This Soogitho by Mor Jacob of Segugh is chanted as part of the Third Qawmo of the Lilyo of the Monday of the Holy Week. Some versions of the Fenqitho gives this for the Fourth Qawmo of the Lilyo of Wednesday of Holy Week.
1.The story of Abel has filled me with wonder
and my mind is reduced to astonishment;
my tongue is moved to speak
of that conflict in which the brothers were engaged.
2. The wronged man's blood has silently invited me
to relate his story so full of grief
that even the earth groaned at his blood
when he became the firstborn of that curse.
3. The reason how all this came about
it is fitting we should relate to those who listen,
why and how did the brothers quarrel,
bringing about a murder right from the start.
4. After our father Adam
had left the Garden, having transgressed,
he had sons, in accordance with the word
of the Maker, who so willed it.
5. They took on the toil of working the land
in fulfilment of the judgment which the Just One had decreed:
‘With toil and weariness
shall you eat bread in the world’.
6. Cain took on the labour of the field,
while the upright Abel pastured sheep.
Adam saw, and was pleased with them,
receiving comfort after his grief.
7. Adam sat down and summoned his sons;
they entered and stood before him as he said,
‘From the produce of your work
offer up firstfruits to the Lord.
8. Because I sinned He was angry with me
and drove me from Paradise, casting me out;
when He is reconciled by your offering,
then He will turn towards me at your sacrifices’.
9. They carried their offerings, as they were bidden,
each one bringing from the result of his toil;
they carried them along to bring to the Lord
in order to reconcile Him — even though He is never angry.
10. Their father Adam waited behind
to see what would happen to them,
but the Evil One, full of cunning, attached himself to Cain,
filling him with anger and wrath.
11. When they reached high ground and the presence of the Lord
they held out their offerings and presented them.
With Abel's offering He was pleased,
but Cain's sacrifice failed to reconcile Him.
12. The envious man saw, and was clothed in anger;
down to the valley he dragged his brother.
The Evil One, full of cunning, incited him
and showed him how to shed blood.
13. CAIN Says Cain: Since the Lord has taken delight
in your sacrifice, but rejected mine,
I will kill you: because He has preferred you
I will get my own back on this His ‘friend’.
14. ABEL Abel replies: What wrong have I done
if the Lord has been pleased with me?
He searches out hearts and so has the right
to choose or reject as He likes.
15. CAIN I am the eldest, and so it is right
that He should accept me, rather than you;
but He has preferred yours, and mine He has abhorred:
He has rejected my offering and chosen yours.
16. ABEL In all offerings that are made
it is love that He wants to see,
and if good intention is not mingled in,
then the sacrifice is ugly, and so gets rejected.
17. CAIN I will deprive you of your friend,
for the earth will not hold us both;
then He will have to accept sacrifice from me,
when there is no one else beside me.
18. ABEL Grant me as a favour some small corner
in the world, and do not kill me.
The whole world shall be yours,
then you can offer up your sacrifice just as you like.
19. CAIN Tears and weeping will not sway me,
nor will your groans, however plentiful.
The moment He accepted your sacrifice
I thought of you as already dead and hidden away.
20. ABEL You may have this world to yourself,
but grant me the favour of remaining in it;
lay the yoke of your rule on my neck,
but let me have my fill of the life to which I have come.
21. CAIN From this moment on your mother Eve
will be deprived of your truth;
Adam will look for you, but to no avail.
They will come to consider you as though you had never existed.
22. ABEL Adam will question you about me,
what answer will you give him?
His first injury has not yet healed,
and you will be hitting his wound with thorns.
23. CAIN If God has sent to accept your offering,
honouring you greatly with the flames,
then I will kill you because He has favoured you,
accepting your sacrifice and rejecting mine.
24. ABEL Alas for my youth, what is become of it,
seeing that I shall die without having done wrong.
Show some sorrow, brother, and pity me:
do not shed my blood, filled with hate.
25. CAIN Fury has overcome me, and I am filled with anger
as I go down carrying my offering.
Why did He not receive it? If you know,
reveal to me the secret and you will not have to die.
26. ABEL The mouth is inadequate to relate
the great vision which I saw there,
when Truth arose and chose the sacrifice,
rejecting and selecting just as He wished.
27. CAIN What profit has it brought you, that vision which you saw,
for it has paved the way for your slaughter and death:
a robe of suffering has it woven for you, and clothed you in it;
a garment of blood has it spread out to cover you.
28. ABEL The vision which I beheld shall deliver me
from Satan, whose abode you have become.
