Numbers 23

1 And Balaam said to Balak, Make me here seven altars and get ready seven oxen and seven male sheep.

And Balaam seide to Balaach, Bilde thou here to me seuene auteris, and make redi so many caluys, and rammes of the same noumbre.

2 And Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam made an offering on every altar of an ox and a male sheep.

And whanne he hadde do bi the word of Balaam, thei puttiden a calf and a ram to gidere on the auter.

3 Then Balaam said to Balak, Take your place by your burned offering, and I will go and see if the Lord comes to me: and I will give you word of whatever he says to me. And he went to an open place on a hill.

And Balaam seide to Balaach, Stond thou a litil while bisidis thi brent sacrifice, while Y go, if in hap the Lord meete me; and Y schal `speke to thee what euer thing he schal comaunde.

4 And God came to Balaam, and Balaam said to him, I have made ready seven altars, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar.

And whanne he hadde go swiftli, God cam to hym; and Balaam spak to hym, and seide, Y reiside seuene auteris, and Y puttide a calf and a ram aboue.

5 And the Lord put words in Balaam's mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and this is what you are to say.

Forsothe the Lord `puttide a word in his mouth, and seide, Turne ayen to Balaach, and thou schalt speke these thingis.

6 So he went back to him where he was waiting by his burned offering with all the chiefs of Moab.

He turnede ayen, and fond Balach stondynge bisidis his brent sacrifice, and alle the princes of Moabitis.

7 And in the words which the Lord had given him he said, From Aram Balak has sent for me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East: come, put curses on Jacob for me and be angry with Israel.

And whanne his parable `was takun, he seide, Balaach, the kyng of Moabitis, brouyte me fro Aran, fro the `hillis of the eest; and he seide, Come thou and curse Jacob; haaste thou, and greetli curse thou Israel.

8 How may I put curses on him who is not cursed by God? how may I be angry with him with whom the Lord is not angry?

How schal Y curse whom God cursid not? bi what resoun schal Y `haue abhomynable whom God `hath not abhomynable?

9 From the top of the rocks I see him, looking down on him from the hills: it is a people made separate, not to be numbered among the nations.

Fro the hiyeste flyntis Y schal se hym, and fro litle hillis Y schal biholde hym; the puple schal dwelle aloone, and it schal not be arettid among hethene men.

10 Who is able to take the measure of the dust of Jacob or the number of the thousands of Israel? May my death be the death of the upright and my last end like his!

Who may noumbre the dust, that is, kynrede, of Jacob, and knowe the noumbre of the generacioun of Israel? My lijf die in the deeth of iust men, and my laste thingis be maad lijk hem!

11 Then Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I sent for you so that my haters might be cursed, and see, you have given them a blessing.

And Balaach seide to Balaam, What is this that thou doist? Y clepide thee, that thou schuldist curse myn enemyes, and ayenward thou blessist hem.

12 And in answer he said, Am I not ordered to say only what the Lord puts into my mouth?

To whom Balaam answeride, Whether Y may speke othir thing no but that that the Lord comaundith?

13 And Balak said to him, Come with me now into another place from which you will not be able to see them all, but only the outskirts of them; and you will send curses on them from there.

Therfor Balaach seide to Balaam, Come with me in to anothir place, fro whennus thou se a part of Israel, and mayst not se al; fro thennus curse thou hym.

14 So he took him into the country of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and there they made seven altars, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar.

And whanne he hadde led Balaam in to an hiy place, on the cop of the hil of Phasga, he bildide seuene auteris to Balaam, and whanne calues and rammes weren put aboue,

15 Then he said to Balak, Take your place here by your burned offering, while I go over there to the Lord.

he seide to Balaach, Stonde here bisidis thi brent sacrifice, while Y go.

16 And the Lord came to Balaam, and put words in his mouth, and said, Go back to Balak, and this is what you are to say.

And whanne the Lord hadde `come to him, and hadde put `a word in his mouth, he seide, Turne ayen to Balach, and thou schalt seie these thingis to hym.

17 So he came to him where he was waiting by his burned offering with the chiefs of Moab by his side. And Balak said to him, What has the Lord said?

He turnyde ayen, and foond Balach stondynge bisidis his brent sacrifice, and the princis of Moabitis with hym. To whom Balach seide, What spak the Lord?

18 And in the words which the Lord had given him he said, Up! Balak, and give ear; give attention to me, O son of Zippor:

And whanne his parable `was takun, he seide, Stonde, Balach, and herkene; here, thou sone of Sephor. God is not `as a man,

19 God is not a man, to say what is false; or the son of man, that his purpose may be changed: what he has said, will he not do? and will he not give effect to the words of his mouth?

that he lye, nethir he is as the sone of a man, that he be chaungid; therfor he seide, and schal he not do? he spak, and schal he not fulfille?

20 See, I have had orders to give blessing: and he has given a blessing which I have no power to take away.

Y am brouyt to blesse, Y may not forbede blessyng.

21 He has seen no evil in Jacob or wrongdoing in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the glad cry of a king is among them.

Noon idol is in Jacob, nethir symylacre is seyn in Israel; his Lord God is with hym, and the sown of victorie of kyng is in hym.

22 It is God who has taken them out of Egypt; his horns are like those of the mountain ox.

The Lord God ledde hym out of Egipt, whos strengthe is lijk an vnicorn;

23 No evil power has effect against Jacob, no secret arts against Israel; at the right time it will be said of Jacob and of Israel, See what God has done!

fals tellyng bi chiteryng of bryddis, `ethir idolatrie, is not in Jacob, nethir fals dyuynyng is in Israel. In his tymes it schal be seide to Jacob and Israel, What the Lord hath wrought!

24 See, Israel comes up like a she-lion, lifting himself up like a lion: he will take no rest till he has made a meal of those he has overcome, drinking the blood of those he has put to death.

Lo! the puple schal rise to gidere as a lionesse, and schal be reisid as a lioun; the lioun schal not reste, til he deuoure prey, and drynke the blood of hem that ben slayn.

25 Then Balak said to Balaam, If you will not put a curse on them, at all events do not give them a blessing.

And Balach seide to Balaam, Nether curse thou, nether blesse thou hym.

26 But Balaam in answer said to Balak, Did I not say to you, I may only do what the Lord says?

And he seide, Whether Y seide not to thee, that what euer thing that God comaundide to me, Y wolde do this?

27 Then Balak said to Balaam, Come now, I will take you to another place; it may be that God will let you put a curse on them from there.

And Balach seide to hym, Come, and Y schal lede thee to an other place, if in hap it plesith God that fro thennus thou curse hym.

28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, looking down over the waste land.

And whanne Balaach hadde led hym out on the `cop of the hil of Phegor, that biholdith the wildirnesse,

29 And Balaam said to Balak, Make me seven altars here and get seven oxen and seven male sheep ready for me.

Balaam seide to hym, Bilde here seuene auteris to me, and make redi so many caluys, and rammes of the same noumbre.

30 And Balak did as Balaam said, offering an ox and a male sheep on every altar.

Balaach dide as Balaam seide, and he puttide caluys and rammes, bi alle auteris.