Again the Lord said to Cain, "What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto Me from the ground." God had given Cain an opportunity to confess his sin. He had had time to reflect. He knew the enormity of the deed he had done, and of the falsehood he had uttered to conceal it; but he was rebellious still, and sentence was no longer deferred. The divine voice that had been heard in entreaty and admonition pronounced the terrible words: "And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth." 78

Morderen Kain blev snart krævet til regnskab for sin forbrydelse. "Da sagde Herren til Kain: "Hvor er din broder Abel?" Han svarede: "Det ved jeg ikke; skal jeg vogte min broder?" Kain var gået så vidt i sin synd, at han havde mistet forståelsen af Guds stadige nærværelse og af hans storhed og alvidenhed. Derfor tog han sin tilflugt til falskhed for at skjule sin synd.