Numbers 22:36–24:25

36 And when Balak heard that Balaam was come, he went out to meet him unto a city of Moab, which is din the border of Arnon, which is in the utmost coast. 37 And Balak said unto Balaam, Did I not earnestly send unto thee to call thee? wherefore camest thou not unto me? am I not able indeed eto promote thee to honour? 38 And Balaam said unto Balak, Lo, I am come unto thee: have I now any power at all to say any thing? fthe word that God putteth in my mouth, that shall I speak. 39 And Balaam went with Balak, and they came unto ||Kirjath-huzoth. 40 And Balak offered oxen and sheep, and sent to Balaam, and to the princes that were with him. 41 And it came to pass on the morrow, that Balak took Balaam, and brought him up into the ghigh places of Baal, that thence he might see the utmost part of the people.

23 And Balaam said unto Balak, aBuild me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. 2 And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam boffered on every altar a bullock and a ram. 3 And Balaam said unto Balak, cStand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the Lord will come dto meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And ||he went to an high place. 4 eAnd God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram. 5 And the Lord fput a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. 6 And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. 7 And he gtook up his parable, and said,

Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram,

Out of the mountains of the east, saying,

Come, hcurse me Jacob,

And come, idefy Israel.

8  How shall I kcurse, whom God hath not kcursed?

Or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied?

9  For from the top of the rocks I see him,

And from the hills I behold him:

Lo, lthe people shall dwell alone,

And mshall not be reckoned among the nations.

10  nWho can count the dust of Jacob,

And the number of the fourth part of Israel?

Let †me die othe death of the righteous,

And let my last end be like his!

11 And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee pto curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. 12 And he answered and said, qMust I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth? 13 And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them: thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence. 14 And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of ||Pisgah, rand built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar. 15 And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet sthe Lord yonder. 16 And the Lord met Balaam, and tput a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. 17 And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath the Lord spoken? 18 And he took up his parable, and said,

Rise up, Balak, and hear;

Hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

19  uGod is not a man, that he should lie;

Neither the son of man, that he should repent:

Hath he said, and shall he not do it?

Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?

20  Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and xhe hath blessed;

And I cannot reverse it.

21  He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob,

Neither hath he seen yperverseness in Israel:

The Lord his God is with him,

zAnd the shout of a king is among them.

22  aGod brought them out of Egypt;

He hath as it were bthe strength cof an unicorn.

23  Surely there is no enchantment ||against Jacob,

Neither is there any ddivination ||against Israel:

According to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel,

eWhat hath God wrought!

24  Behold, the people shall rise up fas a great lion,

And lift up himself as fa young lion:

gHe shall not lie down until he eat of the prey,

And drink the blood of the slain.

25 And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. 26 But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, hAll that the Lord speaketh, that I must do? 27 And Balak said unto Balaam, iCome, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence. 28 And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of kPeor, that looketh ltoward Jeshimon. 29 And Balaam said unto Balak, mBuild me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. 30 mAnd Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

24 And when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he went not, as at aother times, †to seek for enchantments, but he set his face toward the wilderness. 2 And Balaam lifted up his eyes, and he saw Israel babiding in his tents according to their tribes; and cthe spirit of God came upon him. 3 And he took up his parable, and said,

dBalaam the son of Beor hath said,

And the man †whose eyes are open hath said:

4  He hath said, which heard the words of God,

Which saw the vision of the Almighty,

eFalling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

5  How goodly are thy tents, O Jacob,

And thy tabernacles, O Israel!

6  As the valleys are they spread forth,

As gardens by the river’s side,

fAs the trees of lign aloes gwhich the Lord hath planted,

And as cedar trees beside the waters.

7  He shall pour the water out of his buckets,

And his seed shall be hin many waters,

And his king shall be higher than iAgag,

And his kkingdom shall be exalted.

8  lGod brought him forth out of Egypt;

He hath as it were the strength of an unicorn:

He shall meat up the nations his enemies,

And shall nbreak their bones,

And opierce them through with his arrows.

9  pHe couched, he lay down as a lion,

And as a great lion: who shall stir him up?

qBlessed is he that blesseth thee,

And cursed is he that curseth thee.

10 And Balak’s anger was kindled against Balaam, and he rsmote his hands together: and Balak said unto Balaam, sI called thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast altogether blessed them these three times. 11 Therefore now flee thou to thy place: tI thought to promote thee unto great honour; but, lo, the Lord hath kept thee back from honour. 12 And Balaam said unto Balak, Spake I not also to thy messengers which thou sentest unto me, saying, 13 uIf Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord, to do either good or bad wof mine own mind; but what the Lord saith, that will I speak? 14 And now, behold, I go unto my people: come therefore, and xI will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people yin the latter days. 15 zAnd he took up his parable, and said,

aBalaam the son of Beor hath said,

And the man whose eyes are open hath said:

16  aHe hath said, which heard the words of God,

And knew the knowledge of the most High,

Which saw the vision of the Almighty,

Falling into a trance, but having his eyes open:

17  bI shall see him, but not now:

I shall bbehold him, but not nigh:

There cshall come da Star out of Jacob,

And ea Sceptre shall rise out of Israel,

And shall ||smite the corners of Moab,

And destroy all the children of Sheth.

18  And fEdom shall be a possession,

gSeir also shall be a possession for his enemies;

And Israel shall do valiantly.

19  Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion,

And shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.

20  And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said,

Amalek was ||the first of the nations;

But his latter end ||shall be that he perish for ever.

21  And he looked on hthe Kenites, and took up his parable, and said,

Strong is thy dwellingplace,

And thou puttest thy nest in a rock.

22  Nevertheless †the Kenite shall be wasted,

||Until Asshur shall carry thee away captive.

23  And he took up his parable, and said,

Alas, who shall live when God doeth this!

24  And ships shall come from the coast of iChittim,

And shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict kEber,

And he also lshall perish for ever.

25 And Balaam rose up, and went and mreturned to his place: and Balak also went his way.