From Anger to Murder

After Adam and Eve left the garden of Eden, they had many children. Their first son, Cain, became a farmer, and their second son, Abel, became a shepherd.

One day Cain and Abel made offerings to Jehovah. Do you know what an offering is? It is a special kind of gift. Jehovah was happy with Abel’s offering, but he was not happy with Cain’s. That made Cain very angry. Jehovah warned Cain that his anger could make him do something bad. But Cain did not listen.

Instead, Cain said to Abel: ‘Come over to the field with me.’ While they were alone in the field, Cain attacked his brother and killed him. What would Jehovah do about this? Jehovah punished Cain by sending him far away from his family. Cain would never be allowed to come back.

Is there a lesson here for us? We might start to feel angry if things don’t go the way we think they should. If we feel anger growing inside of us​—or if others warn us because they notice our anger—​we should quickly adjust and control our emotions before they control us.

Because Abel loved Jehovah and did what was right, Jehovah will always remember him. God will bring Abel back to life when He makes the earth a paradise.