Parallel Verses

King James Version

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?

New American Standard Bible

How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
And how can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

Holman Bible

How can I curse someone God has not cursed?
How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?

International Standard Version

But how can I curse those whom God hasn't cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD hasn't denounced?

A Conservative Version

How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom LORD has not defied?

American Standard Version

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom Jehovah hath not defied?

Amplified


“How shall I curse those whom God has not cursed?
Or how can I [violently] denounce those the Lord has not denounced?

Bible in Basic English

How may I put curses on him who is not cursed by God? how may I be angry with him with whom the Lord is not angry?

Darby Translation

How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I denounce whom Jehovah doth not denounce?

Julia Smith Translation

How shall I curse, God cursing not? And how shall I be angry, God not being angry?

King James 2000

How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? or how shall I denounce, whom the LORD has not denounced?

Lexham Expanded Bible

How can I curse [whom] God has not cursed, and how can I denounce [whom] Yahweh has not denounced?

Modern King James verseion

How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? Or how shall I defy whom Jehovah has not defied?

Modern Spelling Tyndale-Coverdale

How shall I curse whom God curseth not? And how shall I defy whom the LORD defieth not?

NET Bible

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

New Heart English Bible

How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? How shall I defy whom the LORD has not defied?

The Emphasized Bible

How can I revile one whom GOD hath not reviled? Yea, how can I rage on one on whom Yahweh hath not raged.

Webster

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?

World English Bible

How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? How shall I defy whom Yahweh has not defied?

Youngs Literal Translation

What -- do I pierce? -- God hath not pierced! And what -- am I indignant? -- Jehovah hath not been indignant!

Interlinear

English(KJV)
Strong's
Root Form
Definition
Usage
How
מה מ־ מ־ מה מה 
Mah 
Usage: 751

אל 
'el 
Usage: 114

hath not cursed
קבב 
Qabab 
curse, at all
Usage: 11

or how shall I defy
זעם 
Za`am 
Usage: 12

whom the Lord

Usage: 0

References

Context Readings

Balaam's First Oracle

7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel. 8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied? 9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

Cross References

Numbers 22:12

And God said unto Balaam, Thou shalt not go with them; thou shalt not curse the people: for they are blessed.

Numbers 23:20

Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

Numbers 23:23

Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

Isaiah 44:25

That frustrateth the tokens of the liars, and maketh diviners mad; that turneth wise men backward, and maketh their knowledge foolish;

Isaiah 47:12-13

Stand now with thine enchantments, and with the multitude of thy sorceries, wherein thou hast laboured from thy youth; if so be thou shalt be able to profit, if so be thou mayest prevail.

King James Version Public Domain

Holman Christian Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1999, 2000, 2002, 2003, 2009 by Holman Bible Publishers.

International Standard Version Copyright © 1996-2008 by the ISV Foundation.

New American Standard Bible Copyright ©1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation, La Habra, Calif. All rights reserved. For Permission to Quote Information visit http://www.lockman.org

American Standard Version Public Domain

NET Bible copyright © 1996-2006 by Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. NetBible

Basic English, produced by Mr C. K. Ogden of the Orthological Institute - public domain