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

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

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

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

And he returns to him, and behold, he is standing by his burnt-offering, he and all the princes 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 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 shall I curse him, whom God has not cursed? For what reason would I condemn him, whom the Lord does not condemn?

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

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.

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 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 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 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.”

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

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

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 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 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,

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

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

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

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?”

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

And he takes up his allegory and says: “Rise, Balak, and hear; Give ear to me, 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—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 I was led here to bless, and I have no strength to hinder the blessing.

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

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

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

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.

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 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.”

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

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

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

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

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.”

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

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

29 Balaam said to him, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of 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 Balak did as Balaam had said, and he placed on each altar a calf and a ram.

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