Numbers 23

1 Then Balaam told Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.”

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

2 Balak did as Balaam had said, and together they offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

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

3 Balaam said to Balak, “Wait here beside your burnt offering while I go and see if perhaps the Lord will come and meet with me. Whatever he reveals to me, I'll share with you.” Then Balaam left to climb up a rocky crag.

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.

4 God met with him there, and Balaam said. “I have built seven altars and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”

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.

5 The Lord gave Balaam a message to share. He told him, “Go back to Balak and this is what you are to say to him.”

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

6 So he went back to Balak, who was waiting there beside his burnt offering, along with all the Moabite leaders.

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.

7 This is the declaration that Balaam gave: “Balak brought me from Aram; the king of Moab brought me from the mountains of the east. He said, ‘Come and curse Jacob for me! Come and condemn Israel!’

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.

8 But how can I curse what God has not cursed? How can I condemn what the Lord has not condemned?

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

9 For I'm looking down on them from the top of rocky crags; I'm watching them from the hills. I see a people who live on their own, different from the other nations.

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.

10 Who can count Jacob's descendants? They are so many they're like dust! Who can count even a quarter of the Israelites? I would like to die as a good person dies! Let the end of my life be like their end!”

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.

11 Then Balak complained to Balaam, “What on earth have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and now look! All you have done is bless them!”

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].

12 But Balaam replied, “Don't you think I should I say precisely what the Lord tells me?”

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

13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. But you'll only see a part of their camp—you won't see all of them. You can curse them for me from there.”

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.

14 He took him to the field of Zophim at the top of Mount Pisgah. There he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

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.

15 Balaam told Balak, “Wait here beside your burnt offering while I meet the Lord over there.”

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

16 The Lord met Balaam and gave him a message to share. He told him, “Go back to Balak and this is what you are to say to him.”

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

17 So he went back to Balak, who was waiting there beside his burnt offering, along with all the Moabite leaders. “What did the Lord say?” Balak asked.

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?

18 This is the prophecy that Balaam delivered: “Stand up, Balak, and pay attention! Listen to me, son of Zippor!

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

19 God isn't a human being who would lie. He's not a mere mortal who changes his mind. Does he say he's going to do something but doesn't? Does he make promises he doesn't carry out?

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]?

20 Look, I have been ordered to give a blessing. God has blessed, and I can't change that.

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

21 He's not expecting anything bad will happen to Jacob; he doesn't foresee any trouble for Israel. The Lord their God is with them; they celebrate him as their king.

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.

22 God led them out of Egypt with great power, as strong as an ox.

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

23 No spell can be cast against Jacob; no magic can be used against Israel. People will talk about Jacob and Israel, saying, ‘What amazing things God has done for them!’

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.

24 Look! The Israelites go out hunting like a lioness; they chase like a lion. They don't rest until they eat their prey, and drink the blood of their dead victim.”

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.

25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “If you can't give them any curses then at least don't give them any blessings!”

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

26 But Balaam replied, “Didn't I explain to you that I have to do whatever the Lord tells me?”

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

27 “Please come with me and I will take you somewhere else,” Balak said. “Maybe God would let you curse them for me from there.”

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.

28 Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which looks down on the wastelands.

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

29 Balaam told Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.”

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

30 Balak what Balaam told him, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

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