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 told Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.”
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.
Balak did as Balaam had said, and together they 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.
Balaam said to Balak, “Wait here beside your burnt offering while I go and see if perhaps the Lord will come and meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me, I'll share with you.” Then Balaam left to climb up a rocky crag.
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.
God met with him there, and Balaam said. “I have built seven altars 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.
The Lord gave Balaam a message to share. He told him, “Go back to Balak and this is what you are to say to him.”
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 went back to Balak, who was waiting there beside his burnt offering, along with all the Moabite leaders.
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.
This is the declaration that Balaam gave: “Balak brought me from Aram; the king of Moab brought me from the mountains of the east. He said, ‘Come and curse Jacob for me! Come and condemn 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?
But how can I curse what God has not cursed? How can I condemn what the Lord has not condemned?
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'm looking down on them from the top of rocky crags; I'm watching them from the hills. I see a people who live on their own, different from the other 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 Jacob's descendants? They are so many they're like dust! Who can count even a quarter of the Israelites? I would like to die as a good person dies! Let the end of my life be like their end!”
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 complained to Balaam, “What on earth have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and now look! All you have done is bless 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, “Don't you think I should I say precisely what the Lord tells me?”
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. But you'll only see a part of their camp—you won't see all of them. You can curse them for me from there.”
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.
He took him to the field of Zophim at the top of Mount Pisgah. There 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 told Balak, “Wait 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.
The Lord met Balaam and gave him a message to share. He told him, “Go back to Balak and this is what you are to say to him.”
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 went back to Balak, who was waiting there beside his burnt offering, along with all the Moabite leaders. “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;
This is the prophecy that Balaam delivered: “Stand up, Balak, and pay attention! Listen to me, 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 isn't a human being who would lie. He's not a mere mortal who changes his mind. Does he say he's going to do something but doesn't? Does he make promises he doesn't carry out?
20 Khenah, Tahamhoihaih paek hanah ang thuih ih lok to ka hnuk boeh; tahamhoihaih ang paek boeh pongah, ka pakhrai thai mak ai boeh.
Look, I have been ordered to give a blessing. God has blessed, and I can't change that.
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's not expecting anything bad will happen to Jacob; he doesn't foresee any trouble for Israel. The Lord their God is with them; they celebrate him as their king.
22 Sithaw mah nihcae to Izip prae thung hoiah tacawtsak boeh; Israel kaminawk loe kokno thacakhaih to tawnh o.
God led them out of Egypt with great power, as strong as an 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.
No spell can be cast against Jacob; no magic can be used against Israel. People will talk about Jacob and Israel, saying, ‘What amazing things God has done for them!’
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.
Look! The Israelites go out hunting like a lioness; they chase like a lion. They don't rest until they eat their prey, and drink the blood of their dead victim.”
25 To naah Balak mah Balaam khaeah, Nihcae to tangoeng thuih hmah loe, tahamhoihaih doeh paek hmah, tiah a naa.
Then Balak said to Balaam, “If you can't give them any curses then at least don't give them any blessings!”
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, “Didn't I explain to you that I have to do whatever the Lord tells me?”
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 with me and I will take you somewhere else,” Balak said. “Maybe God would let you curse them for me from there.”
28 Balak mah Balaam to kawk moe, Jeshimon vangpui bangah angqoi Peor mae nuiah a caeh haih.
Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which looks down on the wastelands.
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.
Balaam told Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.”
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.
Balak what Balaam told him, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
