King James Version

Deuteronomy 27:25

Cursed be he that taketh reward to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

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Hebrew

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אָרוּר֙arurto execrateאָרַרverb, qal, passive participle, absolute — “to execrate”, a verb used as a describing wordH779to execrate[idiom] bitterly curse.לֹקֵ֣חַloqechatakeלָקַחverb, qal, participle, absolute — “take”, a verb used as a describing wordH3947to take (in the widest variety of applications)accept, bring, buy, carry away, drawn, fetch, get, infold, [idiom] many, mingle, place, receive(-ing), reserve, seize, send for, take (away, -ing, up), use, win.שֹׁ֔חַדshochadbribeשַׁחַדnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “bribe”, the ordinary formH7810a donation (venal or redemptive)bribe(-ry), gift, present, reward.לְהַכּ֥וֹתlehakotto strikeנָכָהpreposition, verb, hiphil, infinitive construct — “to strike”, the to-form of the verbH5221to strike (lightly or severely, literally or figuratively)beat, cast forth, clap, give (wounds), [idiom] go forward, [idiom] indeed, kill, make (slaughter), murderer, punish, slaughter, slay(-er, -ing), smite(-r, -ing), strike, be stricken, (give) stripes, [idiom] surely, wound.נֶ֖פֶשׁnefeshcreatureנֶפֶשׁnoun, common, both genders, singular, construct — “creature”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH5315properly, a breathing creature, i.e. animal of (abstractly) vitality; used very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental)any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, [idiom] dead(-ly), desire, [idiom] (dis-) contented, [idiom] fish, ghost, [phrase] greedy, he, heart(-y), (hath, [idiom] jeopardy of) life ([idiom] in jeopardy), lust, man, me, mind, mortally,…דָּ֣םdamblood , innocentדָּםnoun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “blood , innocent”, the ordinary formH1818blood (as that which when shed causes death) of man or an animal; by analogy, the juice of the grape; figuratively (especially in the plural) bloodshed (i.e. drops of blood)blood(-y, -guiltiness, (-thirsty), [phrase] innocent.נָקִ֑יnaqiinnocentנָקִיadjective, adjective, masculine, singular, absolute — “innocent”, the ordinary formH5355innocentblameless, clean, clear, exempted, free, guiltless, innocent, quit.וְאָמַ֥רveamarand sayאָמַרconjunction, verb, qal, sequential perfect, 3rd person, masculine, singular — “and say”, a completed action in a sequenceH559to say (used with great latitude)answer, appoint, avouch, bid, boast self, call, certify, challenge, charge, [phrase] (at the, give) command(-ment), commune, consider, declare, demand, [idiom] desire, determine, [idiom] expressly, [idiom] indeed, [idiom] intend, name, [id…כָּלkalallכֹּלnoun, common, masculine, singular, construct — “all”, the of-form, joined to the next wordH3605properly, the whole; hence, all, any or every (in the singular only, but often in a plural sense)(in) all (manner, (ye)), altogether, any (manner), enough, every (one, place, thing), howsoever, as many as, (no-) thing, ought, whatsoever, (the) whole, whoso(-ever).הָעָ֖םhaamthe peopleעַםdefinite article, noun, common, masculine, singular, absolute — “the people”, the ordinary formH5971a people (as a congregated unit); specifically, a tribe (as those of Israel); hence (collectively) troops or attendants; figuratively, a flockfolk, men, nation, people.אָמֵֽןamenAmenאָמֵןadverb — “Amen”H543sure; abstract, faithfulness; adverb, trulyAmen, so be it, truth.

Jewish translation (JPS 1917)

Cursed be he that taketh a bribe to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say: Amen.

Compare Public-Domain Translations

The King James Version remains the text of this page and the canonical URL.

American Standard Version (1901)

Cursed be he that taketh a bribe to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say, Amen.

Young’s Literal Translation

'Cursed [is] he who is taking a bribe to smite a person, innocent blood, — and all the people have said, Amen.

World English Bible

‘Cursed is he who takes a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ All the people shall say, ‘Amen.’

Darby Translation

Cursed be he that taketh reward to smite mortally [shedding] innocent blood! And all the people shall say, Amen.

Douay-Rheims

Cursed be he that taketh gifts, to slay an innocent person: and all the people shall say: Amen.

Jewish Publication Society (1917)

Cursed be he that taketh a bribe to slay an innocent person. And all the people shall say: Amen.

Brenton’s Septuagint (1851), English

Cursed is he whosoever shall have taken a bribe to slay an innocent man: and all the people shall say, So be it.

Septuagint (Brenton’s Greek, 1851)

Ἐπικατάρατος ὃς ἂν λάβῃ δῶρα πατάξαι ψυχὴν αἵματος ἀθῴου· καὶ ἐροῦσι πᾶς ὁ λαὸς, γένοιτο.