Cursed is the one who is remiss in doing the work of the LORD, and cursed is he who withholds his sword from bloodshed.
Parallel translations
- WEB “Cursed is he who does the work of Yahweh negligently; and cursed is he who keeps back his sword from blood.
- KJV Cursed be he that doeth the work of the LORD deceitfully, and cursed be he that keepeth back his sword from blood.
- 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 attack the Amalekites and devote to destruction all that belongs to them. Do not spare them, but put to death men and women, children and infants, oxen and sheep, camels and donkeys.’”
- 1 Kgs 20:42And the prophet said to the king, “This is what the LORD says: ‘Because you have let slip from your hand the man I had devoted to destruction, your life will be exchanged for his life, and your people for his people.’”
- 1 Sam 15:9Saul and his troops spared Agag, along with the best of the sheep and cattle, the fat calves and lambs, and the best of everything else. They were unwilling to destroy them, but they devoted to destruction all that was despised and worthless.
- Judg 5:23‘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.’
- Num 31:14–18But Moses was angry with the officers of the army—the commanders of thousands and commanders of hundreds—who were returning from the battle.
- 2 Kgs 13:19But the man of God was angry with him and said, “You should have struck the ground five or six times. Then you would have struck down Aram until you had put an end to it. But now you will strike down Aram only three times.”
- Jer 50:25The LORD has opened His armory and brought out His weapons of wrath, for this is the work of the Lord GOD of Hosts in the land of the Chaldeans.
- Jer 47:6‘Alas, O sword of the LORD, how long until you rest? Return to your sheath; cease and be still!’
- 1 Sam 15:13–35When Samuel reached him, Saul said to him, “May the LORD bless you. I have carried out the LORD’s instructions.”
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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.