Verse (Click for Chapter) New International Version If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” New Living Translation You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master.” English Standard Version If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is contrary to you, but you must rule over it.” Berean Standard Bible If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.” King James Bible If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. New King James Version 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.” New American Standard Bible If you do well, will your face not be cheerful? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” NASB 1995 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” NASB 1977 “If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must master it.” Legacy Standard Bible If you do well, will not your countenance be lifted up? And if you do not do well, sin is lying at the door; and its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Amplified Bible If you do well [believing Me and doing what is acceptable and pleasing to Me], will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well [but ignore My instruction], sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you [to overpower you], but you must master it.” Christian Standard Bible If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” Holman Christian Standard Bible If you do what is right, won’t you be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it.” American Standard Version If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door: and unto thee shall be its desire; but do thou rule over it. Aramaic Bible in Plain English Behold, if you do right, I accept it, and if you will not do right, sin lies in wait before the door; you are going to be converted to it and it will have authority over you.” Brenton Septuagint Translation Hast thou not sinned if thou hast brought it rightly, but not rightly divided it? be still, to thee shall be his submission, and thou shalt rule over him. Contemporary English Version If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling. But you did the wrong thing, and now sin is waiting to attack you like a lion. Sin wants to destroy you, but don't let it! Douay-Rheims Bible If thou do well, shalt thou not receive? but if ill, shall not sin forthwith be present at the door? but the lust thereof shall be under thee, and thou shalt have dominion over it. English Revised Version If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door: and unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. GOD'S WORD® Translation If you do well, won't you be accepted? But if you don't do well, sin is lying outside your door ready to attack. It wants to control you, but you must master it." Good News Translation If you had done the right thing, you would be smiling; but because you have done evil, sin is crouching at your door. It wants to rule you, but you must overcome it." International Standard Version If you do what is appropriate, you'll be accepted, won't you? But if you don't do what is appropriate, sin is crouching near your doorway, turning toward you. Now as for you, will you take dominion over it?" JPS Tanakh 1917 If thou doest well, shall it not be lifted up? and if thou doest not well, sin coucheth at the door; and unto thee is its desire, but thou mayest rule over it.' Literal Standard Version Is there not, if you do well, acceptance? And if you do not do well, sin [[or a sin-offering]] is lying at the opening, and its [[or His]] desire [is] for you, and you rule over it [[or by Him]].” Majority Standard Bible If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.” New American Bible If you act rightly, you will be accepted; but if not, sin lies in wait at the door: its urge is for you, yet you can rule over it. NET Bible Is it not true that if you do what is right, you will be fine? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at the door. It desires to dominate you, but you must subdue it." New Revised Standard Version If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.” New Heart English Bible If you do well, will it not be lifted up? If you do not do well, sin lies in wait at the door. It desires to control you, but you must rule over it." Webster's Bible Translation If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And to thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. World English Bible If you do well, won’t it be lifted up? If you don’t do well, sin crouches at the door. Its desire is for you, but you are to rule over it.” Young's Literal Translation Is there not, if thou dost well, acceptance? and if thou dost not well, at the opening a sin-offering is crouching, and unto thee its desire, and thou rulest over it.' Additional Translations ... Audio Bible Context Cain and Abel…6“Why are you angry,” said the LORD to Cain, “and why has your countenance fallen? 7If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you refuse to do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires you, but you must master it.” Cross References Romans 6:12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its desires. Romans 6:16 Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness? Numbers 32:23 But if you do not do this, you will certainly sin against the LORD--and be assured that your sin will find you out. Job 11:14 if you put away the iniquity in your hand, and allow no injustice to dwell in your tents, Job 11:15 then indeed you will lift up your face without shame; you will stand firm and unafraid. Jeremiah 3:12 Go, proclaim this message toward the north: 'Return, O faithless Israel,' declares the LORD. 'I will no longer look on you with anger, for I am merciful,' declares the LORD. 'I will not be angry forever. Micah 7:18 Who is a God like You, who pardons iniquity and passes over the transgression of the remnant of His inheritance--who does not retain His anger forever, because He delights in loving devotion? Treasury of Scripture If you do well, shall you not be accepted? and if you do not well, sin lies at the door. And to you shall be his desire, and you shall rule over him. If thou doest well. Genesis 19:21 And he said unto him, See, I have accepted thee concerning this thing also, that I will not overthrow this city, for the which thou hast spoken. 