Since I was a child, I have been forced to read Cain's first words to God after being convicted of causing Abel's death, "My punishment is more than I can bear!" This is followed by a brief litany of perceived hardships Cain is going through: he is cast from God's presence, he will wonder the earth, he will be treated as a lowlife, and because he's been castout, he will be killed by others. Then, God reassures Cain that its not that bad, and that God will mark Cain, and any who kills him will be cursed.
I was fine with that rendering until recently. You see, my beloved mother purchased the Douay-Rheims/Clementine Vulgate side-by-side from Baronius Press. (For which, I am extremely thankful...I can't wait to read it to the kids when they are older.) I have been reading the Latin first, followed by the English (which surprisingly isn't as hard as I thought it'd be). While reading Genesis 4, I came across the same passage (duh, I mean, it is the same Bible): "And Cain said to the Lord: My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon. 14 Behold you do cast me out this day from the face of the earth, and from your face I shall be hid, and I shall be a vagabond and a fugitive on the earth: every one therefore that finds me, shall kill me. 15 And the Lord said to him: No, it shall not so be: but whosoever shall kill Cain, shall be punished sevenfold."
I've been thinking about that rendering for a few days. What a difference it makes! First, however, the NAB rendering isn't all that bad, from a logical standpoint. Cain realizes what his deed has cost him, and is afraid that his deed will lead to his own death at the hands of another. God, being ever merciful, reassures him that his worst fears will not come to fruition. From this story, we get the reassurance that our struggles will never be more than we can bear. In comparison, however, the contemporary rendering is lacking something: contrition for what he has done.
Consider these words: "My iniquity is greater than that I may deserve pardon!" Cain understands what he has done, he understands the gravity of his actions, which leads him to the say "and from your face I shall be hid." I may be reading too much into this, but this sounds more like contrition than "This is too much for me!", which sounds like whining. From where I sit, Cain isn't complaining; he is contemplating and verbally realizing what his actions mean: 1) his killing of his brother is so heinous he doesn't warrant pardon or redemption, and 2) the ultimate punishment: he will be hidden from God. His contrition, if that is indeed what it is, compels God to say, "No, I will not let anyone kill you as you wander the earth." Cain could very well be saying that he deserves death (for there is no pardon for his sin), and yet God assures him that is not the case, His Mercy and Grace supercede our sinful actions.
I'm no big fan of the NAB, but there is obviously an advantage to using the original (in this case Hebrew) rather than a translation of the original (which is what the Vulgate is) as a basis of your translation. However, I have special affinity to the Vulgate and Douay-Rheims/Challoner. This affinity is based on the fact that for centuries the Vulgate and its translation, the D-R/C, was the only version of Scripture around (and spawned Luther's translation into German and the KJV). That says something about the theological and moral certitude in the Vulgate and D-R/C.
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