< Numbers 23 >
1 Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me and prepare seven bulls and seven rams.”
Nake Balamu akĩĩra Balaki atĩrĩ, “Njakĩra igongona mũgwanja haha, na ũhaarĩrie ndegwa mũgwanja na ndũrũme mũgwanja.”
2 So Balak did as Balaam requested. Then Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on every altar.
Balaki agĩĩka o ũrĩa Balamu oigĩte, na igũrũ rĩa o kĩgongona-inĩ makarutĩra igongona rĩa ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.
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.
Ningĩ Balamu akĩĩra Balaki atĩrĩ, “Wee ikara haha hakuhĩ na iruta rĩaku nyambe thiĩ keheri-inĩ. Hihi Jehova nĩegũũka acemanie na niĩ. Ũndũ ũrĩa wothe ekũnguũrĩria nĩngũkwĩra.” Nake agĩthiĩ handũ hatheri hatũũgĩru.
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.”
Ngai agĩcemania nake hau, nake Balamu akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Nĩhaarĩirie igongona mũgwanja, na o kĩgongona-inĩ ngaruta ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.”
5 Yahweh put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, “Return to Balak and speak to him.”
Nake Jehova agĩĩkĩra ndũmĩrĩri yake kanua ka Balamu, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Cooka kũrĩ Balaki ũmũhe ndũmĩrĩri ĩno.”
6 So Balaam returned to Balak, who was standing by his burnt offering, and all the leaders of Moab were with him.
Tondũ ũcio Balamu agĩcooka kũrĩ Balaki, akĩmũkora arũngiĩ hakuhĩ na igongona rĩake, marĩ hamwe na anene othe a Moabi.
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.'
Nake Balamu akĩaria ndũmĩrĩri yake, akiuga atĩrĩ: “Balaki andehithĩtie kuuma bũrũri wa Aramu, mũthamaki wa Moabi akanduta kuuma irĩma-inĩ cia mwena wa irathĩro. Akoiga atĩrĩ, ‘Ũka ũnumĩre Jakubu; ũka ũthitange Isiraeli.’
8 How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I oppose those whom Yahweh does not oppose?
Ndaakĩhota atĩa kũruma arĩa Ngai atarumĩte? Ndaakĩhota atĩa gũthitanga arĩa Jehova atathitangĩte?
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.
Kuuma tũcũmbĩrĩ twa ndwaro cia mahiga nĩndĩramoona, kuuma kũrĩa gũtũũgĩru nĩndĩramoona. Ndĩrona andũ matũũraga meikarĩtie, nao matiĩtaraga atĩ o nĩ amwe a ndũrĩrĩ.
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!”
Nũũ ũngĩhota gũtara rũkũngũ rwa Jakubu, kana atare gĩcunjĩ kĩa inya kĩa Isiraeli? Rekei ngue gĩkuũ kĩa arĩa athingu, na marigĩrĩrio makwa-rĩ, marotuĩka ta mao!”
11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have blessed them.”
Balaki akĩũria Balamu atĩrĩ, “Wanjĩka atĩa? Ngũrehire ũnumĩre thũ ciakwa, no ndũrĩ ũreka ũndũ o tiga kũmarathima!”
12 Balaam answered and said, “Should I not be careful to say only what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”
Balamu akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Githĩ ndiagĩrĩirwo njarie o kĩrĩa Jehova ekĩrĩte kanua-inĩ gakwa?”
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.”
Ningĩ Balaki akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Ũka tũthiĩ nawe handũ hangĩ harĩa ũkũmoona; ũkũmoona o gĩcunjĩ kĩmwe kĩao, no ti othe hamwe. Na ũrĩ hau ũnumĩre andũ acio.”
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.
Nĩ ũndũ ũcio akĩmũtwara gĩthaka-inĩ gĩa Zofimu, gacũmbĩrĩ ga Kĩrĩma kĩa Pisiga, naho hau agĩaka igongona mũgwanja, na o kĩgongona-inĩ agĩthĩnjĩra ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.
