KJV ORIGINAL
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.
Close to the original. Clear modern English.
✦ MADE SIMPLE
If you do what's right, won't you be accepted? But if you don't do what's right, sin is crouching at your door like a wild animal, ready to attack. It wants to control you, but you must master it.
⚡ THE BOTTOM LINE
God is telling Cain that he has a choice - do right and be accepted, or let sin take control of his life.
📚 Historical Context
God spoke these words to Cain after rejecting his offering while accepting his brother Abel's sacrifice. Cain was angry and dejected, and God was warning him about the dangerous path his emotions were leading him down. This conversation happened just before Cain murdered Abel, making it one of the first recorded discussions about human choice between good and evil.
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