Our Ruler and glorious Lord set on him a sign, the 1045
Master [set] a symbol of immunity, so that none of his
foes far or near might dare to approach him with warlike
intent; then he bade the wicked one leave forever his
mother and sons, all his family. Thereupon Cain set
out and departed sorrowing from before the face of God, 1050
a joyless exile, and built himself a dwelling to the east,
a habitation far from his fatherland: there a fair maiden,
a woman of the country, bore him offspring.
The eldest was called Enos, first-born of Cain; he 1055
began at once to build a city, with his kinsfolk: that
was the first beneath the clouds of all the fortifications
which heroes and swordsmen have caused to be built. 1060
Therein his offspring first arose, born of his wife in the
citadel: the eldest son of Enos was called Jared. Thence
arose the tribe of Cain, which increased the numbers 1065
of its race. Next to Jared, Malalehel was the keeper
of the heritage after his father, until he passed away.
Afterwards Mathusal shared the royal treasures with
his kinsfolk, with his brothers, scion after scion, until 1070
wise through length of days he had to consummate
his departure from the world and forsake life. After
his father's day, Lamech received the household
goods and domestic wealth: two wives, Ada and 1075
Sella, women of the country, bore offspring to him: of
these one was Jabal by name, son of Lamech, who
through skilful cunning first of dwellers here below
awoke by his hands the song of the harp, that melo- 1080
dious sound.
XIII.
Likewise, at this same time, there was in this family
a man called Tubal Cain, a son of Lamech, who through
the abundance of his skill was a master-smith, and first 1085
among men through the craft of his mind he was the
inventor of agricultural implements upon earth: since
then the sons of men dwelling in cities have known far
and wide how to use brass and iron.
Once on a time Lamech himself made in words a wicked 1090
confession to his two wives, his dear bed-fellows, Ada
and Sella:
"In murder I have slain a certain one among my near
relations; I stained my hands with the gory death of 1095
Cain, destroyed with my hands the father of Enos, the
slayer of Abel, and poured on the ground the life-blood
of a man. Well knew I that for this shall come at last
the sevenfold vengeance of the King of Truth, great 1100
according to the crime: my fall and destruction shall
be more sternly meted out, with grim horror, when I
depart!"--
Now, there came to Adam in Abel's place another 1105
heir born in legal wedlock, an upright son, whose name
was Seth: he was happy and contributed greatly to the
comfort of his parents, Adam and Eve, his father and
mother, and took Abel's place in worldly affairs. 1110
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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