁴⁰  that you yourself are a guide to the blind, a light to those who are in darkness, 2:20 an educator of the senseless, a teacher of little children, because you have in the law the essential features of knowledge and of the truth – 2:21 therefore ⁴¹  you who teach someone else, do you not teach yourself? You who preach against stealing, do you steal? 2:22 You who tell others not to commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor ⁴²  idols, do you rob temples? 2:23 You who boast in the law dishonor God by transgressing the law! 2:24 For just as it is written, “the name of God is being blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.” ⁴³ 

2:25 For circumcision ⁴⁴  has its value if you practice the law, but ⁴⁵  if you break the law, ⁴⁶  your circumcision has become uncircumcision. 2:26 Therefore if the uncircumcised man obeys ⁴⁷  the righteous requirements of the law, will not his uncircumcision be regarded as circumcision? 2:27 And will not the physically uncircumcised man ⁴⁸  who keeps the law judge you who, despite ⁴⁹  the written code ⁵⁰  and circumcision, transgress the law? 2:28 For a person is not a Jew who is one outwardly, nor is circumcision something that is outward in the flesh, 2:29 but someone is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumcision is of the heart ⁵¹  by the Spirit ⁵²  and not by the written code. ⁵³  This person’s ⁵⁴  praise is not from people but from God.

4:1 Now ¹  the man had marital relations with ²  his wife Eve, and she became pregnant ³  and gave birth to Cain. Then she said, “I have created ⁴  a man just as the Lord did!” ⁵  4:2 Then she gave birth ⁶  to his brother Abel. ⁷  Abel took care of the flocks, while Cain cultivated the ground. ⁸ 

4:3 At the designated time ⁹  Cain brought some of the fruit of the ground for an offering ¹⁰  to the Lord. 4:4 But Abel brought ¹¹  some of the firstborn of his flock – even the fattest ¹²  of them. And the Lord was pleased with ¹³  Abel and his offering, 4:5 but with Cain and his offering he was not pleased. ¹⁴  So Cain became very angry, ¹⁵  and his expression was downcast. ¹⁶ 

4:6 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Why are you angry, and why is your expression downcast? 4:7 Is it not true ¹⁷  that if you do what is right, you will be fine? ¹⁸  But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching ¹⁹  at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it.” ²⁰ 

4:8 Cain said to his brother Abel, “Let’s go out to the field.” ²¹  While they were in the field, Cain attacked ²²  his brother ²³  Abel and killed him.

4:9 Then the Lord said to Cain, “Where is your brother Abel?” ²⁴  And he replied, “I don’t know! Am I my brother’s guardian?” ²⁵  4:10 But the Lord said, “What have you done? ²⁶  The voice ²⁷  of your brother’s blood is crying out to me from the ground! 4:11 So now, you are banished ²⁸  from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand. 4:12 When you try to cultivate ²⁹  the

ground it will no longer yield ³⁰  its best ³¹  for you. You will be a homeless wanderer ³²  on the earth.” 4:13 Then Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment ³³  is too great to endure! ³⁴  4:14 Look! You are driving me off the land ³⁵  today, and I must hide from your presence. ³⁶  I will be a homeless wanderer on the earth; whoever finds me will kill me.” 4:15 But the Lord said to him, “All right then, ³⁷  if anyone kills Cain, Cain will be avenged seven times as much.” ³⁸  Then the Lord put a special mark ³⁹  on Cain so that no one who found him would strike him down. ⁴⁰  4:16 So Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and lived in the land of Nod, ⁴¹  east of Eden.

4:17 Cain had marital relations ⁴²  with his wife, and she became pregnant ⁴³  and gave birth to Enoch. Cain was building a city, and he named the city after ⁴⁴  his son Enoch. 4:18 To Enoch was born Irad, and Irad was the father ⁴⁵  of Mehujael. Mehujael was the father of Methushael, and Methushael was the father of Lamech.

4:19 Lamech took two wives for himself; the name of the first was Adah, and the name of the second was Zillah. 4:20 Adah gave birth to Jabal; he was the first ⁴⁶  of those who live in tents and keep ⁴⁷  livestock. 4:21 The name of his brother was Jubal; he was the first of all who play the harp and the flute. 4:22 Now Zillah also gave birth to Tubal-Cain, who heated metal and shaped ⁴⁸  all kinds of tools made of bronze and iron. The sister of Tubal-Cain was Naamah.

4:23 Lamech said to his wives,

“Adah and Zillah! Listen to me!

You wives of Lamech, hear my words!

I have killed a man for wounding me,

a young man ⁴⁹  for hurting me.

4:24 If Cain is to be avenged seven times as much,

then Lamech seventy-seven times!” ⁵⁰ 

4:25 And Adam had marital relations ⁵¹  with his wife again, and she gave birth to a son. She named him Seth, saying, “God has given ⁵²  me another child ⁵³  in place of Abel because Cain killed him.” 4:26 And a son was also born to Seth, whom he named Enosh. At that time people ⁵⁴  began to worship ⁵⁵  the Lord.

9:6 “Whoever sheds human blood, ¹ 

by other humans ² 

must his blood be shed;

for in God’s image ³ 

God ⁴  has made humankind.”

9:7 But as for you, ⁵  be fruitful and multiply; increase abundantly on the earth and multiply on it.”

9:8 God said to Noah and his sons, ⁶  9:9 “Look! I now confirm ⁷  my covenant with you and your descendants after you ⁸  9:10 and with every living creature that is with you, including the birds, the domestic animals, and every living creature of the earth with you, all those that came out of the ark with you – every living creature of the earth. ⁹  9:11 I confirm ¹⁰  my covenant with you: Never again will all living things ¹¹  be wiped out ¹²  by the waters of a flood; ¹³  never again will a flood destroy the earth.”

9:12 And God said, “This is the guarantee ¹⁴  of the covenant I am making ¹⁵  with you ¹⁶  and every living creature with you, a covenant ¹⁷  for all subsequent ¹⁸  generations: 9:13 I will place ¹⁹  my rainbow ²⁰  in the clouds, and it will become ²¹  a guarantee of the covenant between me and the earth.