those especially ought to be punished, for whose sake they chose to do evil. But if you speak of the vengeances upon Cain, you will find seven; if the things ordained against him by the judge, even so you will not miss the meaning. 77.369 Therefore, in the things dared by Cain himself, the first sin, envy, at the preference for Abel. Second, the deceit with which he spoke to his brother, saying: Let us go out to the field. Third, murder. Fourth, an addition to the evil, that the murder of a brother is also a greater aggravation. Fifth, that Cain, the first murderer, left an evil example for life. Sixth offense, that he caused grief to his parents. Seventh, that he lied to God.

For having been asked, Where is Abel your brother? he said, I do not know. Therefore, he loosed seven vengeances in the slaying of Cain. For since the Lord had said, Cursed is the ground, which opened to receive your brother’s blood, and you shall be groaning and trembling upon the earth, Cain says: If you drive me out today from the earth, and from your face I shall be hidden, and I will be groaning and trembling upon the earth, and everyone who finds me will kill me. To this then the Lord says: Not so; everyone who kills Cain will suffer sevenfold vengeance. For since Cain thought himself vulnerable to everyone, on account of not having safety from the earth; for the earth was cursed because of him, and he was bereft of help from God, who was angered at him for the murder, so that neither from earth, nor from heaven was any aid left for him, It will be, he says, that everyone who finds me will kill me; The Word refutes his error, saying: Not so, that is, you will not be slain. But he not only hides the wound, but also adds another thing to the murder, the lie, attaching it: I do not know; am I my brother’s keeper? Thenceforth he enumerates the punishments. Cursed is the ground from you. One punishment. You shall work the ground. This is the second; for a certain ineffable necessity is yoked with him, pressing him to the work of the earth, so that not even when he wishes is it possible for him to rest, but for him to be always in toil with his hostile ground, which he made cursed, having defiled it with the blood of brotherhood. For a terrible punishment is the way of life with those who hate, to have an enemy as a housemate, to have unceasing hatred. You shall work the ground, that is, being strained by agricultural works, you shall have no time for rest, neither by night nor by day being released from labors, having a necessity more harsh than some master, arousing you to the works, and it will not continue to give its strength. And yet if even the unceasing labor had some fruit, the toil itself is no moderate torment for one who is always strained and weary; but since the labor is both unceasing, and the hardship concerning the earth is fruitless, the fruitlessness of the toils.

Groaning and trembling you shall be upon the earth. He added two others to the three, continuous groaning, and trembling of the 77.372 body, whose members do not have support from strength. For since he used the power of his body badly, its tone was taken away, so that he was shaken and tossed about, neither able to bring bread to his mouth without fear, nor to carry a drink with his wicked hand after the unholy deed, nor was it permitted for him to be served any longer for his own and necessary bodily needs. Another punishment, which Cain revealed, saying: If you drive me out now from the earth, and from your face I shall be hidden. The most grievous punishment for the prudent is separation from God. And it will be, he says, that everyone who finds me will kill me. He conjectures from the consequence of the preceding things. If from the earth you have cast me out, if from your face I shall be hidden, it remains to be killed by everyone. What then does the Lord do? Not so. But he put a sign on him; this is the seventh punishment. But for the punishment not to be hidden but to be proclaimed by a clear sign, that this is the creator of unholy deeds (for also that of those who reason rightly), is a most grievous shame of punishments, which also concerning the judgment

