So the Lord God said to the snake, ‘Because you have done this,

‘Cursed are you above all livestock
and all wild animals!
You will crawl on your belly
and you will eat dust
all the days of your life.

The Lord God said to the serpent,

“Because you have done this,
cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field;
on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat
all the days of your life.

To Adam he said, ‘Because you listened to your wife and ate fruit from the tree about which I commanded you, “You must not eat from it,”

‘Cursed is the ground because of you;
through painful toil you will eat food from it
all the days of your life.

And to Adam he said,

“Because you have listened to the voice of your wife
and have eaten of the tree
of which I commanded you,
‘You shall not eat of it,’
cursed is the ground because of you;
in pain you shall eat of it all the days of your life;

Now you are under a curse and driven from the ground, which opened its mouth to receive your brother’s blood from your hand.

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

He named him Noah and said, ‘He will comfort us in the labour and painful toil of our hands caused by the ground the Lord has cursed.’

and called his name Noah, saying, “Out of the ground that the Lord has cursed, this one shall bring us relief from our work and from the painful toil of our hands.”

Then he sent out a dove to see if the water had receded from the surface of the ground.

Then he sent forth a dove from him, to see if the waters had subsided from the face of the ground.

When the dove returned to him in the evening, there in its beak was a freshly plucked olive leaf! Then Noah knew that the water had receded from the earth.

And the dove came back to him in the evening, and behold, in her mouth was a freshly plucked olive leaf. So Noah knew that the waters had subsided from the earth.

The Lord smelled the pleasing aroma and said in his heart: ‘Never again will I curse the ground because of humans, even though every inclination of the human heart is evil from childhood. And never again will I destroy all living creatures, as I have done.

And when the Lord smelled the pleasing aroma, the Lord said in his heart, “I will never again curse the ground because of man, for the intention of man’s heart is evil from his youth. Neither will I ever again strike down every living creature as I have done.

he said,

‘Cursed be Canaan!
The lowest of slaves
will he be to his brothers.’

he said,

“Cursed be Canaan;
a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers.”

I will bless those who bless you,
and whoever curses you I will curse;
and all peoples on earth
will be blessed through you.’

I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress.

And he went in to Hagar, and she conceived. And when she saw that she had conceived, she looked with contempt on her mistress.

Then Sarai said to Abram, ‘You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.’

And Sarai said to Abram, “May the wrong done to me be on you! I gave my servant to your embrace, and when she saw that she had conceived, she looked on me with contempt. May the Lord judge between you and me!”

You will be released from my oath if, when you go to my clan, they refuse to give her to you – then you will be released from my oath.’

Then you will be free from my oath, when you come to my clan. And if they will not give her to you, you will be free from my oath.’

They answered, ‘We saw clearly that the Lord was with you; so we said, “There ought to be a sworn agreement between us” – between us and you. Let us make a treaty with you

They said, “We see plainly that the Lord has been with you. So we said, let there be a sworn pact between us, between you and us, and let us make a covenant with you,

What if my father touches me? I would appear to be tricking him and would bring down a curse on myself rather than a blessing.’

Perhaps my father will feel me, and I shall seem to be mocking him and bring a curse upon myself and not a blessing.”

His mother said to him, ‘My son, let the curse fall on me. Just do what I say; go and get them for me.’

His mother said to him, “Let your curse be on me, my son; only obey my voice, and go, bring them to me.”

May nations serve you
and peoples bow down to you.
Be lord over 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.’

Let peoples serve you,
and nations bow down to you.
Be lord over your brothers,
and may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be everyone who curses you,
and blessed be everyone who blesses you!”

He added, ‘Name your wages, and I will pay them.’

Name your wages, and I will give it.”

Cursed be their anger, so fierce,
and their fury, so cruel!
I will scatter them in Jacob
and disperse them in Israel.

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

Let them serve as judges for the people at all times, but let them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you.

