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.
Balaam said to King Balak, “Build seven altars for me here. Then kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
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 that. And then he and Balaam each burned a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice] 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 tinah tih caphoei cuk la cet.
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 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 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 BOEIPA loh Balaam kah ka ah ol a khueh phoeiah tah, “Balak taengla mael lamtah he he thui pah,” a ti nah.
Then Yahweh gave Balaam a message to give to King Balak. Then he said, “Go back and tell him what I told you.”
6 Te dongah anih te a mael hatah a hmueihhlutnah taengah amah neh Moab mangpa tomte tarha pai uh.
When Balaam returned to Balak, Balak was standing with the leaders from Moab beside the offerings he had burned [on the altar].
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 Jakobte thaephoei thil laeh, halo laeh, Israel te kosisah thil,’ a ti.
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 Pathenloha tap pawt te metlam ka tap vetih, BOEIPA loh kosi a hong pawtah metlam kosi ka hong eh?
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 Lungpang soi lamloh amah te ka hmuh tih somrhoek lamloh amah te ka mae. Pilnam he bueng hekhoa sak tih namtom khuiah ana moeh moenih.
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 laipi neh Israel hlopli kah hlangmite 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 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 Te vaengah Balak loh Balaam te, “Kai taengah balaena saii, ka thunkha tap ham nang kan loh dae yoethen la yoethen na paek coeng he,” a ti nah.
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 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, “I can [RHQ] say only what Yahweh tells me to say. I cannot say anything else.”
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 dawkna hmuh dae a cungkuemna hmuh moenih. Te dongah ke lamloh kai yueng la anihte tap laeh,” a ti nah.
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 Te phoeiah anihte Pisgah somtung kah Zophim khohmuenlaa khuen. Te vaengah hmueihtuk parhih a suem tih hmueihtuk soah vaito neh tutal a nawn.
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 Te phoeiah Balak te, “Kai ke la ka pawk vaengah namah kah hmueihhlutnah taengah he ana pai,” a ti nah.
Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here close to your burned offerings, while I go and talk with Yahweh.”
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.
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 Te phoeiah a taengla a mael hatah anih kah hmueihhlutnah taengah amah kah Moab mangparhoek khaw tarha ana pai uh. Te vaengah Balak loh anih te, “BOEIPA loh balae a thui,” a ti nah.
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 Te dongah a thuidoeknah te a poh tih, “Balak aw thoo lamtah hnatun lah, Zippor capa khaw kai taengla hnakaeng lah.
Then Balaam told him this message: “Balak, listen carefully; hear what I have to say, you son of Zippor [DOU]!
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 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 Yoethen paek ham ka dang dongah a yoethen coeng tih ka yueh thai moenih ne.
He commanded me [to request him] to bless [the Israelis], So he has blessed them, and I cannot change that.
21 Jakob khuiah boethaete paelki pawt tih Israel khuiah thakthaenah a hmuh moenih. A Pathen Yahweh tah a taengah om tih a khuiah manghai kah tamlung la a om pah.
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 Pathen loh amihte Egypt lamloh amah taengah cung ki bangla a khuen.
God brought them out of Egypt [where they were slaves]; he is as strong as 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.
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 Pilnamte sathuengnu bangla a thoh tih sathueng bangla a kuel. Maeh a ngaeh tih salaem thii a ok duela yalh tlaih pawh.
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 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.
Then Balak said to Balaam, “If you will not curse them, then [I certainly] do not [want you to] bless them!”
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, “I told you that I must do only what Yahweh tells me to 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 anihte tap mai,” a ti nah.
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 Te dongah Balak loh Balaam te khopong hmai la aka dan Peor somtunglaa khuen.
So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor [Mountain] where they could look down [and see the Israelis in] the desert.
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.
Balaam again told Balak, “Build me seven altars again and kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
30 Te dongah Balaam kah a thui bangla Balak loh a ngai tih vaito neh tutal hmueihtuk soah a nawn.
So Balak did what Balaam told him to do. He burned a young bull and a ram on each altar as sacrifices.