ὀφειλόντων μάλιστα ζημιοῦσθαι, ὧν ἕνεκα εἵλοντο πονηρεύεσθαι. Ἐκδικούμενα δὲ εἴ τῳ παρὰ τῷ Καῒν λέγοις, εὑρήσεις ἐπτά· εἰ τὰ παρὰ τοῦ κριτοῦ ἐπ' αὐτῷ ὁρισθέντα, καὶ οὔτως οὐκ ἀποτεύξῃ τῆς ἐννοίας. 77.369 Ἐν μὲν οὖν τοῖς παρ' αὐτοῦ Καῒν τετολμημένοις, πρῶτον ἁμάρτημα, φθόνος, ἐπὶ τῇ προτιμήσει τοῦ Ἄβελ. ∆εύτερον, δόλος μεθ' οὗ διελέχθη τῷ ἀδελφῷ, εἰπών· ∆ιέλθωμεν εἰς τὸ πεδίον. Τρίτον, φόνος. Τέταρτον προσθήκη τοῦ κακοῦ, ὅτι καὶ ἀδελφοῦ φόνος μείζων ἡ ἐπίτασις. Πέμπτον, Ὅτι πρῶτος φονεὺς Καῒν πονηρὸν ὑπόδειγμα τῷ βίῳ καταλιπών. Ἕκτον ἀδίκημα, ὅτι γονεῦσιν πένθος ἐνεποίησεν. Ἕβδομον, ὅτι Θεὸν ἐψεύσατο.

Ἐρωτηθεὶς γὰρ, ὅτι Ποῦ Ἄβελ ὁ ἀδελφός σου; εἶπεν, Οὐκ οἶδα. Ἑπτὰ οὖν ἐκδικούμενα παρέλυσεν ἐν τῷ ἀναιρεθῆναι τὸν Καΐν. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ εἶπεν ὁ Κύριος, ὅτι Ἐπικατάρατος ἡ γῆ, ἣ ἔχανεν δέξασθαι τὸ αἷμα τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ σου, καὶ στένων, καὶ τρέμων ἔσῃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὁ Καΐν φησι· Εἰ ἐκβάλλεις με σήμερον ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου κρυβήσομαι, καὶ ἔσομαι στένων καὶ τρέμων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, καὶ πᾶς ὁ εὑρίσκων ἀποκτενεῖ με. Πρὸς δὴ τοῦτο ὁ Κύριός φησιν· Οὐχ οὕτως· πᾶς ὁ ἀποκτείνας Καῒν ἑπτὰ ἐκδικούμενα παραλύσει. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ ἐνόμισεν εὐάλωτος εἶναι παντὶ Καῒν, διὰ τὸ ἐκ τῆς γῆς τὴν ἀσφάλειαν μὴ ἔχειν· ἐπικατάρατος γὰρ ἡ γῆ ἀπ' αὐτοῦ, καὶ τῆς ἀπὸ Θεοῦ βοηθείας ἠρημᾶσθαι, ὀργισθέντος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῷ φόνῳ, ὡς οὔτε ἀπὸ γῆς, οὔτε ἀπὸ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀντιλήψεως αὐτῷ λειπομένης, Ἔσται, φησὶ, πᾶς ὁ εὑρίσκων με ἀποκτενεῖ με· ἐλέγχει αὐτοῦ τὸ σφάλμα ὁ Λόγος, λέγων· Οὐχ οὕτως, τουτέστιν, οὐκ ἀναιρεθήση. Ὁ δὲ οὐ μόνον κρύπτει τὸ ἕλκος, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἕτερον προσεργάζεται τῷ φόνῳ τὸ ψεῦδος, ἐπισυνάπτων· Οὐκ οἶδα· μὴ φύλαξ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ εἰμι ἐγώ; Ἐντεῦθεν λοιπὸν ἀπαριθμεῖται τὰς τιμωρίας. Ἐπικατάρατος ἡ γῆ ἀπὸ σοῦ. Μία κόλασις. Ἔργα τὴν γῆν. ∆ευτέρα αὕτη· ἀνάγκη γάρ τις ἄῤῥητος αὐτῷ συνέζευκται πρὸς τὸ ἔργον τῆς γῆς αὐτὸν κατεπείγουσα, ὥστε μηδὲ βουλομένῳ αὐτῷ ἐξεῖναι ἀναπαύεσθαι, ἀλλ' ἀεὶ αὐτὸν πρὸς τὸ ταλαιπωρεῖσθαι τῇ ἐχθρᾷ αὐτοῦ γῇ, ἣν ἐπικατάρατον αὐτὴν ἐποίησεν, μιάνας ἀδελφότητος αἵματι. ∆εινὴ γὰρ τιμωρία ἡ μετὰ τῶν μισούντων διαγωγὴ, σύνοικον ἔχειν πολέμιον, ἄπαυστον ἔχειν τὸ μῖσος. Ἔργα τὴν γῆν, τουτέστιν, κατατεινόμενος τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς γεωπονικοῖς, οὐδένα χρόνον ἀνήσεις, οὔτε νυκτὸς, οὔτε ἡμέρας ἐκλυόμενος ἐκ τῶν πόνων, ∆εσπότου τινὸς χαλεπωτέραν ἔχων τὴν ἀνάγκην ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα σε διεγείρουσαν, καὶ οὐ προσθήσει δοῦναι ἰσχὺν αὐτῆς. Καίτοι εἰ καὶ τὸ τῆς ἐργασίας ἄπαυστον εἶχέ τινα καρπὸν, αὐτὸς ὁ πόνος οὐ μετρία βάσανος τῷ ἀεὶ κατατεινομένῳ καὶ κοπιῶντι· ἐπειδὴ δὲ καὶ ἡ ἐργασία ἄπαυστος, καὶ ἄκαρπος ἡ περὶ γῆν ταλαιπωρία, ἡ ἀκαρπία τῶν πόνων.

