My father may touch me! Then he’ll think I’m mocking him ¹  and I’ll bring a curse on myself instead of a blessing.”

So his mother told him, “Any curse against you will fall on me, ¹  my son! Just obey me! ²  Go and get them for me!”

But God said to Balaam, “You must not go with them; you must not curse the people, ¹  for they are blessed.” ² 

For I will honor you greatly, ¹  and whatever you tell me I will do. So come, put a curse on this nation for me.’”

God also repaid the men of Shechem for their evil deeds. The curse spoken by Jotham son of Jerub-Baal fell ¹  on them.

But ¹  extend your hand and strike ²  everything he has, and he will no doubt ³  curse you ⁴  to your face!”

I ¹  have not even permitted my mouth ²  to sin by asking ³  for his life through a curse –

All day long my enemies taunt me; those who mock me use my name in their curses. ¹ 

How ¹  can I curse ²  one whom God has not cursed, or how can I denounce one whom the Lord has not denounced?

Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary ¹  you have only blessed them!” ² 

Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, launched an attack ¹  against Israel. He summoned ²  Balaam son of Beor to call down judgment ³  on you.

But extend your hand and strike his bone and his flesh, ¹  and he will no doubt ²  curse you to your face!”

With it we bless the Lord ¹  and Father, and with it we curse people ²  made in God’s image.

At that he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment a rooster crowed. ¹ 

Then he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, “I do not know this man you are talking about!”

So ¹  now, please come and curse this nation ²  for me, for they are too powerful for me. Perhaps I will prevail so that we may conquer them ³  and drive them out of the land. For I know that whoever you bless is blessed, ⁴  and whoever you curse is cursed.”

But the king said, “What do we have in common, ¹  you sons of Zeruiah? If he curses because the Lord has said to him, ‘Curse David!’, who can say to him, ‘Why have you done this?’”

You must not curse a deaf person or put a stumbling block in front of a blind person. ¹  You must fear ²  your God; I am the Lord.

They ¹  spend all their time planning how to bring him ²  down. ³  They love to use deceit; ⁴  they pronounce blessings with their mouths, but inwardly they utter curses. ⁵  (Selah)

People will curse ¹  the one who withholds grain, ²  but they will praise ³  the one who sells it. ⁴