Jeremiah 20:14–18

Cursed be the day

on which I was born!

The day when my mother bore me,

let it not be blessed!

Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father,

“A son is born to you,”

making him very glad.

Let that man be like the cities

that the Lord overthrew without pity;

let him hear a cry in the morning

and an alarm at noon,

because he did not kill me in the womb;

so my mother would have been my grave,

and her womb forever great.

Why did I come out from the womb

to see toil and sorrow,

and spend my days in shame?

Cursed be the day I was born!

May the day my mother bore me not be blessed!

Cursed be the man who brought my father the news,

who made him very glad, saying,

“A child is born to you—a son!”

May that man be like the towns

the Lord overthrew without pity.

May he hear wailing in the morning,

a battle cry at noon.

For he did not kill me in the womb,

with my mother as my grave,

her womb enlarged forever.

Why did I ever come out of the womb

to see trouble and sorrow

and to end my days in shame?

May the day I was born

be cursed.

May the day my mother bore me

never be blessed.

May the man be cursed

who brought the news to my father, saying,

“A male child is born to you,”

bringing him great joy.

Let that man be like the cities

the Lord demolished without compassion.

Let him hear an outcry in the morning

and a war cry at noontime

because he didn’t kill me in the womb

so that my mother might have been my grave,

her womb eternally pregnant.

Why did I come out of the womb

to see only struggle and sorrow,

to end my life in shame?

Yet I curse the day I was born!

May no one celebrate the day of my birth.

I curse the messenger who told my father,

“Good news—you have a son!”

Let him be destroyed like the cities of old

that the Lord overthrew without mercy.

Terrify him all day long with battle shouts,

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!

Why was I ever born?

My entire life has been filled

with trouble, sorrow, and shame.

Cursed be the day on which I was born,

let not the day on which my mother gave birth to me be blessed.

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.

And let that man be like the cities

that Yahweh demolished without regret,

and let him hear a cry for help in the morning,

and an alarm at the time of noon.

Because he did not kill me in the womb,

so that my mother would have been for me my grave,

and her womb would be pregnant forever.

Why did I come out from the womb,

to see toil, and sorrow, and to end my days in shame?

Cursed be the day wherein I was born:

Let not the day wherein my mother bare me be blessed.

Cursed be the man who brought tidings to my father, saying,

A man child is born unto thee;

Making him very glad.

And let that man be as the cities which the Lord overthrew, and repented not:

And let him hear the cry in the morning, and the shouting at noontide;

Because he slew me not from the womb;

Or that my mother might have been my grave,

And her womb to be always great with me.

Wherefore came I forth out of the womb

To see labour and sorrow,

That my days should be consumed with shame?