Ndari 23
1 Nake Balamu akĩĩra Balaki atĩrĩ, “Njakĩra igongona mũgwanja haha, na ũhaarĩrie ndegwa mũgwanja na ndũrũme mũgwanja.”
Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”
2 Balaki agĩĩka o ũrĩa Balamu oigĩte, na igũrũ rĩa o kĩgongona-inĩ makarutĩra igongona rĩa ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.
So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 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.
“Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.” So Balaam went off to a barren height,
4 Ngai agĩcemania nake hau, nake Balamu akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Nĩhaarĩirie igongona mũgwanja, na o kĩgongona-inĩ ngaruta ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.”
and God met with him. “I have set up seven altars,” Balaam said, “and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
5 Nake Jehova agĩĩkĩra ndũmĩrĩri yake kanua ka Balamu, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Cooka kũrĩ Balaki ũmũhe ndũmĩrĩri ĩno.”
Then the LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this message.”
6 Tondũ ũcio Balamu agĩcooka kũrĩ Balaki, akĩmũkora arũngiĩ hakuhĩ na igongona rĩake, marĩ hamwe na anene othe a Moabi.
So he returned to Balak, who was standing there beside his burnt offering, with all the princes of Moab.
7 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.’
And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the mountains of the east. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me; come and denounce Israel!’
8 Ndaakĩhota atĩa kũruma arĩa Ngai atarumĩte? Ndaakĩhota atĩa gũthitanga arĩa Jehova atathitangĩte?
How can I curse what God has not cursed? How can I denounce what the LORD has not denounced?
9 Kuuma tũcũmbĩrĩ twa ndwaro cia mahiga nĩndĩramoona, kuuma kũrĩa gũtũũgĩru nĩndĩramoona. Ndĩrona andũ matũũraga meikarĩtie, nao matiĩtaraga atĩ o nĩ amwe a ndũrĩrĩ.
For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.
10 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!”
Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous; let my end be like theirs!”
11 Balaki akĩũria Balamu atĩrĩ, “Wanjĩka atĩa? Ngũrehire ũnumĩre thũ ciakwa, no ndũrĩ ũreka ũndũ o tiga kũmarathima!”
Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!”
12 Balamu akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Githĩ ndiagĩrĩirwo njarie o kĩrĩa Jehova ekĩrĩte kanua-inĩ gakwa?”
But Balaam replied, “Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
13 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.”
Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.”
14 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.
So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Balamu akĩĩra Balaki atĩrĩ, “Wee ikara haha hakuhĩ na iruta rĩaku nyambe thiĩ ngacemanie nake haarĩa.”
Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.”
16 Jehova agĩcemania na Balamu, agĩĩkĩra ndũmĩrĩri kanua gake, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Cooka kũrĩ Balaki ũmũhe ndũmĩrĩri ĩno.”
And the LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and speak what I tell you.”
17 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?”
So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Moab. “What did the LORD say?” Balak asked.
18 Balamu agĩcooka akĩaria ndũmĩrĩri yake, akiuga atĩrĩ: “Arahũka, wee Balaki na ũigue; Thikĩrĩria, wee mũrũ wa Ziporu.
Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Arise, O Balak, and listen; give ear to me, O son of Zippor.
19 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?
God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
20 Niĩ njathĩtwo ndathimane; nake arathimanĩte-rĩ, ndingĩhota kũgarũra ũndũ ũcio.
I have indeed received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.
21 “Gũtirĩ mũtino wonekete harĩ Jakubu, gũtirĩ ihooru rĩonetwo thĩinĩ wa Isiraeli. Jehova Ngai wao arĩ hamwe nao; kayũ ka mũthamaki karĩ thĩinĩ wao.
He considers no disaster for Jacob; He sees no trouble for Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of the King is among them.
22 Ngai nĩamarutire bũrũri wa Misiri; marĩ na hinya o ta ndegwa ya gĩthaka.
God brought them out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox.
23 Gũtirĩ ũrogi ũngĩũraga Jakubu, gũtirĩ ũragũri ũngĩthũkia Isiraeli. Rĩu ha ũhoro wa Jakubu na wa Isiraeli kũrĩĩranagwo atĩrĩ, ‘Ta kĩonei ũrĩa Ngai ekĩte!’
For there is no spell against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’
24 Andũ acio maarahũkaga ta mũrũũthi wa nga; mookagĩra ta mũrũũthi wa njamba, ũrĩa ũtangĩhurũka ũtarĩĩte kĩrĩa ũnyiitĩte, na ũkanyua thakame ya kĩrĩa ũragĩte.”
Behold, the people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion, not resting until they devour their prey and drink the blood of the slain.”
25 Ningĩ Balaki akĩĩra Balamu atĩrĩ, “Ndũkamarume o na atĩa, na ndũkamarathime o na atĩa!”
Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26 Balamu akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Githĩ ndiakwĩrire no nginya njĩke ũrĩa wothe Jehova oigĩte?”
But Balaam replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?”
27 Ningĩ Balaki akĩĩra Balamu atĩrĩ, “Ũka tũthiĩ ngũtware handũ hangĩ. Hihi Ngai no agwĩtĩkĩrie ũnumĩre andũ aya ũrĩ hau.”
“Please come,” said Balak, “I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you curse them for me from there.”
28 Balaki akĩoya Balamu akĩmũtwara kĩrĩma igũrũ kĩa Peoru, kũngʼethera Werũ ũrĩa ũtarĩ kĩndũ.
And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.
29 Nake Balamu akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Njakĩra igongona mũgwanja haha, na ũhaarĩrie ndegwa mũgwanja na ndũrũme mũgwanja.”
Then Balaam said, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”
30 Balaki agĩĩka o ta ũrĩa Balamu oigĩte, na o kĩgongona-inĩ agĩthĩnjĩra ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.
So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
