Ndari 23
1 Nake Balamu akĩĩra Balaki atĩrĩ, “Njakĩra igongona mũgwanja haha, na ũhaarĩrie ndegwa mũgwanja na ndũrũme mũgwanja.”
Balaam said to King Balak, “Build seven altars for me here. Then kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
2 Balaki agĩĩka o ũrĩa Balamu oigĩte, na igũrũ rĩa o kĩgongona-inĩ makarutĩra igongona rĩa ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.
So Balak did that. And then he and Balaam each burned a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice] 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.
Then Balaam said to Balak, “You stand here close to your burned offerings, and I will go and ask Yahweh if he has something else to tell me. Then I will tell you what he says to me.” Then Balaam went by himself to the top of a hill,
4 Ngai agĩcemania nake hau, nake Balamu akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Nĩhaarĩirie igongona mũgwanja, na o kĩgongona-inĩ ngaruta ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.”
and God appeared to him there. Balaam said to him, “We have built seven altars, and I have killed and burned a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice to you] on each altar.”
5 Nake Jehova agĩĩkĩra ndũmĩrĩri yake kanua ka Balamu, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Cooka kũrĩ Balaki ũmũhe ndũmĩrĩri ĩno.”
Then Yahweh gave Balaam a message to give to King Balak. Then he said, “Go back and tell him what I told you.”
6 Tondũ ũcio Balamu agĩcooka kũrĩ Balaki, akĩmũkora arũngiĩ hakuhĩ na igongona rĩake, marĩ hamwe na anene othe a Moabi.
When Balaam returned to Balak, Balak was standing with the leaders from Moab beside the offerings he had burned [on the altar].
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.’
This is the message that Balaam told them: “Balak, the King of Moab, summoned me to come here from Syria; he brought me here from the hills at the eastern side of Syria. He said, ‘Come and curse the descendants of Jacob for me, saying that bad things will happen to these Israeli people!’
8 Ndaakĩhota atĩa kũruma arĩa Ngai atarumĩte? Ndaakĩhota atĩa gũthitanga arĩa Jehova atathitangĩte?
But (how can I curse people whom God has not cursed?/I certainly cannot curse people whom God has not cursed!) [RHQ] (How can I condemn people whom Yahweh has not condemned?/I cannot condemn people whom Yahweh has not condemned!) [RHQ]
9 Kuuma tũcũmbĩrĩ twa ndwaro cia mahiga nĩndĩramoona, kuuma kũrĩa gũtũũgĩru nĩndĩramoona. Ndĩrona andũ matũũraga meikarĩtie, nao matiĩtaraga atĩ o nĩ amwe a ndũrĩrĩ.
I have seen them from the tops of the rocky peaks. I see that they are a group of people who live by themselves; they have separated themselves from other 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 descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of (dust/dirt)?/No one can count the descendants of Jacob; they are as numerous as particles of (dust/dirt)!) [RHQ] (Who can count even a quarter of the Israeli people?/No one can count even a quarter of the Israeli people!) [RHQ] I wish/hope that I will die like righteous people die; I hope that I will die [peacefully] like they will die.”
11 Balaki akĩũria Balamu atĩrĩ, “Wanjĩka atĩa? Ngũrehire ũnumĩre thũ ciakwa, no ndũrĩ ũreka ũndũ o tiga kũmarathima!”
Then Balak said, “What have you done to me [RHQ]? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but instead you have (blessed them/asked Yahweh to bless them)!”
12 Balamu akĩmũũria atĩrĩ, “Githĩ ndiagĩrĩirwo njarie o kĩrĩa Jehova ekĩrĩte kanua-inĩ gakwa?”
But Balaam replied, “I can [RHQ] say only what Yahweh tells me to say. I cannot say anything else.”
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 King Balak told Balaam, “Come with me to another place. There you will see only part of the Israeli people, and you will be able to curse those people 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 Balaam to a field on the top of Pisgah [Mountain]. There, again he built seven altars and offered a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice] on each altar.
15 Balamu akĩĩra Balaki atĩrĩ, “Wee ikara haha hakuhĩ na iruta rĩaku nyambe thiĩ ngacemanie nake haarĩa.”
Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here close to your burned offerings, while I go and talk with Yahweh.”
