Numbers 23

1 And Balaam seide to Balaach, Bilde thou here to me seuene auteris, and make redi so many caluys, and rammes of the same noumbre.

And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams.

2 And whanne he hadde do bi the word of Balaam, thei puttiden a calf and a ram to gidere on the auter.

And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on [every] altar a bullock and a ram.

3 And Balaam seide to Balaach, Stond thou a litil while bisidis thi brent sacrifice, while Y go, if in hap the Lord meete me; and Y schal `speke to thee what euer thing he schal comaunde.

And Balaam said to Balak, Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go: it may be the LORD will come to meet me: and whatever he showeth me I will tell thee. And he went to a high place.

4 And whanne he hadde go swiftli, God cam to hym; and Balaam spak to hym, and seide, Y reiside seuene auteris, and Y puttide a calf and a ram aboue.

And God met Balaam: and he said to him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon [every] altar a bullock and a ram.

5 Forsothe the Lord `puttide a word in his mouth, and seide, Turne ayen to Balaach, and thou schalt speke these thingis.

And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.

6 He turnede ayen, and fond Balach stondynge bisidis his brent sacrifice, and alle the princes of Moabitis.

And he returned to him and lo, he stood by his burnt-sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.

7 And whanne his parable `was takun, he seide, Balaach, the kyng of Moabitis, brouyte me fro Aran, fro the `hillis of the eest; and he seide, Come thou and curse Jacob; haaste thou, and greetli curse thou Israel.

And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, [saying], Come, curse Jacob for me, and come, defy Israel.

8 How schal Y curse whom God cursid not? bi what resoun schal Y `haue abhomynable whom God `hath not abhomynable?

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, [whom] the LORD hath not defied?

9 Fro the hiyeste flyntis Y schal se hym, and fro litle hillis Y schal biholde hym; the puple schal dwelle aloone, and it schal not be arettid among hethene men.

For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

10 Who may noumbre the dust, that is, kynrede, of Jacob, and knowe the noumbre of the generacioun of Israel? My lijf die in the deeth of iust men, and my laste thingis be maad lijk hem!

Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth [part] of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his!

11 And Balaach seide to Balaam, What is this that thou doist? Y clepide thee, that thou schuldist curse myn enemyes, and ayenward thou blessist hem.

And Balak said to Balaam, What hast thou done to me? I took thee to curse my enemies, and behold, thou hast blessed [them] altogether.

12 To whom Balaam answeride, Whether Y may speke othir thing no but that that the Lord comaundith?

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

13 Therfor Balaach seide to Balaam, Come with me in to anothir place, fro whennus thou se a part of Israel, and mayst not se al; fro thennus curse thou hym.

And Balak said to him, Come, I pray thee, with me to another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and from thence curse them for me.

14 And whanne he hadde led Balaam in to an hiy place, on the cop of the hil of Phasga, he bildide seuene auteris to Balaam, and whanne calues and rammes weren put aboue,

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

15 he seide to Balaach, Stonde here bisidis thi brent sacrifice, while Y go.

And he said to Balak, Stand here by thy burnt-offering, while I meet [the LORD] yonder.

16 And whanne the Lord hadde `come to him, and hadde put `a word in his mouth, he seide, Turne ayen to Balach, and thou schalt seie these thingis to hym.

And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again to Balak, and say thus.

17 He turnyde ayen, and foond Balach stondynge bisidis his brent sacrifice, and the princis of Moabitis with hym. To whom Balach seide, What spak the Lord?

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

18 And whanne his parable `was takun, he seide, Stonde, Balach, and herkene; here, thou sone of Sephor. God is not `as a man,

And he took up his parable, and said, Rise, Balak, and hear; hearken to me, thou son of Zippor:

19 that he lye, nethir he is as the sone of a man, that he be chaungid; therfor he seide, and schal he not do? he spak, and schal he not fulfille?

God [is] not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do [it]? or hath he spoke, and shall he not make it good?

20 Y am brouyt to blesse, Y may not forbede blessyng.

Behold, I have received [commandment] to bless: and he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

21 Noon idol is in Jacob, nethir symylacre is seyn in Israel; his Lord God is with hym, and the sown of victorie of kyng is in hym.

He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel; the LORD his God [is] with him, and the shout of a king [is] among them.

22 The Lord God ledde hym out of Egipt, whos strengthe is lijk an vnicorn;

God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a unicorn.

23 fals tellyng bi chiteryng of bryddis, `ethir idolatrie, is not in Jacob, nethir fals dyuynyng is in Israel. In his tymes it schal be seide to Jacob and Israel, What the Lord hath wrought!

Surely [there is] no enchantment against Jacob, neither [is there] any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

24 Lo! the puple schal rise to gidere as a lionesse, and schal be reisid as a lioun; the lioun schal not reste, til he deuoure prey, and drynke the blood of hem that ben slayn.

Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he shall eat [of] the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

25 And Balach seide to Balaam, Nether curse thou, nether blesse thou hym.

And Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

26 And he seide, Whether Y seide not to thee, that what euer thing that God comaundide to me, Y wolde do this?

But Balaam answered and said to Balak, Did I not tell thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?

27 And Balach seide to hym, Come, and Y schal lede thee to an other place, if in hap it plesith God that fro thennus thou curse hym.

And Balak said to Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee to another place; perhaps it will please God that thou mayest from thence curse them for me.

28 And whanne Balaach hadde led hym out on the `cop of the hil of Phegor, that biholdith the wildirnesse,

And Balak brought Balaam to the top of Peor, that looketh towards Jeshimon.

29 Balaam seide to hym, Bilde here seuene auteris to me, and make redi so many caluys, and rammes of the same noumbre.

And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.

30 Balaach dide as Balaam seide, and he puttide caluys and rammes, bi alle auteris.

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