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.
Balaam said to King Balak, “Build seven altars for me here. Then kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a 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.
So Balak did that. And then he and Balaam each burned a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice] 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.
Then Balaam said to Balak, “You stand here close to your burned offerings, and I will go and ask Yahweh if he has something else to tell me. Then I will tell you what he says to me.” Then Balaam went by himself to the top of a hill,
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 appeared to him there. Balaam said to him, “We have built seven altars, and I have killed and burned a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice to you] on each altar.”
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 Yahweh gave Balaam a message to give to King Balak. Then he said, “Go back and tell him what I told you.”
6 To pongah anih Balak khaeah amlaem tathuk naah, khenah, Balak loe Moab ukkung angraengnawk boih hoi nawnto sak ih hmai angbawnhaih taengah angdoet.
When Balaam returned to Balak, Balak was standing with the leaders from Moab beside the offerings he had burned [on the altar].
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 message that Balaam told them: “Balak, the King of Moab, summoned me to come here from Syria; he brought me here from the hills at the eastern side of Syria. He said, ‘Come and curse the descendants of Jacob for me, saying that bad things will happen to these Israeli people!’
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 people whom God has not cursed?/I certainly cannot curse people whom God has not cursed!) [RHQ] (How can I condemn people whom Yahweh has not condemned?/I cannot condemn people whom Yahweh has not condemned!) [RHQ]
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.
I have seen them from the tops of the rocky peaks. I see that they are a group of people who live by themselves; they have separated themselves from 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 the descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of (dust/dirt)?/No one can count the descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of (dust/dirt)!) [RHQ] (Who can count even a quarter of the Israeli people?/No one can count even a quarter of the Israeli people!) [RHQ] I wish/hope that I will die like righteous people die; I hope that I will die [peacefully] like they will die.”
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, “What have you done to me [RHQ]? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but instead you have (blessed them/asked Yahweh to 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, “I can [RHQ] say only what Yahweh tells me to say. I cannot say anything else.”
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 King Balak told Balaam, “Come with me to another place. There you will see only part of the Israeli people, and you will be able to curse those people 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 Balaam to a field on the top of Pisgah [Mountain]. There, again he built seven altars and offered a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice] 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.
Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here close to your burned offerings, while I go and talk with Yahweh.”
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.
So Balaam did that, and Yahweh appeared to Balaam again and gave him another message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and tell him that message.”
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 Balaam returned to where the king and the leaders from Moab were standing, next to the altar where Balak had burned the sacrifices. Balak asked him, “What did Yahweh say?”
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 told him this message: “Balak, listen carefully; hear what I have to say, you son of Zippor [DOU]!
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 human being. Humans lie, but God never lies. He never changes his mind/thoughts, as humans do. Whatever he has said that he will do, he does.
20 Khenah, Tahamhoihaih paek hanah ang thuih ih lok to ka hnuk boeh; tahamhoihaih ang paek boeh pongah, ka pakhrai thai mak ai boeh.
He commanded me [to request him] to bless [the Israelis], So he has blessed them, and I cannot 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.
Yahweh their God is with/helping them; they have declared that he is their true king. So the descendants of Jacob will not be harmed; they will not have any troubles [DOU].
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 [where they were slaves]; he is as strong as 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.
When people curse [PRS] the descendants of Jacob, they will not be harmed; when people work sorcery on them, it will have no power. So now people will say about the descendants of Jacob, ‘God has done wonderful things for the Israelis!’
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.
They are very strong, like lionesses that are ready to attack [other animals]; they stand firm like lions. The lions refuse to rest until they have [killed and] eaten their prey, and drunk the blood of the animals they slaughtered.”
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 will not curse them, then [I certainly] do not [want you to] bless them!”
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, “I told you that I must do only what Yahweh tells me to 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.
Then King Balak said to Balaam, “Come with me; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to allow you to curse them from that place.”
28 Balak mah Balaam to kawk moe, Jeshimon vangpui bangah angqoi Peor mae nuiah a caeh haih.
So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor [Mountain] where they could look down [and see the Israelis in] the desert.
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 again told Balak, “Build me seven altars again and kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a 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.
So Balak did what Balaam told him to do. He burned a young bull and a ram on each altar as sacrifices.