And let them judge the people at all times. Every great matter they shall bring to you, but any small matter they shall decide themselves. So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you.

‘Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death.

“Whoever curses his father or his mother shall be put to death.

‘Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.

“You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people.

‘“If anyone sins because they do not speak up when they hear a public charge to testify regarding something they have seen or learned about, they will be held responsible.

“If anyone sins in that he hears a public adjuration to testify, and though he is a witness, whether he has seen or come to know the matter, yet does not speak, he shall bear his iniquity;

‘“Do not curse the deaf or put a stumbling-block in front of the blind, but fear your God. I am the Lord.

You shall not curse the deaf or put a stumbling block before the blind, but you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

‘“Anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death. Because they have cursed their father or mother, their blood will be on their own head.

For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his blood is upon him.

The son of the Israelite woman used the Name blasphemously with a curse; so they brought him to Moses. (His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri the Danite.)

and the Israelite woman’s son blasphemed the Name, and cursed. Then they brought him to Moses. His mother’s name was Shelomith, the daughter of Dibri, of the tribe of Dan.

‘Take the blasphemer outside the camp. All those who heard him are to lay their hands on his head, and the entire assembly is to stone him.

“Bring out of the camp the one who cursed, and let all who heard him lay their hands on his head, and let all the congregation stone him.

Say to the Israelites: “Anyone who curses their God will be held responsible;

And speak to the people of Israel, saying, Whoever curses his God shall bear his sin.

anyone who uses the name of the Lord blasphemously is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they use the Name blasphemously they are to be put to death.

Whoever blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death. All the congregation shall stone him. The sojourner as well as the native, when he blasphemes the Name, shall be put to death.

Then Moses spoke to the Israelites, and they took the blasphemer outside the camp and stoned him. The Israelites did as the Lord commanded Moses.

So Moses spoke to the people of Israel, and they brought out of the camp the one who had cursed and stoned him with stones. Thus the people of Israel did as the Lord commanded Moses.

Moses and Aaron took these men whose names had been specified,

Moses and Aaron took these men who had been named,

After the priest has made the woman stand before the Lord, he shall loosen her hair and place in her hands the reminder-offering, the grain offering for jealousy, while he himself holds the bitter water that brings a curse.

And the priest shall set the woman before the Lord and unbind the hair of the woman’s head and place in her hands the grain offering of remembrance, which is the grain offering of jealousy. And in his hand the priest shall have the water of bitterness that brings the curse.

Then the priest shall put the woman under oath and say to her, ‘If no other man has had sexual relations with you and you have not gone astray and become impure while married to your husband, may this bitter water that brings a curse not harm you.

Then the priest shall make her take an oath, saying, ‘If no man has lain with you, and if you have not turned aside to uncleanness while you were under your husband’s authority, be free from this water of bitterness that brings the curse.

here the priest is to put the woman under this curse – ‘may the Lord cause you to become a curse among your people when he makes your womb miscarry and your abdomen swell.

then’ (let the priest make the woman take the oath of the curse, and say to the woman) ‘the Lord make you a curse and an oath among your people, when the Lord makes your thigh fall away and your body swell.

May this water that brings a curse enter your body so that your abdomen swells or your womb miscarries.’

‘“Then the woman is to say, ‘Amen. So be it.’

May this water that brings the curse pass into your bowels and make your womb swell and your thigh fall away.’ And the woman shall say, ‘Amen, Amen.’

‘“The priest is to write these curses on a scroll and then wash them off into the bitter water.

“Then the priest shall write these curses in a book and wash them off into the water of bitterness.

He shall make the woman drink the bitter water that brings a curse, and this water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering will enter her.

And he shall make the woman drink the water of bitterness that brings the curse, and the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain.

If she has made herself impure and been unfaithful to her husband, this will be the result: when she is made to drink the water that brings a curse and causes bitter suffering, it will enter her, her abdomen will swell and her womb will miscarry, and she will become a curse.

