King James Bible
"And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother’s blood from thy hand;"
God pronounces a curse that alienates Cain from the very ground he worked as a farmer. This marks the first human curse in Scripture, creating a broken relationship between humanity and creation as a direct consequence of fratricide. The earth is personified as a witness that has swallowed Abel's blood, making it complicit in exposing the murder. In ancient Near Eastern thought, innocent blood cried out for justice, and the ground itself becomes evidence of Cain's guilt. This phrase emphasizes Cain's direct responsibility and personal agency in the murder. The hand that should have tilled the soil for life instead spilled blood upon it, creating an ironic reversal of his vocation.