Genesis 4:7

If you do well, will you not have honour? and if you do wrong, sin is waiting at the door, desiring to have you, but do not let it be your master.

Bible in Basic English

In The King James Version

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.

In Context

6And the Lord said to Cain, Why are you angry? and why is your face sad?

8And Cain said to his brother, Let us go into the field: and when they were in the field, Cain made an attack on his brother Abel and put him to death.

Read all of Genesis 4

Cross References

Genesis 3:16To the woman he said, Great will be your pain in childbirth; in sorrow will your children come to birth; still your desire will be for your husband, but he will be your master.

Genesis 19:21And he said, See, I have given you your request in this one thing more: I will not send destruction on this town.

2 Samuel 24:23All this does the servant of my lord the king give to the king. And Araunah said, May the Lord your God be pleased with your offering!

Job 29:4As I was in my flowering years, when my tent was covered by the hand of God;

Proverbs 18:5To have respect for the person of the evil-doer is not good, or to give a wrong decision against the upright.

Ecclesiastes 8:12Though a sinner does evil a hundred times and his life is long, I am certain that it will be well for those who go in fear of God and are in fear before him.

Matthew Henry on Genesis 4:7-8

6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 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. God is here reasoning with Cain, to convince him of the sin and folly of his anger and discontent, and to bring him into a good temper again, that further mischief might be prevented. It is an instance of God's patience and condescending goodness that he would deal… Read the whole commentary →

This Verse In Other Editions

Study Genesis 4:7