Numbers 23
1 And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
And Balaam seide to Balaach, Bilde thou here to me seuene auteris, and make redi so many caluys, and rammes of the same noumbre.
2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken. And Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
And whanne he hadde do bi the word of Balaam, thei puttiden a calf and a ram to gidere on the auter.
3 And Balaam said to Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps Jehovah will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell thee. And he went to a bare height.
And Balaam seide to Balaach, Stond thou a litil while bisidis thi brent sacrifice, while Y go, if in hap the Lord meete me; and Y schal `speke to thee what euer thing he schal comaunde.
4 And God met Balaam, and he said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.
And whanne he hadde go swiftli, God cam to hym; and Balaam spak to hym, and seide, Y reiside seuene auteris, and Y puttide a calf and a ram aboue.
5 And Jehovah put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and thus thou shall speak.
Forsothe the Lord `puttide a word in his mouth, and seide, Turne ayen to Balaach, and thou schalt speke these thingis.
6 And he returned to him. And, lo, he was standing by his burnt offering, he, and all the rulers of Moab.
He turnede ayen, and fond Balach stondynge bisidis his brent sacrifice, and alle the princes of Moabitis.
7 And he took up his oracle, and said, From Aram Balak has brought me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East. Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, defy Israel.
And whanne his parable `was takun, he seide, Balaach, the kyng of Moabitis, brouyte me fro Aran, fro the `hillis of the eest; and he seide, Come thou and curse Jacob; haaste thou, and greetli curse thou Israel.
8 How shall I curse, whom God has not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom Jehovah has not defied?
How schal Y curse whom God cursid not? bi what resoun schal Y `haue abhomynable whom God `hath not abhomynable?
9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him. Lo, it is a people that dwells alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
Fro the hiyeste flyntis Y schal se hym, and fro litle hillis Y schal biholde hym; the puple schal dwelle aloone, and it schal not be arettid among hethene men.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!
Who may noumbre the dust, that is, kynrede, of Jacob, and knowe the noumbre of the generacioun of Israel? My lijf die in the deeth of iust men, and my laste thingis be maad lijk hem!
11 And Balak said to Balaam, What have thou done to me? I took thee to curse my enemies, and, behold, thou have blessed them altogether.
And Balaach seide to Balaam, What is this that thou doist? Y clepide thee, that thou schuldist curse myn enemyes, and ayenward thou blessist hem.
12 And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which Jehovah puts in my mouth?
To whom Balaam answeride, Whether Y may speke othir thing no but that that the Lord comaundith?
13 And Balak said to him, Come, I pray thee, with me to another place, from where thou may see them. Thou shall see but the outmost part of them, and shall not see them all, and curse them for me from there.
Therfor Balaach seide to Balaam, Come with me in to anothir place, fro whennus thou se a part of Israel, and mayst not se al; fro thennus curse thou hym.
14 And he took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.
And whanne he hadde led Balaam in to an hiy place, on the cop of the hil of Phasga, he bildide seuene auteris to Balaam, and whanne calues and rammes weren put aboue,
15 And he said to Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet Jehovah yonder.
he seide to Balaach, Stonde here bisidis thi brent sacrifice, while Y go.
16 And Jehovah met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and thus shall thou speak.
And whanne the Lord hadde `come to him, and hadde put `a word in his mouth, he seide, Turne ayen to Balach, and thou schalt seie these thingis to hym.
17 And he came to him. And, lo, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the rulers of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, What has Jehovah spoken?
He turnyde ayen, and foond Balach stondynge bisidis his brent sacrifice, and the princis of Moabitis with hym. To whom Balach seide, What spak the Lord?
18 And he took up his oracle, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear. Hearken to me, thou son of Zippor.
And whanne his parable `was takun, he seide, Stonde, Balach, and herkene; here, thou sone of Sephor. God is not `as a man,
19 God is not a man, that he should lie, neither the son of man, that he should repent. Has he said, and will he not do it? Or has he spoken, and will he not make it good?
that he lye, nethir he is as the sone of a man, that he be chaungid; therfor he seide, and schal he not do? he spak, and schal he not fulfille?
20 Behold, I have received to bless. And he has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
Y am brouyt to blesse, Y may not forbede blessyng.
21 He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither has he seen perverseness in Israel. Jehovah his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.
Noon idol is in Jacob, nethir symylacre is seyn in Israel; his Lord God is with hym, and the sown of victorie of kyng is in hym.
22 God brings them forth out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the wild-ox.
The Lord God ledde hym out of Egipt, whos strengthe is lijk an vnicorn;
23 Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob, neither is there any divination with Israel. Now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What has God wrought!
fals tellyng bi chiteryng of bryddis, `ethir idolatrie, is not in Jacob, nethir fals dyuynyng is in Israel. In his tymes it schal be seide to Jacob and Israel, What the Lord hath wrought!
24 Behold, the people rise up as a lioness, and as a lion he lifts himself up. He shall not lie down until he eats of the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.
Lo! the puple schal rise to gidere as a lionesse, and schal be reisid as a lioun; the lioun schal not reste, til he deuoure prey, and drynke the blood of hem that ben slayn.
25 And Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.
And Balach seide to Balaam, Nether curse thou, nether blesse thou hym.
26 But Balaam answered and said to Balak, Did I not tell thee, saying, All that Jehovah speaks, that I must do?
And he seide, Whether Y seide not to thee, that what euer thing that God comaundide to me, Y wolde do this?
27 And Balak said to Balaam, Come now, I will take thee to another place. Perhaps it will please God that thou may curse them for me from there.
And Balach seide to hym, Come, and Y schal lede thee to an other place, if in hap it plesith God that fro thennus thou curse hym.
28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks down upon the desert.
And whanne Balaach hadde led hym out on the `cop of the hil of Phegor, that biholdith the wildirnesse,
29 And Balaam said to Balak, Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bullocks and seven rams.
Balaam seide to hym, Bilde here seuene auteris to me, and make redi so many caluys, and rammes of the same noumbre.
30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.
Balaach dide as Balaam seide, and he puttide caluys and rammes, bi alle auteris.
