Nomipā 23
1 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Pelami kia Pelaki, “Fokotuʻu moʻoku ʻi heni ʻae feilaulauʻanga ʻe fitu, pea teuteu mai ʻi heni ʻae fanga pulu ʻe fitu, mo e sipitangata ʻe fitu.”
And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.”
2 Pea naʻe fai ʻe Pelaki ʻo hangē ko e lea ʻa Pelami; pea naʻe feilaulau ʻaki ʻe Pelaki mo Pelami ha pulu mo e sipitangata ʻi he feilaulauʻanga taki taha.
And when he had acted according to the words of Balaam, they placed a calf and a ram together on each altar.
3 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Pelami kia Pelaki, “Tuʻu ke ofi ki hoʻo feilaulau tutu, ka teu ʻalu: heiʻilo ʻe hāʻele mai ʻa Sihova ke ma fetaulaki mo au, pea ko ia te ne fakahā kiate au te u tala kiate koe.” Pea naʻe ʻalu ia ki he potu māʻolunga.
And Balaam said to Balak: “Stand for a little while next to your holocaust, until I go, to see if perhaps the Lord will meet with me. And whatever he will command, I shall speak to you.”
4 Pea naʻe fetaulaki ʻae ʻOtua mo Pelami: pea naʻa ne pehē kiate ia, “Kuo u teuteu ʻae feilaulauʻanga ʻe fitu, pea kuo u feilaulau ʻaki ai taki taha ʻae pulu mo e sipitangata.”
And after he had quickly departed, God met with him. And Balaam, speaking to him, said: “I have set up seven altars, and I have placed a calf and a ram on each.”
5 Pea naʻe tuku ʻe Sihova ʻae lea ki he ngutu ʻo Pelami, ʻo ne pehē, “Ke ke foki kia Pelaki, mo ke pehē kiate ia.”
Then the Lord placed the word in his mouth, and he said: “Return to Balak, and you shall say this.”
6 Pea naʻa ne foki kiate ia, pea vakai, naʻe tuʻu ia ʻi heʻene feilaulau tutu, ʻa ia, pea mo e houʻeiki kotoa pē ʻo Moape.
Returning, he found Balak standing next to his holocaust, with all the leaders of the Moabites.
7 Pea naʻa ne fai atu ʻa ʻene lea fakatātā, ʻo pehē, “Ko Pelaki ko e tuʻi ʻo Moape kuo ne ʻomi au mei ʻElami, mei he ngaahi moʻunga ʻo hahake, ʻo ne pehē, ‘Haʻu, ke ke fakamalaʻiaʻi maʻaku ʻa Sēkope, pea ke tukitalaʻi ʻa ʻIsileli.’
And taking up his parable, he said: “Balak, king of the Moabites, has led me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. ‘Come forth,’ he said, ‘and curse Jacob. Hurry and condemn Israel.’
8 “Te u fakamalaʻiaʻi fēfē, ʻakinautolu ʻoku ʻikai fakamalaʻia ʻe he ʻOtua? Pea te u tukitalaʻi fēfē, ʻakinautolu ʻoku ʻikai tukitalaʻi ʻe he ʻOtua?
How shall I curse him, whom God has not cursed? For what reason would I condemn him, whom the Lord does not condemn?
9 He ʻoku ou mamata kiate ia mei he tumutumu ʻoe ngaahi maka, pea ʻoku ou sio kiate ia mei he moʻunga: vakai, ʻe nofo kehe ʻae kakai, ʻe ʻikai lau ia fakataha mo e ngaahi puleʻanga.
I will look upon him from the tops of the stones, and I will consider him from the hills. This people shall dwell alone, and they shall not be counted among the nations.
10 Ko hai te ne faʻa lau ʻae efu ʻo Sēkope, mo e lau ʻa hono vahe fā ʻo ʻIsileli? Tuku ke u mate au ʻi he mate ʻae māʻoniʻoni, pea tatau hoku ikuʻanga mo hono ikuʻanga.”
Who can number the dust that is Jacob, and who can know the number of the stock of Israel? May my soul die a just death, and may my end be like theirs.”
11 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Pelaki kia Pelami, “Ko e hā kuo ke fai kiate au? Ne u ʻomi ko e ke ke tukitalaʻi hoku ngaahi fili, pea tā ʻoku ke tāpuakiʻi ʻakinautolu.”
And Balak said to Balaam: “What is this that you are doing? I called for you, in order to curse my enemies, and to the contrary, you bless them.”
12 Pea naʻe lea ia ʻo pehē, “ʻIkai ʻoku totonu ʻeku tokanga ke lea ʻaki ʻaia kuo ʻai ʻe Sihova ki hoku ngutu?”
He answered him, “How can I say anything other than what the Lord orders?”
13 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Pelaki kiate ia, “ʻOku ou kole atu kiate koe, Haʻu, ke ta ō ki ha potu kehe, pea te ke mamata mei ai kiate kinautolu: te ke mamata pe ki heʻenau mui nofo, ka ʻe ʻikai te ke mamata kiate kinautolu kotoa pē: pea te ke tukitalaʻi ʻakinautolu mei ai maʻaku.”
Therefore, Balak said: “Come with me to another place, from where you may see a portion of Israel, though you cannot see them all. Curse them from there.”
14 Pea naʻa ne ʻomi ia ki he ngoue ʻo Sofimi, ki he tumutumu ʻo Pisika, pea naʻe fokotuʻu ai ʻae feilaulauʻanga ʻe fitu, pea naʻe feilaulau ʻaki ʻi ai taki taha ʻae pulu mo e sipitangata.
