Numbers 23

1 And Bil'am 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].”

2 And Balak did as Bil'am had spoken; and Balak and Bil'am offered a bullock 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 Bil'am said unto Balak, Place thyself by thy burnt-offering; and I will go, peradventure the Lord will come to meet me, and whatsoever he may show me I will tell thee: and he went thoughtfully alone.

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 Bil'am: and he said unto him, The seven altars have I made ready, and I have offered a bullock and a ram upon 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 the Lord put a word in Bil'am's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou 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 was standing by his burnt-offering, 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, From Aram did Balak send for me, the king of Moab, out of the mountains of the east, 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 denounce, whom God hath not denounced? and how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath 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 rocks I see him, and from hills I behold him: lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone, and among the nations it shall not be reckoned.

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 number the fourth part of Israel? May my soul die the death of the righteous, and may 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 Bil'am, What hast thou done unto me? to denounce my enemies did I take thee, and, behold, thou hast even 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 he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that only which the Lord may 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 thee, with me unto another place, from where thou canst see them; nevertheless a portion of them only wilt thou see, but the whole of them thou wilt not see: and denounce them for me 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 he brought him to the field of the watchmen, on the top of Pisgah, and he 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, Place thyself here by thy burnt-offering, while I will repair to yonder place.

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

16 And the Lord met Bil'am, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou 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 came to him, and, behold, he was standing by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him; and Balak said unto him: What hath 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; bend hither thy ear unto me, 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; nor a son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? and hath he spoken, and shall he not fulfill it?

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, to bless I have received [the word]; and he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

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

21 He hath not beheld any wrong in Jacob, nor hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the glory of the king dwelleth among 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, who brought them out of Egypt, is to them like the heights of the reem.

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

23 For there is no enchantment in Jacob, nor is there any divination in Israel: at the proper time shall it be said to Jacob and to Israel, what God doth work.

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, it is a people, that shall rise up as a lioness, and as a lion shall it raise itself: it will not lie down until it have eaten the prey, and have drunk 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 Bil'am, Neither shalt thou denounce them, nor shalt thou any wise bless them.

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

26 But Bil'am answered and said unto Balak, Have I not spoken unto thee, saying, all that the Lord will speak, that must 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 Balak said unto Bil'am, Come, I pray thee, I will take thee unto another place, peradventure it may be pleasing in the eyes of God that thou mayest denounce them for me 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 Balak took Bil'am unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward the desert.

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

29 And Bil'am 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 Bil'am had said, and he 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.