2 Samuel 24:23 All these things did Araunah, as a king, give unto the king. And Araunah said unto the king, The LORD thy God accept thee. 2 Kings 8:28 And he went with Joram the son of Ahab to the war against Hazael king of Syria in Ramothgilead; and the Syrians wounded Joram. be accepted. Job 29:4 As I was in the days of my youth, when the secret of God was upon my tabernacle; Proverbs 21:27 The sacrifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more, when he bringeth it with a wicked mind? Hebrews 11:4 By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts: and by it he being dead yet speaketh. sin. Genesis 4:8-13 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him… Romans 7:8,9 But sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. For without the law sin was dead… James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. unto thee, or, subject unto thee. Genesis 3:16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee. Jump to Previous Acceptance Accepted Coucheth Couching Countenance Crouches Crouching Desire Desires Desiring Door Honour Lifted Master Mayest Opening Right Rule Rulest Sin Sin-Offering Waiting WrongJump to Next Acceptance Accepted Coucheth Couching Countenance Crouches Crouching Desire Desires Desiring Door Honour Lifted Master Mayest Opening Right Rule Rulest Sin Sin-Offering Waiting WrongGenesis 4 1. The birth, occupation, and offerings of Cain and Abel.8. Cain murders his brother Abel. 11. The curse of Cain. 17. Has a son called Enoch, and builds a city, which he calls after his name. 18. His descendants, with Lamech and his two wives. 25. The birth of Seth, 26. and Enos. (7) If thou doest well.--This most difficult verse is capable of a satisfactory interpretation, provided that we refuse to admit into this ancient narrative the ideas of a subsequent age. Literally, the words mean, If thou doest well, is there not lifting up? It had just been said that his countenance fell; and this lifting up is often elsewhere applied to the countenance. (Comp. Job 10:15; Job 11:15.) "Instead, then, of thy present gloomy despondent mood, in which thou goest about with downcast look, thou shalt lift up thy head, and have peace and good temper beaming in thine eyes as the result of a quiet conscience." The second half of the verse is capable of two meanings. First: "if thou doest not well, sin lieth (croucheth as a beast of prey) at the door, and its desire is to thee, to make thee its victim; but thou shalt rule over it, and overcome the temptation." The objection to this is: that while sin is feminine, the verb and pronouns are masculine. There are, indeed, numerous instances of a verb masculine with a noun feminine, but the pronouns are fatal, though most Jewish interpreters adopt this feeble explanation. The other interpretation is: "If thou doest not well, sin croucheth at the door, that is, lies dangerously near thee, and puts thee in peril. Beware, therefore, and stand on thy guard; and then his desire shall be unto thee, and thou shalt rule over him. At present thou art vexed and envious because thy younger brother is rich and prosperous, while thy tillage yields thee but scanty returns. Do well, and the Divine blessing will rest on thee, and thou wilt recover thy rights of primogeniture, and thy brother will look up to thee in loving obedience." (Comp. the loving subjection of the wife in Genesis 3:16.) We have in this verse proof of a struggle in Cain's conscience. Abel was evidently outstripping him in wealth; his flocks were multiplying, and possibly his younger brothers were attaching themselves to him in greater numbers than to Cain. Moreover, there was a more marked moral growth in him, and his virtue and piety were more attractive than Cain's harsher disposition. This had led to envy and malice on the part of Cain, increased, doubtless, by the favour of God shown to Abel's sacrifice; but he seems to have resisted these evil feelings. Jehovah would not have remonstrated thus kindly with him had he been altogether reprobate. Possibly, too, for a time he prevailed over his evil tempers. It is a gratuitous assumption that the murder followed immediately upon the sacrifice. The words of the Almighty rather show that repentance was still possible, and that Cain might still recover the Divine favour, and thereby regain that pre-eminence which was his by right of primogeniture, but which he felt that he was rapidly losing by Abel's prosperity and more loving ways. Hebrew Ifאִם־ (’im-) Conjunction Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not you do what is right, תֵּיטִיב֙ (tê·ṭîḇ) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 3190: To be good, well, glad, or pleasing {will} הֲל֤וֹא (hă·lō·w) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no you not לֹ֣א (lō) Adverb - Negative particle Strong's 3808: Not, no be accepted? שְׂאֵ֔ת (śə·’êṯ) Verb - Qal - Infinitive construct Strong's 7613: An elevation, leprous scab, elation, cheerfulness, exaltation in rank, character But if וְאִם֙ (wə·’im) Conjunctive waw | Conjunction Strong's 518: Lo!, whether?, if, although, Oh that!, when, not you refuse to do what is right, תֵיטִ֔יב (ṯê·ṭîḇ) Verb - Hifil - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 3190: To be good, well, glad, or pleasing sin חַטָּ֣את (ḥaṭ·ṭāṯ) Noun - feminine singular Strong's 2403: An offence, its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, expiation, an offender is crouching רֹבֵ֑ץ (rō·ḇêṣ) Verb - Qal - Participle - masculine singular Strong's 7257: To crouch, be implication, to recline, repose, brood, lurk, imbed at your door; לַפֶּ֖תַח (lap·pe·ṯaḥ) Preposition-l, Article | Noun - masculine singular Strong's 6607: An opening, door, entrance way you are וְאֵלֶ֙יךָ֙ (wə·’ê·le·ḵā) Conjunctive waw | Preposition | second person masculine singular Strong's 413: Near, with, among, to its object of desire, תְּשׁ֣וּקָת֔וֹ (tə·šū·qā·ṯōw) Noun - feminine singular construct | third person masculine singular Strong's 8669: A longing but you וְאַתָּ֖ה (wə·’at·tāh) Conjunctive waw | Pronoun - second person masculine singular Strong's 859: Thou and thee, ye and you must master תִּמְשָׁל־ (tim·šāl-) Verb - Qal - Imperfect - second person masculine singular Strong's 4910: To rule, have dominion, reign it.” בּֽוֹ׃ (bōw) Preposition | third person masculine singular Strong's Hebrew Links Genesis 4:7 NIVGenesis 4:7 NLT Genesis 4:7 ESV Genesis 4:7 NASB Genesis 4:7 KJV Genesis 4:7 BibleApps.com Genesis 4:7 Biblia Paralela Genesis 4:7 Chinese Bible Genesis 4:7 French Bible Genesis 4:7 Catholic Bible OT Law: Genesis 4:7 If you do well will it not (Gen. 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