Numbers 23

1 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].”

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

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

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 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”;

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

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

6 And he returns to him, and behold, he is standing by his burnt-offering, he and all the princes of Moab.

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

7 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.

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

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 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.

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 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!”

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 says to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I have taken you to pierce my enemies, and behold, you have certainly blessed”;

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

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

13 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”;

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 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.

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

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

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

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 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?”

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 And he takes up his allegory and says: “Rise, Balak, and hear; Give ear to me, 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 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?

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

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

21 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.

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

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

23 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!

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 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.”

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

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

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

27 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.”

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

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

29 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]”;

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

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

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