Numbers 23

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

And Bil'am said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.

2 So Balak did as Balaam requested. Then Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on every altar.

And Balak did as Bil'am had spoken; and Balak and Bil'am offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand at your burnt offering and I will go. Perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you.” So he went away to a hilltop with no trees.

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.

4 While he was on the hilltop, God met him, and Balaam said to him, “I have built seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each one.”

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.

5 Yahweh put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, “Return to Balak and speak to him.”

And the Lord put a word in Bil'am's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.

6 So Balaam returned to Balak, who was standing by his burnt offering, and all the leaders of Moab were with him.

And he returned unto him, and, lo, he was standing by his burnt-offering, he, and all the princes of Moab.

7 Then Balaam began to speak his prophecy and said, “Balak has brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. 'Come, curse Jacob for me,' he said. 'Come, defy Israel.'

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.

8 How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I oppose those whom Yahweh does not oppose?

How shall I denounce, whom God hath not denounced? and how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?

9 For from the top of the rocks I see him; from the hills I look at him. See, there is a people who live alone and do not consider themselves as just an ordinary nation.

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.

10 Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even only one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of a righteous person, and let my life's end be like his!”

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!

11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have blessed them.”

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.

12 Balaam answered and said, “Should I not be careful to say only what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”

And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that only which the Lord may put in my mouth?

13 So Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the nearest of them, not all of them. There you will curse them for me.”

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.

14 So he took Balaam into the field of Zophim, to the top of Mount Pisgah, and built seven more altars. He offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

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.

15 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet with Yahweh over there.”

And he said unto Balak, Place thyself here by thy burnt-offering, while I will repair to yonder place.

16 So Yahweh met Balaam and put a message in his mouth. He said, “Return to Balak and give him my message.”

And the Lord met Bil'am, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.

17 Balaam returned to him, and look, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab were with him. Then Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh said?”

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?

18 Balaam began his prophecy. He said, “Rise up, Balak, and hear. Listen to me, you son of Zippor.

And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; bend hither thy ear unto me, son of Zippor!

19 God is not a man, that he should lie, Or a human being, that he should change his mind. Has he promised anything without doing it? Has he said he would do something without carrying it out?

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?

20 Look, I have been commanded to bless. God has given a blessing, and I cannot reverse it.

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

21 He has seen no hardship in Jacob or trouble in Israel. Yahweh their God is with them, and shouts for their king are among them.

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.

22 God brought them out of Egypt with strength like that of a wild ox.

God, who brought them out of Egypt, is to them like the heights of the reem.

23 There is no sorcery that works against Jacob, and no fortune-telling harms Israel. Instead, it must be said about Jacob and Israel, 'Look what God has done!'

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.

24 Look, the people rise like a lioness, as a lion emerges and attacks. He does not lie down until he eats his victim and drinks the blood of what he has killed.”

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.

25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them or bless them at all.”

And Balak said unto Bil'am, Neither shalt thou denounce them, nor shalt thou any wise bless them.

26 But Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you that I must say all that Yahweh tells me to say?”

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.

27 So Balak replied to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God for you to curse them there for me.”

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.

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

And Balak took Bil'am unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward the desert.

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

And Bil'am said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.

30 So Balak did as Balaam had said; he offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

And Balak did as Bil'am had said, and he offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.