Nambar 23

1 Balaam mah Balak khaeah, Kai han haeah hmaicam sarihto sah ah loe, maitaw tae sarihto hoi tuu tae sarihto suem ah, tiah a naa.

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”

2 Balaam mah thuih ih lok baktih toengah Balak mah sak pae; Balak hoi Balaam mah hmaicam maeto nuiah, maitaw tae maeto, tuu tae maeto hoiah angbawnhaih a sak hoi.

So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

3 Balaam mah, Balak khaeah, Na sak ih hmai angbawnhaih taengah om ah; kai loe ahmuen maeto ah ka caeh han; to ah kai tongh hanah Angraeng angzo khoe doeh om tih; anih mah ang hnuksak ih hmuen to kang thuih boih han hmang, tiah a naa. To pacoengah anih loe hmuensang ah caeh.

“Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.” So Balaam went off to a barren height,

4 Sithaw mah Balaam to tongh, Balaam mah anih khaeah, Hmaicam sarihto ka sak moe, hmaicam maeto boih nuiah maitaw tae maeto hoi tuu tae maeto ka tathlang boeh, tiah a naa.

and God met with him. “I have set up seven altars,” Balaam said, “and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”

5 Angraeng mah Balaam ih pakha thungah lok to suek pae, Balak khaeah amlaem let ah loe, hae lok hae anih khaeah thui paeh, tiah a naa.

Then the LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this message.”

6 To pongah anih Balak khaeah amlaem tathuk naah, khenah, Balak loe Moab ukkung angraengnawk boih hoi nawnto sak ih hmai angbawnhaih taengah angdoet.

So he returned to Balak, who was standing there beside his burnt offering, with all the princes of Moab.

7 To naah Balaam mah patahhaih lok to thuih pae; Moab siangpahrang Balak mah, angzo ah loe, kai hanah Jakob acaengnawk hae tangoeng pae ah; angzo ah loe, Israel kaminawk hae amrosak ah, tiah Aram prae ni angyae bangah kaom maesang hoiah kai hae ang caeh haih boeh, tiah a naa.

And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the mountains of the east. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me; come and denounce Israel!’

8 Sithaw mah tangoeng ai ih kami to kawbang maw ka tangoeng thaih ueloe, Angraeng mah amrosak ai ih kami to kawbang maw kam rosak thai tih?

How can I curse what God has not cursed? How can I denounce what the LORD has not denounced?

9 Lungsong nui hoiah anih to ka hnuk moe, maesang hoiah anih to ka dan; khenah, to kaminawk loe angmacae khue om o tih, kalah kaminawk hoi angbaeh o mak ai.

For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.

10 Jakob acaeng ih maiphu loe mi mah maw kroek thai tih, Israel acaeng palito thung ih maeto mataeng doeh mi mah maw kroek thai tih? Kai loe katoeng kami baktiah dueh nasoe, ka boenghaih doeh nihcae boenghaih baktiah om nasoe, tiah a thuih pae.

Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous; let my end be like theirs!”

11 Balak mah Balaam khaeah, Kai khaeah timaw na sak? Ka misanawk tangoeng thuih han ih na ai maw kang kawk, khenah, tipongah nihcae to tahamhoihaih na paek lat loe? tiah a naa.

Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!”

12 Anih mah, Angraeng mah ka pakha thungah suek ih lok to acoehaih hoiah ka thui mak ai maw? tiah a naa.

But Balaam replied, “Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”

13 Balak mah anih khaeah, Angzo ah, nihcae khet naah, nihcae boih kamtueng ai ahmuen, nihcae ahap khue amtuenghaih ahmuen kalah bangah caeh si; to ahmuen hoiah nihcae to kai han na tangoeng pae let ah, tiah a naa.

Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.”

14 To pongah Zophim azawn hoiah Pisgah mae nuiah anih to caeh haih moe, to ah hmaicam sarihto sak pacoengah, hmaicam maeto nuiah maitaw tae maeto hoi tuu tae maeto angbawnhaih ah a paek.