16 Jehova agĩcemania na Balamu, agĩĩkĩra ndũmĩrĩri kanua gake, akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Cooka kũrĩ Balaki ũmũhe ndũmĩrĩri ĩno.”
So Balaam did that, and Yahweh appeared to Balaam again and gave him another message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and tell him that message.”
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 Balaam returned to where the king and the leaders from Moab were standing, next to the altar where Balak had burned the sacrifices. Balak asked him, “What did Yahweh say?”
18 Balamu agĩcooka akĩaria ndũmĩrĩri yake, akiuga atĩrĩ: “Arahũka, wee Balaki na ũigue; Thikĩrĩria, wee mũrũ wa Ziporu.
Then Balaam told him this message: “Balak, listen carefully; hear what I have to say, you son of Zippor [DOU]!
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 human being. Humans lie, but God never lies. He never changes his mind/thoughts, as humans do. Whatever he has said that he will do, he does.
20 Niĩ njathĩtwo ndathimane; nake arathimanĩte-rĩ, ndingĩhota kũgarũra ũndũ ũcio.
He commanded me [to request him] to bless [the Israelis], So he has blessed them, and I cannot change that.
21 “Gũtirĩ mũtino wonekete harĩ Jakubu, gũtirĩ ihooru rĩonetwo thĩinĩ wa Isiraeli. Jehova Ngai wao arĩ hamwe nao; kayũ ka mũthamaki karĩ thĩinĩ wao.
Yahweh their God is with/helping them; they have declared that he is their true king. So the descendants of Jacob will not be harmed; they will not have any troubles [DOU].
22 Ngai nĩamarutire bũrũri wa Misiri; marĩ na hinya o ta ndegwa ya gĩthaka.
God brought them out of Egypt [where they were slaves]; he is as strong as 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!’
When people curse [PRS] the descendants of Jacob, they will not be harmed; when people work sorcery on them, it will have no power. So now people will say about the descendants of Jacob, ‘God has done wonderful things for the Israelis!’
24 Andũ acio maarahũkaga ta mũrũũthi wa nga; mookagĩra ta mũrũũthi wa njamba, ũrĩa ũtangĩhurũka ũtarĩĩte kĩrĩa ũnyiitĩte, na ũkanyua thakame ya kĩrĩa ũragĩte.”
They are very strong, like lionesses that are ready to attack [other animals]; they stand firm like lions. The lions refuse to rest until they have [killed and] eaten their prey, and drunk the blood of the animals they slaughtered.”
25 Ningĩ Balaki akĩĩra Balamu atĩrĩ, “Ndũkamarume o na atĩa, na ndũkamarathime o na atĩa!”
Then Balak said to Balaam, “If you will not curse them, then [I certainly] do not [want you to] bless them!”
26 Balamu akĩmũcookeria atĩrĩ, “Githĩ ndiakwĩrire no nginya njĩke ũrĩa wothe Jehova oigĩte?”
But Balaam replied, “I told you that I must do only what Yahweh tells me to do!”
27 Ningĩ Balaki akĩĩra Balamu atĩrĩ, “Ũka tũthiĩ ngũtware handũ hangĩ. Hihi Ngai no agwĩtĩkĩrie ũnumĩre andũ aya ũrĩ hau.”
Then King Balak said to Balaam, “Come with me; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to allow you to curse them from that place.”
28 Balaki akĩoya Balamu akĩmũtwara kĩrĩma igũrũ kĩa Peoru, kũngʼethera Werũ ũrĩa ũtarĩ kĩndũ.
So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor [Mountain] where they could look down [and see the Israelis in] the desert.
29 Nake Balamu akĩmwĩra atĩrĩ, “Njakĩra igongona mũgwanja haha, na ũhaarĩrie ndegwa mũgwanja na ndũrũme mũgwanja.”
Balaam again told Balak, “Build me seven altars again and kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
30 Balaki agĩĩka o ta ũrĩa Balamu oigĩte, na o kĩgongona-inĩ agĩthĩnjĩra ndegwa ĩmwe na ndũrũme ĩmwe.
So Balak did what Balaam told him to do. He burned a young bull and a ram on each altar as sacrifices.
