Numbers 23

1 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.”

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

2 And when he had acted according to the words of Balaam, they placed a calf and a ram together on each altar.

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

3 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.”

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 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.”

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 Then the Lord placed the word in his mouth, and he said: “Return to Balak, and you shall say this.”

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

6 Returning, he found Balak standing next to his holocaust, with all the leaders of the Moabites.

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

7 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.’

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 How shall I curse him, whom God has not cursed? For what reason would I condemn him, whom the Lord does not condemn?

How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I oppose those whom Yahweh does not oppose?

9 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.

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 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.”

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 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.”

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

12 He answered him, “How can I say anything other than what the Lord orders?”

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

13 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.”

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 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,

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 he said to Balak, “Stand here next to your holocaust, while I continue on to meet him.”

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

16 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.”

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

17 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?”

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 But, taking up his parable, he said: “Stand, Balak, and pay attention. Listen, you son of Zippor.

Balaam began his prophecy. He said, “Rise up, Balak, and hear. Listen to me, you son of Zippor.

19 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?

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 I was led here to bless, and I have no strength to hinder the blessing.

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

21 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.

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 God has led him away from Egypt; his strength is like that of the rhinoceros.

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

23 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.

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 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.”

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 And Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse him, nor bless him.”

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

26 And he said, “Have I not told you that whatever God would command of me, I would do?”

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

27 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.”

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 And when he had led him on to the top of mount Peor, which looks out toward the wilderness,

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, which looks down on the wilderness.

29 Balaam said to him, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.”

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

30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and he placed on each altar a calf and a ram.

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