And when he had led him to a lofty place, on the top of mount Pisgah, Balaam built seven altars, and placing upon each a calf and a ram,
15 Pea naʻa ne pehē kia Pelaki, “Tuʻu ke ofi ki hoʻo feilaulau tutu, lolotonga ʻa ʻeku ʻalu ki he potu na ke ma fetaulaki.”
he said to Balak, “Stand here next to your holocaust, while I continue on to meet him.”
16 Pea naʻe fetaulaki ʻa Sihova mo Pelami, pea naʻe tuku ʻe ia ʻae lea ki hono ngutu, ʻo pehē, “Ke ke toe ʻalu kia Pelaki, mo ke lea pehē.”
And when the Lord had met him, and had put the word in his mouth, he said, “Return to Balak, and you shall say this to him.”
17 Pea ʻi heʻene haʻu ia kiate ia, vakai, naʻe tuʻu ia ʻi heʻene feilaulau tutu, fakataha mo e houʻeiki ʻo Moape. Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Pelaki kiate ia,
Returning, he found him standing next to his holocaust, and the leaders of the Moabites were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”
18 Pea naʻa ne fai atu ʻa ʻene lea fakatātā, ʻo pehē, “Pelaki, tuʻu hake ʻo fanongo; tokanga mai kiate au, ʻa koe ko e foha ʻo Sipoa:
But, taking up his parable, he said: “Stand, Balak, and pay attention. Listen, you son of Zippor.
19 ʻOku ʻikai ko ha tangata ʻae ʻOtua, ke loi ia; pe ko e foha ʻoe tangata, koeʻuhi ke fakatomala ia: kuo ne folofola, pea ʻikai ʻe fai ʻe ia ki ai? Pea kuo lea ia, pea ʻikai ʻe fakamoʻoni ia ki ai?
God is not like a man, so that he would lie, nor is he like a son of man, so that he would be changed. Therefore, having spoken, will he not act? Has he ever spoken, and not fulfilled?
20 Vakai, ne u maʻu ʻae fekau ke tāpuaki: pea kuo ne fakamonūʻiaʻi; pea ʻe ʻikai te u faʻa fakakehe ia.
I was led here to bless, and I have no strength to hinder the blessing.
21 Naʻe ʻikai te ne ʻafioʻi ha angahala ʻia Sēkope, pea naʻe ʻikai te ne ʻafioʻi ha angatuʻu ʻia ʻIsileli: ʻoku ʻiate ia ʻa Sihova ko hono ʻOtua, pea ʻoku ʻiate kinautolu ʻae mavava ki he tuʻi.
There is no idol in Jacob; neither is there a false image to be seen in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the resound of royal victory is in him.
22 Naʻe ʻomi ʻakinautolu ʻe he ʻOtua mei ʻIsipite; ʻoku ʻiate ia ʻae mālohi ʻoe ʻiunikoni.
God has led him away from Egypt; his strength is like that of the rhinoceros.
23 Ko e moʻoni ʻoku ʻikai ha tukitala kia Sēkope, pea ʻoku ʻikai ha fakasausau kia ʻIsileli: pea ko e lea ʻe fai ʻi he kuonga ni ʻia Sēkope mo ʻIsileli, ‘Vakai ki he meʻa kuo fai ʻe he ʻOtua!’
There is no soothsaying in Jacob, nor any divination in Israel. In their times, it shall be told to Jacob and to Israel what God has wrought.
24 Vakai, ʻe tuʻu hake ʻae kakai ʻo hangē ko e laione lahi, pea ʻe hiki hake ia ʻo hangē ko e laione mui: ʻe ʻikai toe tokoto ia kaeʻoua ke ne kai ʻae koloa, pea inu ʻae toto ʻoe tāmateʻi.”
Behold, the people will rise up like a lioness, and lie down like a lion. But they will not lie down until they devour the prey and drink the blood of the slain.”
25 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Pelaki kia Pelami, “ʻOua ʻaupito naʻa ke fakamalaʻia ʻakinautolu, pea ʻoua ʻaupito naʻa ke tāpuaki ʻakinautolu.”
And Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse him, nor bless him.”
26 Ka naʻe lea ʻa Pelami kia Pelaki ʻo pehē, “ʻIkai naʻaku tala kiate koe, ʻo pehē, Ko e lea kotoa pē kuo folofolaʻaki mai ʻe Sihova ko ia pe te u fai?”
And he said, “Have I not told you that whatever God would command of me, I would do?”
27 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Pelaki kia Pelami, “ʻOku ou kole kiate koe, haʻu, ke u ʻave ko e ki ha potu kehe; heiʻilo ʻe lelei ki he ʻOtua ke ke fakamalaʻiaʻi ʻakinautolu mei ai maʻaku.”
And Balak said to him: “Come and I will lead you to another place. If perhaps it may please God, then you may curse them from there.”
28 Pea naʻe ʻomi ʻe Pelaki ʻa Pelami ki he tumutumu ʻo Peoli, ʻaia ʻoku hanga atu ki Sesimoni.
And when he had led him on to the top of mount Peor, which looks out toward the wilderness,
29 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Pelami kia Pelaki, “Fokotuʻu maʻaku ʻi heni ʻae feilaulauʻanga ʻe fitu, pea teuteu maʻaku ʻi heni ʻae fanga pulu ʻe fitu, mo e sipitangata ʻe fitu.”
Balaam said to him, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.”
30 Pea naʻe fai ʻe Pelaki ʻo hangē ko e lea ʻa Pelami, pea naʻe feilaulau ʻaki ʻi ai taki taha ʻae pulu mo e sipitangata.
Balak did as Balaam had said, and he placed on each altar a calf and a ram.
