To Curse

So the LORD God said to the serpent: “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and every beast of the field! On your belly will you go, and dust you will eat, all the days of your life.

And to Adam He said: “Because you have listened to the voice of your wife and have eaten from the tree of which I commanded you not to eat, cursed is the ground because of you; through toil you will eat of it all the days of your life.

Now you are cursed and banished from the ground, which has opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

And he named him Noah, saying, “May this one comfort us in the labor and toil of our hands caused by the ground that the LORD has cursed.”

he said, “Cursed be Canaan! A servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you.”

May peoples serve you and nations bow down to you. May you be the master of your brothers, and may the sons of your mother bow down to you. May those who curse you be cursed, and those who bless you be blessed.”

Cursed be their anger, for it is strong, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will disperse them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.

because his cloak is the only covering he has for his body. What else will he sleep in? And if he cries out to Me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

After the priest has the woman stand before the LORD, he is to let down her hair and place in her hands the grain offering of memorial, which is the grain offering for jealousy. The priest is to hold the bitter water that brings a curse.

And he is to put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has slept with you and you have not gone astray and become defiled while under your husband’s authority, may you be immune to this bitter water that brings a curse.

May this water that brings a curse enter your stomach and cause your belly to swell and your thigh to shrivel.’ Then the woman is to say, ‘Amen, Amen.’

He is to have the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and it will enter her and may cause her bitter suffering.

When he has made her drink the water, if she has defiled herself and been unfaithful to her husband, then the water that brings a curse will enter her and cause bitter suffering; her belly will swell, her thigh will shrivel, and she will become accursed among her people.

So please come now and put a curse on this people, because they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I may be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land; for I know that those you bless are blessed, and those you curse are cursed.”

But God said to Balaam, “Do not go with them. You are not to curse this people, for they are blessed.”

And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the mountains of the east. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me; come and denounce Israel!’

He crouches, he lies down like a lion, like a lioness—who dares to rouse him? Blessed are those who bless you and cursed are those who curse you.”

‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and they cover the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps I may be able to fight against them and drive them away.’”

for I will honor you richly and do whatever you say. So please come and put a curse on this people for me!’”

How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?

Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!”

Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.”

Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”

“Please come,” said Balak, “I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you curse them for me from there.”

Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam, and he struck his hands together and said to Balaam, “I summoned you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have persisted in blessing them these three times.

‘Cursed is the man who makes a carved idol or molten image—an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of a craftsman—and sets it up in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is he who dishonors his father or mother.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is he who moves his neighbor’s boundary stone.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is he who lets a blind man wander in the road.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is he who withholds justice from the foreigner, the fatherless, or the widow.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his father’s wife, for he has violated his father’s marriage bed.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is he who lies with any animal.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is he who sleeps with his mother-in-law.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is he who strikes down his neighbor in secret.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is he who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

‘Cursed is he who does not put the words of this law into practice.’ And let all the people say, ‘Amen!’

You will be cursed in the city and cursed in the country.

Your basket and kneading bowl will be cursed.

The fruit of your womb will be cursed, as well as the produce of your land, the calves of your herds, and the lambs of your flocks.

You will be cursed when you come in and cursed when you go out.

At that time Joshua invoked this solemn oath: “Cursed before the LORD is the man who rises up and rebuilds this city, Jericho; at the cost of his firstborn he will lay its foundations; at the cost of his youngest he will set up its gates.”

Now therefore you are under a curse and will perpetually serve as woodcutters and water carriers for the house of my God.”

said to his mother, “The eleven hundred shekels of silver that were taken from you and about which I heard you utter a curse—I have the silver here with me; I took it.” Then his mother said, “Blessed be my son by the LORD!”

‘Curse Meroz,’ says the angel of the LORD. ‘Bitterly curse her inhabitants; for they did not come to help the LORD, to help the LORD against the mighty.’

But we cannot give them our daughters as wives.” For the Israelites had sworn, “Cursed is he who gives a wife to a Benjamite.”

Now the men of Israel were in distress that day, for Saul had placed the troops under an oath, saying, “Cursed is the man who eats any food before evening, before I have taken vengeance on my enemies.” So none of the troops tasted any food.

Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the troops with a solemn oath, saying, ‘Cursed is the man who eats food today.’ That is why the people are faint.”

Now please, may my lord the king hear the words of his servant: If the LORD has stirred you up against me, then may He accept an offering. But if men have done it, may they be cursed in the presence of the LORD! For today they have driven me away from sharing in the inheritance of the LORD, saying, ‘Go, serve other gods.’

When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple,

Then Jehu went in and ate and drank. “Take care of this cursed woman,” he said, “and bury her, for she was the daughter of a king.”

When a man sins against his neighbor and is required to take an oath, and he comes to take an oath before Your altar in this temple,

May it be cursed by those who curse the day—those prepared to rouse Leviathan.

I have seen a fool taking root, but suddenly his house was cursed.

You rebuke the arrogant—the cursed who stray from Your commandments.

The people will curse the hoarder of grain, but blessing will crown the one who sells it.

Whoever tells the guilty, “You are innocent”—peoples will curse him, and nations will denounce him;

You must tell them that this is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: Cursed is the man who does not obey the words of this covenant,

This is what the LORD says: “Cursed is the man who trusts in mankind, who makes mere flesh his strength and turns his heart from the LORD.

Cursed be the day I was born! May the day my mother bore me never be blessed.

Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, saying, “A son is born to you,” bringing him great joy.

Cursed is the one who is remiss in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed.

Cursing and lying, murder and stealing, and adultery are rampant; one act of bloodshed follows another.

“But cursed is the deceiver who has an acceptable male in his flock and vows to give it, but sacrifices a defective animal to the Lord. For I am a great King,” says the LORD of Hosts, “and My name is to be feared among the nations.

If you do not listen, and if you do not take it to heart to honor My name,” says the LORD of Hosts, “I will send a curse among you, and I will curse your blessings. Yes, I have already begun to curse them, because you are not taking it to heart.

You are cursed with a curse, yet you—the whole nation—are still robbing Me.