If I should die, then both heaven and earth
are witnesses that I have done no wrong.
29. CAIN He has clearly selected you and accepted your burnt offerings,
while my offering He has rejected, abhorring my worship.
So, because He has favoured you,
I will mix your blood in with your sacrifice.
30. ABEL He has clearly selected me, just as you say,
receiving my offering and showing me love.
See that you do not stain your hands with my blood
lest He utter some sentence against you.
31. CAIN A pile of stones will I heap upon you.
Who will require your blood at my hands?
We left the Lord behind on the mountain above,
so who will deliver you if I put you to death?
32. ABEL That pile of stones which you heap up over me
will cry out for me, accusing you:
their clamour shall the Just One hear,
and He will judge the wrong done to me in accordance with His wisdom.
33. CAIN However much you try to unsettle me,
my mind's cunning plan will not be wiped out:
until my hand has tasted of your blood
I will not stay still or take any rest.
34. ABEL How heavy my life seems to you
because the earth will not contain both me and you;
let my offering count as yours, so be quiet,
rest from your wrath and do not kill me.
35. CAIN He would have accepted me rather than you
had you not done me this wrong:
you are younger in both age and intelligence,
yet you took first place with the firstfruits.
36. ABEL He would have chosen you, had you acted well,
and He would have been pleased with your offering:
you would have been accepted if only you had mixed
sincere love along with your sacrifice.
37. CAIN What shall I say when Adam asks me
‘Why did He not accept you?’
He will be pleased with you — if you remain alive —
but with me he will be angry and treat me as hateful.
38. ABEL It is an evil death that you will bring upon me,
and Adam will be angry if you kill me.
Spare your mother: let not the young shoot
which sprang from her be cut off.
39. CAIN That shoot which left me behind, as it went on to grow tall,
I will tear out by its roots, lest it hold me back;
with my iciness I will cause it harm, while it is still tender,
lest it grow strong and rebel against me.
40. ABEL Let your heart be quieted from wrath,
hold yourself back from grief:
look, sin is crouching at the door;
do not approach it lest it tear you to pieces.
41. CAIN He has cast me down and rejected me in anger,
He has refused my offering and abhorred my worship.
What else can He bring against me
more than this if I kill you?
42. ABEL It is a most cruel thing to shed my blood,
to destroy the image which His hands have fashioned.
Allow the earth to be at peace;
ask for mercy, and then you will find rest.
43. CAIN This is a hard thing which you are saying,
and your words are crueller than the spear:
after He has shown his dislike, and rebuked me too,
are you asking me to go and see Him face to face?
44. ABEL O servant who has been fashioned, do not be contentious
towards the Good One who has delineated and adorned you;
remember the dust from which you came into being,
and the soil to which you will return.
45. CAIN Cease from what you are saying:
you will not escape through talking.
Your time has come, you wretch,
it is superfluous for you to be standing there.
46. ABEL Your heart has been dulled by anger,
what to say to you I have no idea.
Let the mountains weep for me from now on,
seeing that I am going to die in between them.
47. Cain approached his own mother's son and made him kneel down
like a lamb about to be slaughtered.
The heights gave a wail, and the depths wept tears
at the innocent man being slaughtered.
48. The hills bent down to lament
at this novel corpse in their midst;
the heavenly ranks were left in stupor
at what the audacious Cain had done.
49. He cried out in grief as he was bound,
and the mountains wailed at the sound of his moans;
the deaf rocks heard his weeping
and gave out a sound in their suffering.
50. The earth cried out when she received
that first blood that trickled down upon her;
she gave a thunderous sound at the murderer,
cursing him as she said ‘What have you done?’
51. The elements quaked in terror
at seeing that first corpse;
the earth shook as she received
that first blood that descended upon her.
52. The Lord of all thundered in heaven
as Abel's blood groaned out before Him;
and as Judge He prepared the court,
summoning Cain, so as to question him.
53. The Father began to question Cain,
even though he knew very well,
‘Where is your brother? Tell me.
Where has he gone and what happened to him?’
54. Cain heard the Most High
question him concerning his brother.
He brazenly lied and said, ‘I am not aware,
for I am not Abel's keeper’.
55. GOD You shall be accursed within the world,
and you shall be shaking and trembling there;
and every one who shall find you will kill you
on the earth upon which you have spilt blood.
56. Thanks be to the Exalted who discerningly accepted
the offering of Abel who had pleased Him,
but rejected the sacrifice of him who is rejected,
decreeing His judgement in justice.