right before cain kills his brother, he is angry because his sacrifice was not accepted. and God says to him,

"Why are you angry, and why has your face fallen? If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is crouching at the door. Its desire is for you, but you must rule over it."

genesis 4:7


yet one chapter earlier, we find God telling eve:

"I will surely multiply your pain in childbearing;
in pain you shall bring forth children.
Your desire shall be for your husband,
and he shall rule over you."


genesis 3:16

sin is cain's wife. i think milton was quite on track to portray sin as a woman. the devil is definitely masculine, but sin seems to be attributed with feminine qualities. it hearkens back, of course, to lady folly in proverbs. this makes Christ's temptations all the more interesting, because you've got satan as the prospective father-in-law pimping out his daughter, sin, to the Son of Man, who instead chooses the other woman before Him: israel. 

But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.

proverbs 4:18


now don't that make you extremely frightened and incredibly encouraged. 

A. The Lord dealt with me according to my righteousness;

according to the cleanness of my hands he rewarded me.

B. For I have kept the ways of the Lord,

and have not wickedly departed from my God.

C. For all his rules were before me,

and his statutes I did not put away from me.

B'. I was blameless before him,

and I kept myself from my guilt.

A'. So the Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness,

according to the cleanness of my hands in his sight.

psalm 18:20-24 2