Jeremiah 20:15

New Living Translation

I curse the messenger who told my father, "Good news—you have a son!"

Parallel Translations

Christian Standard Bible®
May the man be cursedwho brought the news to my father, saying,“A male child is born to you,”bringing him great joy.

Hebrew Names Version
Cursed be the man who brought news to my father, saying, A man-child is born to you; making him very glad.

King James Version
Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad.

English Standard Version
Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, "A son is born to you," making him very glad.

New American Standard Bible
Cursed be the man who brought the news To my father, saying, "A boy has been born to you!" And made him very happy.

New Century Version
Let there be a curse on the man who brought my father the news: "You have a son!" This made my father very glad.

Amplified Bible
Cursed be the man who brought the news To my father, saying, "A son has been born to you!" Making him very glad.

World English Bible
Cursed be the man who brought news to my father, saying, A man-child is born to you; making him very glad.

Geneva Bible (1587)
Cursed be the man, that shewed my father, saying, A man child is borne vnto thee, and comforted him.

Legacy Standard Bible
Cursed be the man who brought the good newsTo my father, saying,"A baby boy has been born to you!"And made him very glad.

Berean Standard Bible
Cursed be the man who brought my father the news, saying, "A son is born to you," bringing him great joy.

Contemporary English Version
Put a curse on the man who told my father, "Good news! You have a son."

Complete Jewish Bible
A curse on the man who brought the news to my father, "A son has been born to you!" — thus making him very happy.

Darby Translation
Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad!

Easy-to-Read Version
Curse the man who told my father the news that I was born. "It's a boy!" he said. "You have a son." He made my father very happy when he told him the news.

George Lamsa Translation
Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A son is born to you, making him very glad.

Good News Translation
Curse the one who made my father glad by bringing him the news, "It's a boy! You have a son!"

Lexham English Bible
Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, saying, "A child is born to you, a son!" and he made him very glad.

Literal Translation
Cursed is the man who brought news to my father, saying, A man child is born to you, making him very glad.

Miles Coverdale Bible (1535)
Cursed be the man, that brought my father the tidinges, to make him glad, sayenge: thou hast gotten a sonne.

American Standard Version
Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man-child is born unto thee; making him very glad.

Bible in Basic English
A curse on the man who gave the news to my father, saying, You have a male child; making him very glad.

JPS Old Testament (1917)
Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying: 'A man-child is born unto thee'; making him very glad.

King James Version (1611)
Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying: A man child is borne vnto thee, making him very glad.

Bishop's Bible (1568)
Cursed be the man that brought my father the tidinges to make hym gald, saying, Thou hast begotten a sonne:

Brenton's Septuagint (LXX)
Cursed be the man who brought the glad tidings to my father, saying, A male child is born to thee.

English Revised Version
Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man child is born unto thee; making him very glad.

Wycliffe Bible (1395)
Cursid be the man, that telde to my fadir, and seide, A knaue child is borun to thee, and made hym glad as with ioye.

Update Bible Version
Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A man-child is born to you; making him very glad.

Webster's Bible Translation
Cursed [be] the man who brought tidings to my father, saying, A male child is born to thee; making him very glad.

New English Translation
Cursed be the man who made my father very glad when he brought him the news that a baby boy had been born to him!

New King James Version
Let the man be cursed Who brought news to my father, saying, "A male child has been born to you!" Making him very glad.

New Life Bible
Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, saying, "A baby boy has been born to you!" and made him very happy.

New Revised Standard
Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, saying, "A child is born to you, a son," making him very glad.

J.B. Rotherham Emphasized Bible
Accursed, be the man who carried tidings to my father saying, There is born to thee a man-child!

Douay-Rheims Bible
Cursed be the man that brought the tidings to my father, saying: A man child is born to thee: and made him greatly rejoice.

Revised Standard Version
Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father, "A son is born to you," making him very glad.

Young's Literal Translation
Cursed [is] the man who bore tidings [to] my father, saying, `Born to thee hath been a child -- a male,' Making him very glad!

New American Standard Bible (1995)
Cursed be the man who brought the news To my father, saying, "A baby boy has been born to you!" And made him very happy.

Contextual Overview

¹⁴ Yet I curse the day I was born! May no one celebrate the day of my birth. ¹⁵ I curse the messenger who told my father, "Good news—you have a son!" ¹⁶ Let him be destroyed like the cities of old that the Lord overthrew without mercy. Terrify him all day long with battle shouts, ¹⁷ because he did not kill me at birth. Oh, that I had died in my mother's womb, that her body had been my grave! ¹⁸ Why was I ever born? My entire life has been filled with trouble, sorrow, and shame.

Bible Verse Review
  from Treasury of Scripure Knowledge

A man: Jeremiah 1:5, Genesis 21:5, Genesis 21:6, Luke 1:14

Reciprocal: Job 3:1 - cursed Job 3:3 - Let the day Psalms 37:8 - fret

Cross-References

Genesis 13:9
The whole countryside is open to you. Take your choice of any section of the land you want, and we will separate. If you want the land to the left, then I'll take the land on the right. If you prefer the land on the right, then I'll go to the left."