15 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet with Yahweh over there.”
Balamu akĩĩra Balaki atĩrĩ, “Wee ikara haha hakuhĩ na iruta rĩaku nyambe thiĩ ngacemanie nake haarĩa.”
16 So Yahweh met Balaam and put a message in his mouth. He said, “Return to Balak and give him my message.”
Jehova agĩcemania na Balamu, agĩĩkĩra ndũmĩrĩri kanua gake, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Cooka kũrĩ Balaki ũmũhe ndũmĩrĩri ĩno.”
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?”
Tondũ ũcio Balamu agĩcooka kũrĩ Balaki na akĩmũkora arũngiĩ hakuhĩ na iruta rĩake, marĩ hamwe na anene a Moabi. Balaki akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Jehova oiga atĩa?”
18 Balaam began his prophecy. He said, “Rise up, Balak, and hear. Listen to me, you son of Zippor.
Balamu agĩcooka akĩaria ndũmĩrĩri yake, akiuga atĩrĩ: “Arahũka, wee Balaki na ũigue; Thikĩrĩria, wee mũrũ wa Ziporu.
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?
Ngai ti mũndũ, atĩ nĩguo aheenanie, o na ti mũrũ wa mũndũ, atĩ nĩguo ericũkwo. No oige ũndũ na ndawĩĩke? No eranĩre ũndũ na ndaũhingie?
20 Look, I have been commanded to bless. God has given a blessing, and I cannot reverse it.
Niĩ njathĩtwo ndathimane; nake arathimanĩte-rĩ, ndingĩhota kũgarũra ũndũ ũcio.
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.
“Gũtirĩ mũtino wonekete harĩ Jakubu, gũtirĩ ihooru rĩonetwo thĩinĩ wa Isiraeli. Jehova Ngai wao arĩ hamwe nao; kayũ ka mũthamaki karĩ thĩinĩ wao.
22 God brought them out of Egypt with strength like that of a wild ox.
Ngai nĩamarutire bũrũri wa Misiri; marĩ na hinya o ta ndegwa ya gĩthaka.
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!'
Gũtirĩ ũrogi ũngĩũraga Jakubu, gũtirĩ ũragũri ũngĩthũkia Isiraeli. Rĩu ha ũhoro wa Jakubu na wa Isiraeli kũrĩĩranagwo atĩrĩ, ‘Ta kĩonei ũrĩa Ngai ekĩte!’
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.”
Andũ acio maarahũkaga ta mũrũũthi wa nga; mookagĩra ta mũrũũthi wa njamba, ũrĩa ũtangĩhurũka ũtarĩĩte kĩrĩa ũnyiitĩte, na ũkanyua thakame ya kĩrĩa ũragĩte.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them or bless them at all.”
Ningĩ Balaki akĩĩra Balamu atĩrĩ, “Ndũkamarume o na atĩa, na ndũkamarathime o na atĩa!”
26 But Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you that I must say all that Yahweh tells me to say?”
Balamu akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Githĩ ndiakwĩrire no nginya njĩke ũrĩa wothe Jehova oigĩte?”
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.”
Ningĩ Balaki akĩĩra Balamu atĩrĩ, “Ũka tũthiĩ ngũtware handũ hangĩ. Hihi Ngai no agwĩtĩkĩrie ũnumĩre andũ aya ũrĩ hau.”
28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which looks down on the wilderness.
Balaki akĩoya Balamu akĩmũtwara kĩrĩma igũrũ kĩa Peoru, kũngʼethera Werũ ũrĩa ũtarĩ kĩndũ.
29 Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams.”
Nake Balamu akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Njakĩra igongona mũgwanja haha, na ũhaarĩrie ndegwa mũgwanja na ndũrũme mũgwanja.”
30 So Balak did as Balaam had said; he offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.
Balaki agĩĩka o ta ũrĩa Balamu oigĩte, na o kĩgongona-inĩ agĩthĩnjĩra ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.