Numbers 23
1 Balaam said to King Balak, “Build seven altars for me here. Then kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
Balaam disse a Balak: “Edificami qui sette altari e preparami qui sette giovenchi e sette montoni”.
2 So Balak did that. And then he and Balaam each burned a young bull and a ram [as a sacrifice] on each altar.
Balak fece come Balaam avea detto e Balak e Balaam offrirono un giovenco e un montone su ciascun altare.
3 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,
E Balaam disse a Balak: “Stattene presso al tuo olocausto, e io andrò: forse l’Eterno mi verrà incontro; e quei che mi avrà fatto vedere, te lo riferirò”. E se ne andò sopra una nuda altura.
4 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.”
E Dio si fece incontro a Balaam, e Balaam gli disse: “Io ho preparato i sette altari, ed ho offerto un giovenco e un montone su ciascun altare”.
5 Then Yahweh gave Balaam a message to give to King Balak. Then he said, “Go back and tell him what I told you.”
Allora l’Eterno mise delle parole in bocca a Balaam e gli disse: “Torna da Balak, e parla così”.
6 When Balaam returned to Balak, Balak was standing with the leaders from Moab beside the offerings he had burned [on the altar].
Balaam tornò da Balak, ed ecco che questi stava presso al suo olocausto: egli con tutti i principi di Moab.
7 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!’
Allora Balaam pronunziò il suo oracolo e disse: Balak m’ha fatto venire da Aram, re di Moab, dalle montagne d’Oriente. “Vieni”, disse, “maledicimi Giacobbe! Vieni, esecra Israele!”
8 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]
Come farò a maledire? Iddio non l’ha maledetto. Come farò ad esecrare? L’Eterno non l’ha esecrato.
9 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.
Io lo guardo dal sommo delle rupi e lo contemplo dall’alto dei colli; ecco, è un popolo che dimora solo, e non è contato nel novero delle nazioni.
10 (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.”
Chi può contar la polvere di Giacobbe o calcolare il quarto d’Israele? Possa io morire della morte dei giusti, e possa la mia fine esser simile alla loro!
11 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)!”
Allora Balak disse a Balaam: “Che m’hai tu fatto? T’ho preso per maledire i miei nemici, ed ecco, non hai fatto che benedirli”.
12 But Balaam replied, “I can [RHQ] say only what Yahweh tells me to say. I cannot say anything else.”
L’altro gli rispose e disse: “Non debbo io stare attento a dire soltanto ciò che l’Eterno mi mette in bocca?”
13 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.”
E Balak gli disse: “Deh, vieni meco in un altro luogo, donde tu lo potrai vedere; tu, di qui, non ne puoi vedere che una estremità; non lo puoi vedere tutto quanto; e di la me lo maledirai”.
14 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.
E lo condusse al campo di Tsofim, sulla cima del Pisga; edificò sette altari, e offrì un giovenco e un montone su ciascun altare.
15 Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here close to your burned offerings, while I go and talk with Yahweh.”
E Balaam disse a Balak: “Stattene qui presso ai tuo olocausto, e io andrò a incontrare l’Eterno”.
16 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.”
E l’Eterno si fece incontro a Balaam, gli mise delle parole in bocca e gli disse: “Torna da Balak, e parla così”.
17 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?”
Balaam tornò da Balak, ed ecco che questi stava presso al suo olocausto, coi principi di Moab. E Balak gli disse: “Che ha detto l’Eterno?”
18 Then Balaam told him this message: “Balak, listen carefully; hear what I have to say, you son of Zippor [DOU]!
Allora Balaam pronunziò il suo oracolo e disse: “Lèvati, Balak, e ascolta! Porgimi orecchio, figliuolo di Tsippor!
19 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.
Iddio non è un uomo, perch’ei mentisca, né un figliuol d’uomo, perch’ei si penta. Quand’ha detto una cosa non la farà? o quando ha parlato non manterrà la parola?
20 He commanded me [to request him] to bless [the Israelis], So he has blessed them, and I cannot change that.
Ecco, ho ricevuto l’ordine di benedire; egli ha benedetto; io non revocherò la benedizione.
21 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].
Egli non scorge iniquità in Giacobbe, non vede perversità in Israele. L’Eterno, il suo Dio, è con lui, e Israele lo acclama come suo re.
22 God brought them out of Egypt [where they were slaves]; he is as strong as a wild ox.
Iddio lo ha tratto dall’Egitto e gli da il vigore del bufalo.
23 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!’
In Giacobbe non v’è magia, in Israele, non v’è divinazione; a suo tempo vien detto a Giacobbe e ad Israele qual è l’opera che Iddio compie.
24 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.”
Ecco un popolo che si leva su come una leonessa, si rizza come un leone; ei non si sdraia prima d’aver divorato la preda e bevuto il sangue di quelli che ha ucciso”.
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “If you will not curse them, then [I certainly] do not [want you to] bless them!”
Allora Balak disse a Balaam: “Non lo maledire, ma anche non lo benedire”.
26 But Balaam replied, “I told you that I must do only what Yahweh tells me to do!”
Ma Balaam rispose e disse a Balak: “Non t’ho io detto espressamente: Io farò tutto quello che l’Eterno dirà?”
27 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.”
E Balak disse a Balaam: “Deh, vieni, io ti condurrò in un altro luogo; forse piacerà a Dio che tu me lo maledica di là”.
28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor [Mountain] where they could look down [and see the Israelis in] the desert.
Balak dunque condusse Balaam in cima al Peor che domina il deserto.
29 Balaam again told Balak, “Build me seven altars again and kill seven young bulls and seven rams [for a sacrifice].”
E Balaam disse a Balak: “Edificami qui sette altari, e preparami qui sette giovenchi e sette montoni”.
30 So Balak did what Balaam told him to do. He burned a young bull and a ram on each altar as sacrifices.
Balak fece come Balaam avea detto, e offrì un giovenco e un montone su ciascun altare.