Genesis 34:10
And you may live among us; the land is open to you! Settle here and trade with us. And feel free to buy property in the area."

Genesis 47:6
choose any place in the entire land of Egypt for them to live. Give them the best land of Egypt. Let them live in the region of Goshen. And if any of them have special skills, put them in charge of my livestock, too."

Gill's Notes on the Bible

Cursed [be] the man who brought tidings to my father,.... The word signifies commonly good tidings, as the news of a child born, and especially a man child, is to its parent. The Septuagint use the same word the angel did, when he brought the tidings of the birth of Christ, Luke 2:10. This was still more foolish and sinful, to curse the man that carried the tidings of his birth to his father; who did a right thing, and what was acceptable, and perhaps might be a good man. Kimchi observes, that there are some that say, it was known to Jeremiah that this man was Pashur, the son of Immer, and therefore he cursed him; but this is without any foundation;

saying, a man child is born unto thee, making him very glad; as the birth of a man child usually makes glad its parent, whether father or mother; see John 16:21.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

In the rest of the chapter we have an outbreak of deep emotion, of which the first part ends in a cry of hope Jeremiah 20:13, followed nevertheless by curses upon the day of his birth. Was this the result of feelings wounded by the indignities of a public scourging and a night spent in the stocks? Or was it not the mental agony of knowing that his ministry had (as it seemed) failed? He stands indeed before the multitudes with unbending strength, warning prince and people with unwavering constancy of the national ruin that would follow necessarily upon their sins. Before God he stood crushed by the thought that he had labored in vain, and spent his strength for nothing.

It is important to notice that with this outpouring of sorrow Jeremiah’s ministry virtually closed. Though he appeared again at Jerusalem toward the end of Jehoiakim’s reign, yet it was no longer to say that by repentance the national ruin might be averted. During the fourth year of Jehoiakim, the die was cast, and all the prophet henceforward could do, was to alleviate a punishment that was inevitable.

Jeremiah 20:7

Thou hast deceived me ... - What Jeremiah refers to is the joy with which he had accepted the prophetic office Jeremiah 15:16, occasioned perhaps by taking the promises in Jeremiah 1:18 too literally as a pledge that he would succeed.

Thou art stronger than I - Rather, “Thou hast taken hold of me.” God had taken Jeremiah in so firm a grasp that he could not escape from the necessity of prophesying. He would have resisted, but the hand of God prevailed.

I am in derision daily - literally, “I am become a laughing-stock all the day, i. e., peripetually.

Jeremiah 20:8

Translate,” For as often as I speak, I must complain; I call out, Violence and spoil.”

From the time Jeremiah began to prophesy, he had had reason for nothing but lamentation. Daily with louder voice and more desperate energy he must call out “violence and spoil;” as a perpetual protest against the manner in which the laws of justice were violated by powerful men among the people.

Jeremiah 20:9

Seeing that his mission was useless, Jeremiah determined to withdraw from it.

I could not stay - Rather, “I prevailed not,” did not succeed. See Jeremiah 20:7.

Jeremiah 20:10

The defaming - Rather, “the talking.” The word refers to people whispering in twos and threes apart; in this case plotting against Jeremiah. Compare Mark 14:58.

Report ... - Rather, “Do you report, and we will report him: i. e., they encourage one another to give information against Jeremiah.

My familiars - literally, “the men of my peace” Psalms 41:9. In the East the usual salutation is “Peace be to thee:” and the answer, “And to thee peace.” Thus, the phrase rather means acquaintances, than familiar friends.

Enticed - literally, “persuaded, misled,” the same word as “deceived Jeremiah 20:7.” Compare Mark 12:13-17.

Jeremiah 20:11

A mighty terrible one - Rather, “a terrible warrior.” The mighty One Isaiah 9:6 who is on his side is a terror to them. This change of feeling was the effect of faith, enabling him to be content with calmly doing his duty, and leaving the result to God.

For ... - Rather, “because they have not acted wisely (Jeremiah 10:21 note), with an everlasting disgrace that shall never be forgotten.”

Jeremiah 20:12

This verse is repeated almost verbatim from Jeremiah 11:20.

Jeremiah 20:13

Sing - Jeremiah’s outward circumstances remained the same, but he found peace in leaving his cause in faith to God.

Jeremiah 20:14

This sudden outbreak of impatience after the happy faith of Jeremiah 20:13 has led to much discussion. Possibly there was more of sorrow in the words than of impatience; sorrow that the earnest labor of a life had been in vain. Yet the form of the expression is fierce and indignant; and the impatience of Jeremiah is that part of his character which is most open to blame. He does not reach that elevation which is set before us by Him who is the perfect pattern of all righteousness. Our Lord was a prophet whose mission to the men of His generation equally failed, and His sorrow was even more deep; but it never broke forth in imprecations. See Luke 19:41-42.

Jeremiah 20:16

The cry - is the sound of the lamentation Jeremiah 20:8; “the shouting” is the alarm of war.

Clarke's Notes on the Bible

Verse Jeremiah 20:15. A man child is born — Borun is to thee a knave child.-Old MS. Bible. This is the old English word for man or servant; and is so used by Wiclif, Revelation 12:5.