Numbers 23

1 And Balaam said to Balac, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven calves, and seven rams.

And Balaam says to Balak, “Build seven altars for me in this [place], and prepare seven bullocks and seven rams for me in this [place].”

2 And Balac did as Balaam told him; and he offered up a calf and a ram on [every] altar.

And Balak does as Balaam has spoken, and Balak—Balaam also—offers a bullock and a ram on the altar,

3 And Balaam said to Balac, Stand by your sacrifice, and I will go and see if God will appear to me and meet me, and the word which he shall show me, I will report to you. And Balac stood by his sacrifice.

and Balaam says to Balak, “Station yourself by your burnt-offering and I go on, it may be YHWH comes to meet me, and the thing which He shows me I have declared to you”; and he goes [to] a high place.

4 And Balaam went to enquire of God; and he went straight forward, and God appeared to Balaam; and Balaam said to him, I have prepared the seven altars, and have offered a calf and a ram on [every] altar.

And God comes to Balaam, and he says to Him, “I have arranged the seven altars, and I offer a bullock and a ram on the altar”;

5 And God put a word into the mouth of Balaam, and said, you shall return to Balac, and thus shall you speak.

and YHWH puts a word in the mouth of Balaam and says, “Return to Balak, and thus you speak.”

6 And he returned to him, and moreover he stood over his whole burnt offerings, and all the princes of Moab with him; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

And he returns to him, and behold, he is standing by his burnt-offering, he and all the princes of Moab.

7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balac king of Moab sent for me out of Mesopotamia, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and Come, call for a curse for me upon Israel.

And he takes up his allegory and says: “Balak king of Moab leads me from Aram; From mountains of the east. Come—curse Jacob for me, And come—be indignant [with] Israel.

8 How can I curse whom the Lord curses not? or how can I devote whom God devotes not?

How do I pierce [when] God has not pierced? And how am I indignant [when] YHWH has not been indignant?

9 For from the top of the mountains I shall see him, and from the hills I shall observe him: behold, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned amongst the nations.

For from the top of rocks I see him, And from heights I behold him; Behold a people! He dwells alone, And does not reckon himself among nations.

10 Who has exactly calculated the seed of Jacob, and who shall number the families of Israel? let my soul die with the souls of the righteous, and let my seed be as their seed.

Who has counted the dust of Jacob, And the number of the fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of upright ones, And let my last end be like his!”

11 And Balac said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I called you to curse my enemies, and behold you have greatly blessed [them].

And Balak says to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I have taken you to pierce my enemies, and behold, you have certainly blessed”;

12 And Balaam said to Balac, Whatsoever the Lord shall put into my mouth, shall I not take heed to speak this?

and he answers and says, “That which YHWH puts in my mouth—do I not take heed to speak it?”

13 And Balac said to him, Come yet with me to another place where you shall not see the people, but only you shall see a part of them, and shall not see them all; and curse me them from thence.

And Balak says to him, “Come! Come to another place with me, from where you see it—you see only its extremity, and you do not see all of it, and pierce it for me there”;

14 And he took him to a high place of the field to the top of the quarried [rock], and he built there seven altars, and offered a calf and a ram on [every] altar.

and he takes him [to] the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and builds seven altars, and offers a bullock and a ram on the altar.

15 And Balaam said to Balac, Stand by your sacrifice, and I will go to enquire of God.

And he says to Balak, “Station yourself here by your burnt-offering, and I meet [Him] there”;

16 And God met Balaam, and put a word into his mouth, and said, return to Balac, and thus shall you speak.

and YHWH comes to Balaam, and sets a word in his mouth, and says, “Return to Balak, and thus you speak.”

17 And he returned to him: and he also was standing by his whole burnt sacrifice, and all the princes of Moab with him; and Balac said to him, What has the Lord spoken?

And he comes to him, and behold, he is standing by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab [are] with him, and Balak says to him: “What has YHWH spoken?”

18 And he took up his parable, and said, rise up, Balac, and hear; listen as a witness, you son of Sepphor.

And he takes up his allegory and says: “Rise, Balak, and hear; Give ear to me, son of Zippor!

19 God is not as man to waver, nor as the son of man to be threatened; shall he say and not perform? shall he speak and not keep [to his word]?

God [is] not a man—and lies, And a son of man—and relents! Has He said—and He does not do [it]? And spoken—and He does not confirm it?

20 Behold, I have received [commandment] to bless: I will bless, and not turn back.

Behold, I have received [only] to bless; Indeed, He blesses, and I cannot reverse it.

21 There shall not be trouble in Jacob, neither shall sorrow be seen in Israel: the Lord his God [is] with him, the glories of rulers [are] in him.

He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, Nor has He seen perverseness in Israel; His God YHWH [is] with him, And a shout of a king [is] in him.

22 It was God who brought him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn.

God is bringing them out from Egypt, As the swiftness of a wild ox for him;

23 For there is no divination in Jacob, nor enchantment in Israel; in season it shall be told to Jacob and Israel what God shall perform.

For no enchantment [is] against Jacob, Nor divination against Israel; At the time it is said of Jacob and Israel, O what God has worked!

24 Behold, the people shall rise up as a lion's whelp, and shall exalt himself as a lion; he shall not lie down till he have eaten the prey, and he shall drink the blood of the slain.

Behold, the people rises as a lioness, And he lifts himself up as a lion; He does not lie down until he eats prey, And drinks blood of pierced ones.”

25 And Balac said to Balaam, Neither curse the people at all for me, nor bless them at all.

And Balak says to Balaam, “Neither pierce it at all, nor bless it at all”;

26 And Balaam answered and said to Balac, Spoke I not to you, saying, Whatsoever thing God shall speak to me, that will I do?

and Balaam answers and says to Balak, “Have I not spoken to you, saying, All that YHWH speaks—I do it?”

27 And Balac said to Balaam, Come [and] I will remove you to another place, if it shall please God, and curse me them from thence.

And Balak says to Balaam, “Please come, I take you to another place; it may be it is right in the eyes of God to pierce it for me from there.”

28 And Balac took Balaam to the top of Phogor, which extends to the wilderness.

And Balak takes Balaam to the top of Peor, which is looking on the front of the wilderness,

29 And Balaam said to Balac, build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven calves, and seven rams.

and Balaam says to Balak, “Build seven altars for me in this [place], and prepare seven bullocks and seven rams for me in this [place]”;

30 And Balac did as Balaam told him, and offered a calf and a ram on [every] altar.

and Balak does as Balaam said, and he offers a bullock and a ram on an altar.