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14 Cursed be the day on which I was born,
    let not the day on which my mother gave birth to me be blessed.
15 Cursed be the man who brought the news to my father,
    saying,[a] “A child is born to you, a son!”
    and he made him very glad.
16 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.
17 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.
18 Why[b] did I come out from the womb,
    to see toil, and sorrow, and to end my days in shame?[c]

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Footnotes

  1. Jeremiah 20:15 Literally “to say”
  2. Jeremiah 20:18 Literally “To what this”
  3. Jeremiah 20:18 Literally “my days will come to an end in shame”

Jeremiah’s Lament

14 May the day I was born
be cursed.(A)
May the day my mother bore me
never be blessed.
15 May the man be cursed
who brought the news to my father, saying,
“A male child is born to you,”
bringing him great joy.
16 Let that man be like the cities
the Lord demolished without compassion.(B)
Let him hear an outcry in the morning(C)
and a war cry at noontime
17 because he didn’t kill me in the womb(D)
so that my mother might have been my grave,
her womb eternally pregnant.

18 Why did I come out of the womb
to see only struggle and sorrow,(E)
to end my life in shame?

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