So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

15 Balaam mah Balak khaeah, Angraeng tongh hanah ahmuen kalah ah ka caeh nathung, nang loe na sak ih angbawnhaih ahmuen taengah om ah, tiah a naa.

Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.”

16 Angraeng mah Balaam to tongh, anih ih pakha ah lok to a suek pae moe, Balak khaeah amlaem let ah loe, hae lok hae thui paeh, tiah a naa.

And the LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and speak what I tell you.”

17 Balaam amlaem let naah loe, khenah, Moab ukkung angraengnawk hoi nawnto sak ih hmai angbawnhaih taengah angdoe Balak to a hnuk. To naah Balak mah, Angraeng mah timaw ang thuih? tiah a dueng.

So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Moab. “What did the LORD say?” Balak asked.

18 To naah anih mah patahhaih lok to hae tiah a thuih pae; Balak, angthawk ah loe, tahngai ah; Zippor capa, ka lok hae tahngai ah;

Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Arise, O Balak, and listen; give ear to me, O son of Zippor.

19 Sithaw loe amsawnlok thui kami na ai ni; dawnpakhuemhaih tawn kami ih capa doeh na ai ni; anih loe a thuih ih lok baktiah sah ai ah oh vai maw? A lokkam ih baktiah koepsak ai ah oh vai maw?

God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?

20 Khenah, Tahamhoihaih paek hanah ang thuih ih lok to ka hnuk boeh; tahamhoihaih ang paek boeh pongah, ka pakhrai thai mak ai boeh.

I have indeed received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.

21 Anih mah Jakob zaehaih to hnu ai, Israel acaeng nuiah doeh kahoih ai loklam amkhraenghaih to hnu ai; anih ih Angraeng Sithaw loe anih hoi nawnto oh moe, nihcae salakah Siangpahrang hanghaih lok to oh.

He considers no disaster for Jacob; He sees no trouble for Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of the King is among them.

22 Sithaw mah nihcae to Izip prae thung hoiah tacawtsak boeh; Israel kaminawk loe kokno thacakhaih to tawnh o.

God brought them out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox.

23 Jakob tuk hanah lungh aahhaih om ai, Israel tuk hanah tahmaa baktiah thuih coek ih lok doeh om ai. Jakob hoi Israel kawng pongah, Vaihi Sithaw mah timaw sak, tito khen oh, tiah thui o tih.

For there is no spell against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’

24 Khenah, kaminawk loe kaipui baktiah angthawk o tih; saning kanawk kaipui baktiah tacawt o tih; a naeh ih moi to caa ai moe, a kaek ih moi thii to nae ai karoek to, omduem ai kaipui baktiah oh o, tiah a naa.

Behold, the people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion, not resting until they devour their prey and drink the blood of the slain.”

25 To naah Balak mah Balaam khaeah, Nihcae to tangoeng thuih hmah loe, tahamhoihaih doeh paek hmah, tiah a naa.

Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”

26 Toe Balaam mah, Balak khaeah, Angraeng mah thuih ih lok khue ni kang thuih han, tiah kang thuih boeh na ai maw? tiah a naa.

But Balaam replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?”

27 To pacoengah Balak mah Balaam khaeah, Angzo ah; kalah ahmuen bangah kang caeh haih han; to ahmuen hoiah nihcae nang tangoeng pae hanah, Angraeng ih palung tongh khoe doeh om tih, tiah a naa.

“Please come,” said Balak, “I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you curse them for me from there.”

28 Balak mah Balaam to kawk moe, Jeshimon vangpui bangah angqoi Peor mae nuiah a caeh haih.

And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.

29 Balaam mah, Balak khaeah, Hae ahmuen ah kai han hmaicam sarihto sah ah loe, maitaw tae sarihto hoi tuu tae sarihto angbawnhaih ah paek ah, tiah a naa.

Then Balaam said, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”

30 Balaam mah thuih ih lok baktih toengah Balak mah sak moe, hmaicam maeto boih nuiah maitaw tae maeto hoi tuu tae maeto a tathlang.

So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.