Στένων καὶ τρέμων ἔσῃ ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ∆ύο προσέθηκεν ἄλλας ταῖς τρισὶ, στεναγμὸν διηνεκῆ, καὶ τρόμον τοῦ 77.372 σώματος, τὸν ἐκ τῆς ἰσχύος στηριγμὸν τῶν μελῶν οὐκ ἐχόντων. Ἐπειδὴ γὰρ κακῶς ἐχρήσατο τῇ δυνάμει τοῦ σώματος, ὑφῃρέθη αὐτοῦ ὁ τόνος, ὥστε κλονεῖσθαι αὐτὸν καὶ κατασείεσθαι, οὔτε ἄρτον δυνάμενον προσφέρειν ἀδεῶς τῷ στόματι, οὔτε ποτὸν προσκομίζειν τῆς πονηρᾶς χειρὸς μετὰ τὴν ἀνοσίαν πρᾶξιν, οὔτε ταῖς ἰδίαις καὶ ἀναγκαίαις τοῦ σώματος χρείαις λοιπὸν ἐξυπηρετεῖσθαι συγχωρουμένης. Ἄλλη τιμωρία, ἣν ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ Καῒν εἰπών· Εἰ ἐκβάλλεις με νῦν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου κρυβήσομαι. Ἡ βαρυτάτη κόλασις τοῖς σωφρονοῦσιν ὁ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ χωρισμός. Καὶ ἔσται, φησὶν, πᾶς ὁ εὑρίσκων με ἀποκτενεῖ με. Εἰκάζει ἐκ τοῦ ἀκολούθου τῶν προαγόντων. Εἰ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἐκβέβληκάς με, εἰ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου κρυβήσομαι, λείπεται ἀπὸ παντὸς ἀναιρεῖσθαι. Τί οὖν ὁ Κύριος; Οὐχ οὕτως. Ἀλλ' ἔθετο σημεῖον ἐπ' αὐτόν· ἑβδόμη αὕτη τιμωρία. Τὸ δὲ μὴ κρύπτεσθαι τὴν τιμωρίαν ἀλλὰ σημείῳ προδήλῳ προκεκηρύχθαι, ὅτι οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τῶν ἀνοσίων ἔργων δημιουργὸς (καὶ γὰρ τὸ ὀρθῶς λογιζομένων), βαρυτάτη κολάσεων αἰσχύνη, ἣν καὶ περὶ τῆς κρίσεως