Lampahnah 23

1 Balaam loh Balak taengah, “He ah he kai ham hmueihtuk parhih suem lamtah he ah he kai ham vaito pumrhih neh tutal pumrhih han tawn,” a ti nah.

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

2 Balaam kah a thui bangla Balak loh a saii tangloeng tih Balak neh Balaam loh hmueihtuk dongah vaito neh tutal te a paan puei.

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

3 Te phoeiah Balaam loh Balak te, “Namah kah hmueihhlutnah taengah ana pai lamtah ka caeh vaengah kai doe hamla BOEIPA loh m'mah khaming. Kai taengah mebang ol ham phoe akhaw nang taengah ka puen bitni,” a ti nah tih caphoei cuk la cet.

“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 Pathen loh Balaam te ana mah tangloeng tih a taengah, “Hmueihtuk parhih ka hol tih hmueihtuk soah vaito neh tutal ka tloeng coeng,” a ti nah.

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 BOEIPA loh Balaam kah ka ah ol a khueh phoeiah tah, “Balak taengla mael lamtah he he thui pah,” a ti nah.

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

6 Te dongah anih te a mael hatah a hmueihhlutnah taengah amah neh Moab mangpa tom te tarha pai uh.

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

7 Te phoeiah a thuidoeknah a poh tih, “Khothoeng tlang lamkah Moab manghai Balak loh kai he Aram lamloh m'mawt tih, 'Halo laeh, kai yueng la Jakob te thaephoei thil laeh, halo laeh, Israel te kosisah thil,’ a ti.

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 Pathen loh a tap pawt te metlam ka tap vetih, BOEIPA loh kosi a hong pawt ah metlam kosi ka hong eh?

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

9 Lungpang soi lamloh amah te ka hmuh tih som rhoek lamloh amah te ka mae. Pilnam he bueng he kho a sak tih namtom khuiah ana moeh moenih.

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 laipi neh Israel hlopli kah hlangmi te unim aka tae thai? Ka hinglu khaw aka thuem kah dueknah dongah duek saeh lamtah ka hmailong khaw amah la om saeh,” a ti.

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 Te vaengah Balak loh Balaam te, “Kai taengah balae na saii, ka thunkha tap ham nang kan loh dae yoethen la yoethen na paek coeng he,” a ti nah.

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 Te dongah a doo tih, “BOEIPA amah loh ka ka a khueh te thui ham ka ngaithuen mahpawt nim? a ti nah.

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

13 Te dongah amah te Balak loh, “Kamah neh hmuen tloe la cet khaw cet mai mai sih. Te ah ni amah te na hmuh thai eh, he lamlong tah a hmoi ni dawk na hmuh dae a cungkuem na hmuh moenih. Te dongah ke lamloh kai yueng la anih te tap laeh,” a ti nah.

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 Te phoeiah anih te Pisgah somtung kah Zophim khohmuen la a khuen. Te vaengah hmueihtuk parhih a suem tih hmueihtuk soah vaito neh tutal a nawn.

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 Te phoeiah Balak te, “Kai ke la ka pawk vaengah namah kah hmueihhlutnah taengah he ana pai,” a ti nah.

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

16 Te vaengah BOEIPA loh Balaam te a mah tih a ka dongah ol a sang pah phoeiah, “Balak taengah mael lamtah he he thui pah,” a ti nah.

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

17 Te phoeiah a taengla a mael hatah anih kah hmueihhlutnah taengah amah kah Moab mangpa rhoek khaw tarha ana pai uh. Te vaengah Balak loh anih te, “BOEIPA loh balae a thui,” a ti nah.

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 Te dongah a thuidoeknah te a poh tih, “Balak aw thoo lamtah hnatun lah, Zippor capa khaw kai taengla hnakaeng lah.

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

19 Pathen tah laithae hlang pawt tih hlang capa bangla dam a ti a? A ti coeng phoeiah a saii moenih a? A thui phoeiah a thoh puei moenih a?

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 Yoethen paek ham ka dang dongah a yoethen coeng tih ka yueh thai moenih ne.

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

21 Jakob khuiah boethae te paelki pawt tih Israel khuiah thakthaenah a hmuh moenih. A Pathen Yahweh tah a taengah om tih a khui ah manghai kah tamlung la a om pah.

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 Pathen loh amih te Egypt lamloh amah taengah cung ki bangla a khuen.

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

23 Jakob te lung loh a noeng moenih, Israel te bihma loh a noeng moenih. Pathen loh Jakob neh Israel ham mebang a saii khaw a tue van vaengah a thui.

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 Pilnam te sathuengnu bangla a thoh tih sathueng bangla a kuel. Maeh a ngaeh tih salaem thii a ok duela yalh tlaih pawh.

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 Te dongah Balak loh Balaam te, “Anih tap ham khaw tap boel lamtah yoethen sak ham khaw anih te yoethen pae boeh,” a ti nah.

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

26 Balaam loh a doo tih Balak taengah, “Thui ham koi te nang taengah kan thui moenih a? A cungkuem dongah BOEIPA kah a thui te ni ka saii eh.

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

27 Te phoeiah Balak loh Balaam taengah, “Cet mai dae sih, hmuen tloe la nang kang khuen saeh lamtah Pathen mik ah thuem mai khaming. Te lamloh kai yueng la anih te tap mai,” a ti nah.

“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 Te dongah Balak loh Balaam te khopong hmai la aka dan Peor somtung la a khuen.

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

29 Balaam loh Balak te, “He ah he kai ham hmueihtuk parhih suem lamtah he ah he kai ham vaito pumrhih neh tutal pumrhih han tawn,” a ti nah.

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

30 Te dongah Balaam kah a thui bangla Balak loh a ngai tih vaito neh tutal hmueihtuk soah a nawn.

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