Numbers 24

1 And whanne Balaam siy that it pleside the Lord that he schulde blesse Israel, he yede not as he `hadde go bifore, `that he schulde seke fals dyuynyng `bi chiteryng of briddis, but he dresside his face ayens the desert,

And when Balaam saw that it pleased God to bless Israel, he did not go according to his custom to meet the omens, but turned his face toward the wilderness.

2 and reiside iyen, and siy Israel dwellynge in tentis bi hise lynagis. And whanne the Spirit of God felde on hym, and whanne a parable was takun,

And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and sees Israel encamped by their tribes; and the Spirit of God came upon him.

3 he seide, Balaam, the sone of Beor, seide, a man whois iye is stoppid seide,

And he took up his parable and said, Balaam son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says,

4 the herere of Goddis wordis seide, which bihelde the reuelacioun of almyyti God, which fallith doun, and hise iyen ben openyd so, Hou faire ben thi tabernaclis,

he says who hears the oracle of the Mighty One, who saw a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened:

5 Jacob, and thi tentis, Israel!

How goodly [are] thy habitations, Jacob, and thy tents, Israel!

6 as valeys ful of woodis, and moiste gardyns bisidis floodis, as tabernaclis whiche the Lord hath set, as cedris bisidis watris;

as shady groves, and as gardens by a river, and as tents which God pitched, and as cedars by the waters.

7 watir schal flowe of his bokat, and his seed schal be in to many watris, `that is, puplis. The kyng of hym schal be takun a wei for Agag, and the rewme of hym schal be doon awai.

There shall come a man out of his seed, and he shall rule over many nations; and the kingdom of Gog shall be exalted, and his kingdom shall be increased.

8 God ledde hym out of Egipt, whos strengthe is lijk an vnicorn; thei schulen deuoure hethene men, enemyes `of hym, that is, of Israel; and thei schulen breke the boonus of hem, and schulen perse with arowis.

God led him out of Egypt; he has as it were the glory of a unicorn: he shall consume the nations of his enemies, and he shall drain their marrow, and with his darts he shall shoot through the enemy.

9 He restide and slepte as a lyoun, and as a lionesse, whom no man schal dore reise. He that blessith thee, schal be blessid; he that cursith, schal

He lay down, he rested as a lion, and as a young lion; who shall stir him up? they that bless thee are blessed, and they that curse thee are cursed.

10 be arettid in to cursyng And Balaach was wrooth ayens Balaam, and seide, whanne the hondis weren wrungun to gidere, I clepide thee to curse myn enemyes, whiche ayenward thou hast blessid thries.

And Balac was angry with Balaam, and clapped his hands together; and Balac said to Balaam, I called thee to curse my enemy, and behold thou hast decidedly blessed [him] this third time.

11 Turne ayen to thi place; forsothe Y demede to onoure thee greetli, but the Lord priuyde thee fro onour disposid.

Now therefore flee to thy place: I said, I will honour thee, but now the Lord has deprived thee of glory.

12 Balaam answeride to Balaach, Whethir Y seide not to thi messangeris, whiche thou sentist to me,

And Balaam said to Balac, Did I not speak to thy messengers also whom thou sentest to me, saying,

13 Thouy Balaach schal yyue to me his hows ful of siluer and of gold, Y schal not mow passe the word of my Lord God, that Y brynge forth of myn herte ony thing, ethir of good ethir of yuel, but what euer thing the Lord schal seie, Y schal speke this?

If Balac should give me his house full of silver and gold, I shall not be able to transgress the word of the Lord to make it good or bad by myself; whatsoever things God shall say, them will I speak.

14 Netheles Y schal go to my puple, and Y schal yyue counsel to thee, what thi puple schal do in the laste tyme to this puple.

And now, behold, I return to my place; come, I will advise thee of what this people shall do to thy people in the last days.

15 Therfor whanne a parable was takun, he seide eft, Balaam, the sone of Beor seide, a man whos iye is stoppid,

And he took up his parable and said, Balaam the son of Beor says, the man who sees truly says,

16 seide, the herere of Goddis wordis seide, which knowith the doctrine of the hiyeste, and seeth the reuelacioun of almiyti God, which fallith doun and hath opyn iyen,

hearing the oracles of God, receiving knowledge from the Most High, and having seen a vision of God in sleep; his eyes were opened.

17 Y schal se hym, but not now; Y schal biholde hym, but not nyy; a sterre schal be borun of Jacob, and a yerde schal rise of Israel; and he schal smyte the duykis of Moab, and he schal waste alle the sones of Seth; and Ydumye schal be hys possessioun,

I will point to him, but not now; I bless him, but he draws not near: a star shall rise out of Jacob, a man shall spring out of Israel; and shall crush the princes of Moab, and shall spoil all the sons of Seth.

18 the eritage of Seir schal bifalle to his enemyes; forsothe Israel schal do strongli, of Jacob schal be he that schal be lord,

And Edom shall be an inheritance, and Esau his enemy shall be an inheritance [of Israel], and Israel wrought valiantly.

19 and schal leese the relikis of the citee.

And [one] shall arise out of Jacob, and destroy out of the city him that escapes.

20 And whanne he hadde seyn Amalech, he took a parable, and seide, Amalech is the bigynning of hethene men, whos laste thingis schulen be lost.

And having seen Amalec, he took up his parable and said, Amalec [is] the first of the nations; yet his seed shall perish.

21 Also `he siy Cyney, and whanne a parable was takun, he seide, Forsothe thi dwellyng place is strong, but if thou schalt sette thi nest in a stoon,

And having seen the Kenite, he took up his parable and said, thy dwelling-place [is] strong; yet though thou shouldest put thy nest in a rock,

22 and schalt be chosun of the generacioun of Cyn, hou longe schalt thou mow dwelle? forsothe Assur schal take thee.

and though Beor should have a skillfully contrived hiding-place, the Assyrians shall carry thee away captive.

23 And whanne a parable was takun, he spak eft, Alas! who schal lyue, whanne the Lord schal make thes thingis?

And he looked upon Og, and took up his parable and said, Oh, oh, who shall live, when God shall do these things?

24 Thei schulen come in grete schippis fro Ytalie, thei schulen ouercome Assiries, and thei schulen distrie Ebrews, and at the last also thei hem silf schulen perische.

And one shall come forth from the hands of the Citians, and shall afflict Assur, and shall afflict the Hebrews, and they shall perish together.

25 And Balaam roos, and turnide ayen in to his place; and Balaach yede ayen bi the weye in which he cam.

And Balaam rose up and departed and returned to his place, and Balac went to his own home.