And when he has made her drink the water, then, if she has defiled herself and has broken faith with her husband, the water that brings the curse shall enter into her and cause bitter pain, and her womb shall swell, and her thigh shall fall away, and the woman shall become a curse among her people.

Now come and put a curse on these people, because they are too powerful for me. Perhaps then I will be able to defeat them and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, and whoever you curse is cursed.’

Come now, curse this people for me, since they are too mighty for me. Perhaps I shall be able to defeat them and drive them from the land, for I know that he whom you bless is blessed, and he whom you curse is cursed.”

“A people that has come out of Egypt covers the face of the land. Now come and put a curse on them for me. Perhaps then I will be able to fight them and drive them away.”’

‘Behold, a people has come out of Egypt, and it covers the face of the earth. Now come, curse them for me. Perhaps I shall be able to fight against them and drive them out.’”

But God said to Balaam, ‘Do not go with them. You must not put a curse on those people, because they are blessed.’

God said to Balaam, “You shall not go with them. You shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.”

because I will reward you handsomely and do whatever you say. Come and put a curse on these people for me.’

for I will surely do you great honor, and whatever you say to me I will do. Come, curse this people for me.’”

Then Balaam spoke his message:

‘Balak brought me from Aram,
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.
“Come,” he said, “curse Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.”

And Balaam took up his discourse and said,

“From Aram Balak has brought me,
the king of Moab from the eastern mountains:
‘Come, curse Jacob for me,
and come, denounce Israel!’

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

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

Balak said to Balaam, ‘What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but you have done nothing but bless them!’

And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.”

Then Balak said to him, ‘Come with me to another place where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp. And from there, curse them for me.’

And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.”

Then Balak said to Balaam, ‘Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!’

And Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.”

Then Balak said to Balaam, ‘Come, let me take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.’

And Balak said to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.”

Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness – who dares to rouse them?
‘May those who bless you be blessed
and those who curse you be cursed!’

He crouched, he lay down like a lion
and like a lioness; who will rouse him up?
Blessed are those who bless you,
and cursed are those who curse you.”

Then Balak’s anger burned against Balaam. He struck his hands together and said to him, ‘I summoned you to curse my enemies, but you have blessed them these three times.

And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he struck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times.

See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse –

“See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse:

the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God and turn from the way that I command you today by following other gods, which you have not known.

and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way that I am commanding you today, to go after other gods that you have not known.

When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses.

And when the Lord your God brings you into the land that you are entering to take possession of it, you shall set the blessing on Mount Gerizim and the curse on Mount Ebal.

you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse. You must not desecrate the land the Lord your God is giving you as an inheritance.

his body shall not remain all night on the tree, but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is cursed by God. You shall not defile your land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance.

For they did not come to meet you with bread and water on your way when you came out of Egypt, and they hired Balaam son of Beor from Pethor in Aram Naharaim to pronounce a curse on you.

because they did not meet you with bread and with water on the way, when you came out of Egypt, and because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you.

However, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam but turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.

But the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam; instead the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loved you.

And these tribes shall stand on Mount Ebal to pronounce curses: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan and Naphtali.

And these shall stand on Mount Ebal for the curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

‘Cursed is anyone who makes an idol – a thing detestable to the Lord, the work of skilled hands – and sets it up in secret.’
Then all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

“‘Cursed be the man who makes a carved or cast metal image, an abomination to the Lord, a thing made by the hands of a craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen.’

‘Cursed is anyone who dishonours their father or mother.’
Then all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

“‘Cursed be anyone who dishonors his father or his mother.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

‘Cursed is anyone who moves their neighbour’s boundary stone.’
Then all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

“‘Cursed be anyone who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

‘Cursed is anyone who leads the blind astray on the road.’
Then all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

“‘Cursed be anyone who misleads a blind man on the road.’ And all the people shall say, ‘Amen.’