Numbers 23

1 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.”

And Balaam said to Balak, Make me here seven altars and get ready seven oxen and seven male sheep.

2 And when he had acted according to the words of Balaam, they placed a calf and a ram together on each altar.

And Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam made an offering on every altar of an ox and a male sheep.

3 And Balaam said to Balak: “Stand for a little while next to your holocaust, until I go, to see if perhaps the Lord will meet with me. And whatever he will command, I shall speak to you.”

Then Balaam said to Balak, Take your place by your burned offering, and I will go and see if the Lord comes to me: and I will give you word of whatever he says to me. And he went to an open place on a hill.

4 And after he had quickly departed, God met with him. And Balaam, speaking to him, said: “I have set up seven altars, and I have placed a calf and a ram on each.”

And God came to Balaam, and Balaam said to him, I have made ready seven altars, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar.

5 Then the Lord placed the word in his mouth, and he said: “Return to Balak, and you shall say this.”

And the Lord put words in Balaam's mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and this is what you are to say.

6 Returning, he found Balak standing next to his holocaust, with all the leaders of the Moabites.

So he went back to him where he was waiting by his burned offering with all the chiefs of Moab.

7 And taking up his parable, he said: “Balak, king of the Moabites, has led me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. ‘Come forth,’ he said, ‘and curse Jacob. Hurry and condemn Israel.’

And in the words which the Lord had given him he said, From Aram Balak has sent for me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East: come, put curses on Jacob for me and be angry with Israel.

8 How shall I curse him, whom God has not cursed? For what reason would I condemn him, whom the Lord does not condemn?

How may I put curses on him who is not cursed by God? how may I be angry with him with whom the Lord is not angry?

9 I will look upon him from the tops of the stones, and I will consider him from the hills. This people shall dwell alone, and they shall not be counted among the nations.

From the top of the rocks I see him, looking down on him from the hills: it is a people made separate, not to be numbered among the nations.

10 Who can number the dust that is Jacob, and who can know the number of the stock of Israel? May my soul die a just death, and may my end be like theirs.”

Who is able to take the measure of the dust of Jacob or the number of the thousands of Israel? May my death be the death of the upright and my last end like his!

11 And Balak said to Balaam: “What is this that you are doing? I called for you, in order to curse my enemies, and to the contrary, you bless them.”

Then Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I sent for you so that my haters might be cursed, and see, you have given them a blessing.

12 He answered him, “How can I say anything other than what the Lord orders?”

And in answer he said, Am I not ordered to say only what the Lord puts into my mouth?

13 Therefore, Balak said: “Come with me to another place, from where you may see a portion of Israel, though you cannot see them all. Curse them from there.”

And Balak said to him, Come with me now into another place from which you will not be able to see them all, but only the outskirts of them; and you will send curses on them from there.

14 And when he had led him to a lofty place, on the top of mount Pisgah, Balaam built seven altars, and placing upon each a calf and a ram,

So he took him into the country of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and there they made seven altars, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar.

15 he said to Balak, “Stand here next to your holocaust, while I continue on to meet him.”

Then he said to Balak, Take your place here by your burned offering, while I go over there to the Lord.

16 And when the Lord had met him, and had put the word in his mouth, he said, “Return to Balak, and you shall say this to him.”

And the Lord came to Balaam, and put words in his mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and this is what you are to say.

17 Returning, he found him standing next to his holocaust, and the leaders of the Moabites were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

So he came to him where he was waiting by his burned offering with the chiefs of Moab by his side. And Balak said to him, What has the Lord said?

18 But, taking up his parable, he said: “Stand, Balak, and pay attention. Listen, you son of Zippor.

And in the words which the Lord had given him he said, Up! Balak, and give ear; give attention to me, O son of Zippor:

19 God is not like a man, so that he would lie, nor is he like a son of man, so that he would be changed. Therefore, having spoken, will he not act? Has he ever spoken, and not fulfilled?

God is not a man, to say what is false; or the son of man, that his purpose may be changed: what he has said, will he not do? and will he not give effect to the words of his mouth?

20 I was led here to bless, and I have no strength to hinder the blessing.

See, I have had orders to give blessing: and he has given a blessing which I have no power to take away.

21 There is no idol in Jacob; neither is there a false image to be seen in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the resound of royal victory is in him.

He has seen no evil in Jacob or wrongdoing in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the glad cry of a king is among them.

22 God has led him away from Egypt; his strength is like that of the rhinoceros.

It is God who has taken them out of Egypt; his horns are like those of the mountain ox.

23 There is no soothsaying in Jacob, nor any divination in Israel. In their times, it shall be told to Jacob and to Israel what God has wrought.

No evil power has effect against Jacob, no secret arts against Israel; at the right time it will be said of Jacob and of Israel, See what God has done!

24 Behold, the people will rise up like a lioness, and lie down like a lion. But they will not lie down until they devour the prey and drink the blood of the slain.”

See, Israel comes up like a she-lion, lifting himself up like a lion: he will take no rest till he has made a meal of those he has overcome, drinking the blood of those he has put to death.

25 And Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse him, nor bless him.”

Then Balak said to Balaam, If you will not put a curse on them, at all events do not give them a blessing.

26 And he said, “Have I not told you that whatever God would command of me, I would do?”

But Balaam in answer said to Balak, Did I not say to you, I may only do what the Lord says?

27 And Balak said to him: “Come and I will lead you to another place. If perhaps it may please God, then you may curse them from there.”

Then Balak said to Balaam, Come now, I will take you to another place; it may be that God will let you put a curse on them from there.

28 And when he had led him on to the top of mount Peor, which looks out toward the wilderness,

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, looking down over the waste land.

29 Balaam said to him, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.”

And Balaam said to Balak, Make me seven altars here and get seven oxen and seven male sheep ready for me.

30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and he placed on each altar a calf and a ram.

And Balak did as Balaam said, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar.