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 unto Balak: 'Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.'

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 spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.

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.

And Balaam said unto Balak: 'Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go; peradventure the LORD will come to meet me; and whatsoever He showeth me I will tell thee.' And he went to a bare height.

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 met Balaam; and he said unto Him: 'I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram 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 a word in Balaam's mouth, and said: 'Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.'

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

And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt-offering, he, and all the princes 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 he took up his parable, and said: From Aram Balak bringeth me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East: 'Come, curse me Jacob, and come, execrate Israel.'

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

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I execrate, whom the LORD hath not execrated?

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.

For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned 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 hath counted the dust of Jacob, or numbered the stock of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let mine end be 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”;

And Balak said unto Balaam: 'What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.'

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

And he answered and said: 'Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD putteth in 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 unto him: 'Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all; and curse me them from thence.'

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.

And he took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.

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

And he said unto Balak: 'Stand here by thy burnt-offering, while I go toward a meeting yonder.'

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 met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said: 'Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.'

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?”

And he came to him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him: 'What hath the LORD spoken?'

18 And he takes up his allegory and says: “Rise, Balak, and hear; Give ear to me, son of Zippor!

And he took up his parable, and said: Arise, Balak, and hear; give ear unto me, thou 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, that He should lie; neither the son of man, that He should repent: when He hath said, will He not do it? or when He hath spoken, will He not make it good?

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

Behold, I am bidden to bless; and when He hath blessed, I cannot call it back.

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.

None hath beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath one seen perverseness in Israel; the LORD his God is with him, and the shouting for the King is among them.

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

God who brought them forth out of Egypt is for them like the lofty horns of the wild-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!

For there is no enchantment with Jacob, neither is there any divination with Israel; now is it said of Jacob and of Israel: 'What hath God wrought!'

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.”

Behold a people that riseth up as a lioness, and as a lion doth he lift himself up; he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

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

And Balak said unto Balaam: 'Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.'

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

But Balaam answered and said unto Balak: 'Told not I thee, saying: All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?'

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.”

And Balak said unto Balaam: 'Come now, I will take thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.'

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

And Balak took Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh down upon the desert.

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 unto Balak: 'Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.'

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

And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.