Numbers 23

Balaam’s First Oracle

1And Balaam said to Balak, ^a“Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 2Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam ^boffered on each altar a bull and a ram. 3And Balaam said to Balak, ^c“Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come ^dto meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height, 4 ^eand God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, “I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” 5And the Lord ^fput a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 6And he returned to him, and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. 7And Balaam ^gtook up his discourse and said,

“From ^hAram Balak has brought me,
the king of Moab ⁱfrom the eastern mountains:
‘Come, ^jcurse Jacob for me,
and come, denounce Israel!’
8How can I curse whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?
9For from the top of the crags ^kI see him,
from the hills I behold him;
behold, ^la people dwelling alone,
and ^mnot counting itself among the nations!
10 ⁿWho can count the dust of Jacob
or number the fourth part ▼

▼Or dust clouds

of Israel?
Let me die ^pthe death of the upright,
and let my end be like his!”
11And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? ^qI took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.” 12And he answered and said, ^r“Must I not take care to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

Balaam’s Second Oracle

13And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.” 14And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, ^sand built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15Balaam said to Balak, ^t“Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord over there.” 16And the Lord met Balaam and ^uput a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.” 17And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?” 18And Balaam took up his discourse and said,

“Rise, Balak, and hear;
give ear to me, O son of Zippor:
19 ^vGod is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
20Behold, I received a command to bless:
^whe has blessed, and ^xI cannot revoke it.
21 ^yHe has not beheld misfortune in Jacob,
nor has he seen trouble in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them,
and the shout of a king is among them.
22 ^zGod brings them out of Egypt
and is for them like ^aathe horns of the wild ox.
23For there is no enchantment against Jacob,
no ^abdivination against Israel;
now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,
^ac‘What has God wrought!’
24Behold, a people! ^adAs a lioness it rises up
and as a lion it lifts itself;
^aeit does not lie down until it has devoured the prey
and drunk the blood of the slain.”
25And Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.” 26But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, ^af‘All that the Lord says, that I must do’?” 27And Balak said to Balaam, ^ag“Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” 28So Balak took Balaam to the top of ^ahPeor, which overlooks ^aithe desert. ▼

▼Or Jeshimon

29And Balaam said to Balak, ^ak“Build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 ^alAnd Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

Numbers 24

Balaam’s Third Oracle

1When Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go, as at ^amother times, to look for omens, but set his face toward the wilderness. 2And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel ^ancamping tribe by tribe. And ^aothe Spirit of God came upon him, 3and he ^aptook up his discourse and said,

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened, ▼

▼Or closed, or perfect; also verse 15

4the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
^arfalling down with his eyes uncovered:
5How lovely are your tents, O Jacob,
your encampments, O Israel!
6Like palm groves ▼

▼Or valleys

that stretch afar,
like gardens beside a river,
^atlike aloes ^authat the Lord has planted,
like cedar trees beside the waters.
7Water shall flow from his buckets,
and his seed shall be ^avin many waters;
his king shall be higher than ^awAgag,
and ^axhis kingdom shall be exalted.
8God brings him out of Egypt
and is for him like the ^ayhorns of the wild ox;
he shall ^azeat up the nations, his adversaries,
and shall ^babreak their bones in pieces
and ^bbpierce them through with his arrows.
9He crouched, he lay down like a lion
and ^bclike a lioness; who will rouse him up?
^bdBlessed are those who bless you,
and cursed are those who curse you.”
10And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he ^bestruck his hands together. And Balak said to Balaam, ^bf“I called you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them these three times. 11Therefore now flee to your own place. I said, ^bg‘I will certainly honor you,’ but the Lord has held you back from honor.” 12And Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 13 ^bh‘If Balak should give me his house full of silver and gold, I would not be able to go beyond the word of the Lord, to do either good or bad ^biof my own will. What the Lord speaks, that will I speak’? 14And now, behold, I am going to my people. Come, ^bjI will let you know what this people will do to your people ^bkin the latter days.”

Balaam’s Final Oracle

15 ^blAnd he took up his discourse and said,

“The oracle of Balaam the son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eye is opened,
16the oracle of him who hears the words of God,
and knows the knowledge of ^bmthe Most High,
who sees the vision of the Almighty,
^bnfalling down with his eyes uncovered:
17 ^boI see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near:
^bpa star shall come out of Jacob,
and ^bqa scepter shall rise out of Israel;
it shall ^brcrush the forehead ▼

▼Hebrew corners [of the head]

of Moab
and break down all the sons of Sheth.
18 ^btEdom shall be dispossessed;
^buSeir also, his enemies, shall be dispossessed.
Israel is doing valiantly.
19And one from Jacob shall exercise dominion
and destroy the survivors of cities!”
20Then he looked on Amalek and ^bvtook up his discourse and said,

“Amalek was the first among the nations,
^bwbut its end is utter destruction.”
21And he looked on the Kenite, and took up his discourse and said,

“Enduring is your dwelling place,
and your nest is set in the rock.
22Nevertheless, Kain shall be burned
when Asshur takes you away captive.”
23And he took up his discourse and said,

“Alas, who shall live when God does this?
24But ships shall come from ^bxKittim
and shall afflict Asshur and ^byEber;
and he too ^bzshall come to utter destruction.”
25Then Balaam rose and ^cawent back to his place. And Balak also went his way.