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.”

Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me and prepare seven bulls and seven 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.

So Balak did as Balaam requested. Then Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on every 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.

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand at your burnt offering and I will go. Perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you.” So he went away to a hilltop with no trees.

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.”

While he was on the hilltop, God met him, and Balaam said to him, “I have built seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on each one.”

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.”

Yahweh put a message in Balaam's mouth and said, “Return to Balak and speak to him.”

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.

So Balaam returned to Balak, who was standing by his burnt offering, and all the leaders of Moab were with him.

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.’

Then Balaam began to speak his prophecy and said, “Balak has brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the eastern mountains. 'Come, curse Jacob for me,' he said. 'Come, defy 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 can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I oppose those whom Yahweh does not oppose?

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.

For from the top of the rocks I see him; from the hills I look at him. See, there is a people who live alone and do not consider themselves as just an ordinary nation.

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 count the dust of Jacob or number even only one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of a righteous person, and let my life's end be like his!”

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.”

Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have blessed them.”

12 Pea naʻe lea ia ʻo pehē, “ʻIkai ʻoku totonu ʻeku tokanga ke lea ʻaki ʻaia kuo ʻai ʻe Sihova ki hoku ngutu?”

Balaam answered and said, “Should I not be careful to say only what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”

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.”

So Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the nearest of them, not all of them. There you will curse them for me.”

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.

So he took Balaam into the field of Zophim, to the top of Mount Pisgah, and built seven more altars. He offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

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.”

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet with Yahweh over there.”

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.”

So Yahweh met Balaam and put a message in his mouth. He said, “Return to Balak and give him my message.”

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,

Balaam returned to him, and look, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab were with him. Then Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh said?”

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:

Balaam began his prophecy. He said, “Rise up, Balak, and hear. Listen to me, 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 a man, that he should lie, Or a human being, that he should change his mind. Has he promised anything without doing it? Has he said he would do something without carrying it out?

20 Vakai, ne u maʻu ʻae fekau ke tāpuaki: pea kuo ne fakamonūʻiaʻi; pea ʻe ʻikai te u faʻa fakakehe ia.

Look, I have been commanded to bless. God has given a blessing, and I cannot reverse it.

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.

He has seen no hardship in Jacob or trouble in Israel. Yahweh their God is with them, and shouts for their king are among them.

22 Naʻe ʻomi ʻakinautolu ʻe he ʻOtua mei ʻIsipite; ʻoku ʻiate ia ʻae mālohi ʻoe ʻiunikoni.

God brought them out of Egypt with strength like that of a wild ox.

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 sorcery that works against Jacob, and no fortune-telling harms Israel. Instead, it must be said about Jacob and Israel, 'Look what God has done!'

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.”

Look, the people rise like a lioness, as a lion emerges and attacks. He does not lie down until he eats his victim and drinks the blood of what he has killed.”

25 Pea naʻe pehē ʻe Pelaki kia Pelami, “ʻOua ʻaupito naʻa ke fakamalaʻia ʻakinautolu, pea ʻoua ʻaupito naʻa ke tāpuaki ʻakinautolu.”

Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them or bless them at all.”

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?”

But Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you that I must say all that Yahweh tells me to say?”

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.”

So Balak replied to Balaam, “Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God for you to curse them there for me.”

28 Pea naʻe ʻomi ʻe Pelaki ʻa Pelami ki he tumutumu ʻo Peoli, ʻaia ʻoku hanga atu ki Sesimoni.

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which looks down on 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 Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven 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.

So Balak did as Balaam had said; he offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.