“Cursed is he who does the work of Yahweh negligently; and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
Parallel translations
- KJV Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
- BSB Cursed is the one who is remiss in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed.
- NKJV Cursed is he who does the work of the Lord deceitfully, And cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
- NASB “Cursed is the one who does the Lord’s work negligently, And cursed is the one who restrains his sword from blood.
- NLT Cursed are those who refuse to do the Lord’s work, who hold back their swords from shedding blood!
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scripture quotations taken from the (NASB®) New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1971, 1977, 1995, 2020 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. All rights reserved. lockman.org
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
Quick answer
A curse falls on anyone who does the LORD's work of judgment slackly or holds back the sword from its task.
Overview
This sharply worded verse stresses that the appointed agents of judgment must carry it out fully and not negligently. It reflects the seriousness with which God regards His ordained purposes. While its immediate sense concerns executing judgment on Moab, it also teaches the broader principle that the LORD's work is to be done wholeheartedly and not half-heartedly.
Cross-references & the web
Cross-references · 9
- 1 Sam 15:3Now go and strike Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and don’t spare them; but kill both man and woman, infant and nursing baby, ox and sheep, camel and donkey.’”
- 1 Kgs 20:42He said to him, “Yahweh says, ‘Because you have let go out of your hand the man whom I had devoted to destruction, therefore your life will take the place of his life, and your people take the place of his people.’”
- 1 Sam 15:9But Saul and the people spared Agag, and the best of the sheep, of the cattle, and of the fat calves, and the lambs, and all that was good, and were not willing to utterly destroy them; but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly.
- Judg 5:23‘Curse Meroz,’ said Yahweh’s angel. ‘Curse bitterly its inhabitants, because they didn’t come to help Yahweh, to help Yahweh against the mighty.’
- Num 31:14–18Moses was angry with the officers of the army, the captains of thousands and the captains of hundreds, who came from the service of the war.
- 2 Kgs 13:19The man of God was angry with him, and said, “You should have struck five or six times. Then you would have struck Syria until you had consumed it; whereas now you will strike Syria just three times.”
- Jer 50:25Yahweh has opened his armory, and has brought out the weapons of his indignation; for the Lord, Yahweh of Armies, has a work to do in the land of the Chaldeans.
- Jer 47:6“‘You sword of Yahweh, how long will it be before you are quiet? Put yourself back into your scabbard; rest, and be still.’
- 1 Sam 15:13–35Samuel came to Saul; and Saul said to him, “You are blessed by Yahweh! I have performed the commandment of Yahweh.”
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Hebrew/Greek interlinear, word definitions, and cross-references for this verse.
Christ at the center
Against the failure of false shepherds Jeremiah promises the Righteous Branch, 'The LORD our righteousness,' and the new covenant written on the heart and sealed in the blood of Christ.
How Jeremiah 48:10 points to him is part of the one story that runs through all Scripture — meet Jesus at the heart of the web, or follow a trail that traces him from Genesis to Revelation.
Original language
Each word below is tagged with its Strong’s number — tap one to see the underlying Hebrew word, its meaning, and every verse that uses it.