Numbers 23

1 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen 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 Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.

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

3 And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go: possibly the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he shows me I will tell you. And he went to an high place.

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 God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.

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 the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus you shall speak.

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

6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.

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, Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob, and come, defy 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, whom God has not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD has not defied?

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 rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned 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 count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!

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 unto Balaam, What have you done unto me? I took you to curse mine enemies, and, behold, you have blessed them altogether.

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 he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD has put in my mouth?

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

13 And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray you, with me unto another place, from whence you may see them: you shall see but the utmost 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 brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock 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 he said unto Balak, Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder.

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

16 And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.

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

17 And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto 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, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, 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 a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: has he said, and shall he not do it? or has he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

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: and he has blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

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

21 He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither has he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.

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 brought them out of Egypt; he has as it were the strength of an unicorn (ox).

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

23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What has God 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 shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of 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 unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

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

26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I you, saying, All that the LORD speaks, that I must 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 unto Balaam, Come, I pray you, I will bring you unto another place; possibly it will please God that you may 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 Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looks toward Jeshimon.

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

29 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks 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 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

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