Nomery 23
1 Le hoe t’i Balame amy Balake, mandrafeta kitrely fito etoañe vaho hajario ho ahy ty añombelahy fito naho añondrilahy fito.
Balaam said to King Balak, “Build seven altars for me here. Then kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
2 Le nihenefa’ i Balake i sinaontsi’ i Balamey; le songa nisoroña’ i Balake naho i Balame amy kitrely rey ty añombelahy naho ty añondrilahy.
So Balak did that. And then he and Balaam each burned a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice] on each altar.
3 Le hoe t’i Balame amy Balake, Mijohaña marine o isoroña’oo le hivìke iraho hera hifampikaoñe amako t’Iehovà, le hataliliko azo ze hatoro’e ahiko. Aa le nimb’ an-kaboa mb’eo re.
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 Le nifañaoñe amy Balame t’i Andrianañahare, vaho hoe t’i Balame ama’e. Fa hinajariko ty kitrely fito naho songa nisoroñako añombelahy naho añondrilahy amy kitreli’e rey.
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 Napo’ Iehovà am-palie’ i Balame ao ty tsara, ami’ty hoe, Mibaliha mb’ amy Balake mb’eo le inao ty ho saontsie’o.
Then Yahweh gave Balaam a message to give to King Balak. Then he said, “Go back and tell him what I told you.”
6 Le nibalike mb’ama’e mb’eo re nanjo aze nijohañe marine o nisoroña’eo, ie naho ze hene roandria’ i Moabe.
When Balaam returned to Balak, Balak was standing with the leaders from Moab beside the offerings he had burned [on the altar].
7 Le nonjone’e ami’ ty hoe i fandrazaña’ey: Fa ninday ahy boak’ Arame t’i Balake mpanjaka’ i Moabe; hirik’ amo vohitse atiñanañ’eñeo. Mahavia, Ozoño ho ahiko t’Iakòbe, Mb’etoa onjiro t’Israele!
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 Aa vaho akore ty hamàrako ty tsy nafàn’ Añahare? Vaho akore ty hañonjirako i tsy nonjira’ Iehovày?
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 Ie talakeko boak’ ambone’ vato ey, sinambako hirik’ ankaboañey; Hehe t’indaty mizoizoy, tsy ho volilieñe amo kilakila ‘ndatio!
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 Ia ty mahaiake ty debo’ Iakòbe ndra hamolily ty fah’ efa’ Israele? Apoho iraho hikenkañe am-pihomaha’ o vantañeo, Ehe ampanahafo amy firompoa’ey ty ahiko.
(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 Le hoe t’i Balak’ amy Balame, Ino ty nanoe’o amako? Nendeseko mb’ etoan-drehe hañozoñe o rafelahikoo te mone nitatae’o avao.
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 Le tinoi’e ami’ty hoe, Tsy hambenako hao ty hivolañe ze apo’ Iehovà am-bavako ao?
But Balaam replied, “I can [RHQ] say only what Yahweh tells me to say. I cannot say anything else.”
13 Le hoe t’i Balake tama’e, Antao mb’ an-toetse raike ey hahatalakesa’o aze; ty ila’e avao ro ho oni’o fa tsy ie iaby, le ozoño boak’ ao ho ahiko.
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 Aa le nendese’e mb’an-tete’ i Tsofime mb’eo re ankaboa’ i Pisgà ey naho nañoreñe kitrely fito, vaho nisoroñe añombelahy naho añondrilahy amy kitreli’e rey.
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 Le hoe re amy Balake, Mijohaña etoa marivo o isoroña’oo, le homb’ aroan-draho, hifañaoñe.
Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here close to your burned offerings, while I go and talk with Yahweh.”
16 Nifampikaoñe amy Balame t’Iehovà le nampipoke ty tsara am-palie’e naho nanao ty hoe: Mibaliha mb’amy Balake mb’eo vaho isaontsio izay.
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 Aa le nimb’ ama’e mb’eo vaho nizoe’e nijohañe amy nisoroña’ey rekets’ o roandria’ i Moabeo. Le hoe t’i Balak’ ama’e, Inoñe ty nitsarae’ Iehovà?
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 Aa le nonjone’e ami’ty hoe i razan-tsaontsi’ey: Miongaha ry Balake, mijanjiña! Anokilaño ravembia ry ana’ i Tsipore.
Then Balaam told him this message: “Balak, listen carefully; hear what I have to say, you son of Zippor [DOU]!
19 Tsy ondaty t’i Andrianañahare t’ie handañitse, naho tsy ana’ondaty t’ie haneñeñe. Aa vaho tsy hanoe’e i nitsarae’ey? tsy ho henefe’e hao i nitaroñe’ey?
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 Ingo nanoloran-dily hitata iraho; aa kanao ie ro nitata tsy meteko afotetse.
He commanded me [to request him] to bless [the Israelis], So he has blessed them, and I cannot change that.
21 Tsy nahaoniña’e hakeo t’Iakòbe tsy nahaisaha’e tahiñe t’Israele. Ama’e t’Iehovà Andrianañahare’e, naho ama’e ao ty koim-panjaka.
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 I Andrianañahare nampienga aze amy Mitsraimey, ro tsifan-drimo abo ama’e.
God brought them out of Egypt [where they were slaves]; he is as strong as a wild ox.
23 Toe tsy atreatrem-boreke amy Iakòbe vaho tsy trean-tsikily amy’Israele, Ie henaneo ro tsaraeñe ty am’ Iakòbe naho am’Israele, ty hoe: Heheke ty nanoen’Añahare.
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 Hitroatse hoe liona vave’e ondatio, hiongake hoe liona lahi’e: Tsy handre am-para’ t’ie mihinan-tsindroke vaho minoñe ty lio’ i vinonoy.
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 Le hoe t’i Balak’ amy Balame, Ko ozoñe‘o ka, naho ko itata’o.
Then Balak said to Balaam, “If you will not curse them, then [I certainly] do not [want you to] bless them!”
26 Fe hoe ty navale’ i Balame i Balake, Tsy vinolako hao te ze tsarae’ Iehovà, le tsy mete tsy izay ty hanoeko?
But Balaam replied, “I told you that I must do only what Yahweh tells me to do!”
27 Le hoe t’i Balak’ amy Balame, Antao, fa hendeseko mb’an-toetse raike ka irehe hera ho non’ Añahare ty hañozoñe iareo ho ahiko boake ey.
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 Le nendese’ i Balake mb’ an-dengo’ i Peore, ahatalakesañe mb’ am-patrambey eñe, t’i Balame.
So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor [Mountain] where they could look down [and see the Israelis in] the desert.
29 Le hoe t’i Balame amy Balake, Añoreño kitrely fito ty etoy vaho añajario añombelahy fito naho añondrilahy fito.
Balaam again told Balak, “Build me seven altars again and kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
30 Le nanoe’ i Balake i sinaontsi’ i Balamey vaho songa nisoroña’e an-kitrely ty añombelahy naho ty añondrilahy.
So Balak did what Balaam told him to do. He burned a young bull and a ram on each altar as sacrifices.
