Numbers 23–24

23He said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and bring me seven bulls and seven rams.”

²Balak did as he was told, and he and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. ³Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I go to see whether or not the Lord will meet me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” So he went alone to the top of a hill, ⁴and God met him. Balaam said to him, “I have built the seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each.”

⁵The Lord told Balaam what to say and sent him back to Balak to give him his message. ⁶So he went back and found Balak still standing by his burnt offering, with all the leaders of Moab.

⁷Balaam uttered this prophecy:

“Balak king of Moab has brought me

From Syria, from the eastern mountains.

‘Come and speak for me,’ he said.

‘Put a curse on the people of Israel.’

⁸How can I curse what God has not cursed,

Or speak of doom when the Lord has not?

⁹From the high rocks I can see them;

I can watch them from the hills.

They are a nation that lives alone;

They know they are blessed more than other nations.

¹⁰The descendants of Israel are like the dust—

There are too many of them to be counted.

Let me end my days like one of God’s people;

Let me die in peace like the righteous.”

¹¹Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but all you have done is bless them.” ¹²He answered, “I can say only what the Lord tells me to say.”

Balaam’s Second Prophecy

¹³Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come with me to another place from which you can see only some of the Israelites. Curse them for me from there.” ¹⁴He took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Mount Pisgah. There also he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each of them.

¹⁵Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, and I will meet God over there.”

¹⁶The Lord met Balaam, told him what to say, and sent him back to Balak to give him his message. ¹⁷So he went back and found Balak still standing by his burnt offering, with the leaders of Moab. Balak asked what the Lord had said, ¹⁸and Balaam uttered this prophecy:

“Come, Balak son of Zippor,

And listen to what I have to say.

¹⁹God is not like men, who lie;

He is not a human who changes his mind.

Whatever he promises, he does;

He speaks, and it is done.

²⁰I have been instructed to bless,

And when God blesses, I cannot call it back.

²¹I foresee that Israel’s future

Will bring her no misfortune or trouble.

The Lord their God is with them;

They proclaim that he is their king.

²²God has brought them out of Egypt;

He fights for them like a wild ox.

²³There is no magic charm, no witchcraft,

That can be used against the nation of Israel.^y

Now people will say about Israel,

‘Look what God has done!’

²⁴The nation of Israel is like a mighty lion:

It doesn’t rest until it has torn and devoured,

Until it has drunk the blood of those it has killed.”

²⁵Then Balak said to Balaam, “You refuse to curse the people of Israel, but at least don’t bless them!”

²⁶Balaam answered, “Didn’t I tell you that I had to do everything that the Lord told me?”

Balaam’s Third Prophecy

²⁷Balak said, “Come with me, and I will take you to another place. Perhaps God will be willing to let you curse them for me from there.” ²⁸So he took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor overlooking the desert. ²⁹Balaam said to him, “Build seven altars for me here and bring me seven bulls and seven rams.” ³⁰Balak did as he was told, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

24By now Balaam knew that the Lord wanted him to bless the people of Israel, so he did not go to look for omens, as he had done before. He turned towards the desert ²and saw the people of Israel camped tribe by tribe. The spirit of God took control of him, ³and he uttered this prophecy:

“The message of Balaam son of Beor,

The words of the man who can see clearly,^z

⁴Who can hear what God is saying.

With staring eyes I see in a trance

A vision from Almighty God.

⁵The tents of Israel are beautiful,

⁶Like long rows of palms

Or gardens beside a river,

Like aloes planted by the Lord

Or cedars beside the water.

⁷They will have abundant rainfall

And plant their seed in well-watered fields.^a

Their king shall be greater than Agag,

And his rule shall be extended far and wide.

⁸God brought them out of Egypt;

He fights for them like a wild ox.

They devour their enemies,

Crush their bones, smash their arrows.

^9*The nation is like a mighty lion;

When it is sleeping, no one dares wake it.

Whoever blesses Israel will be blessed,

And whoever curses Israel will be cursed.”

¹⁰Balak clenched his fists in anger and said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but three times now you have blessed them instead. ¹¹Now go off home! I promised to reward you, but the Lord has kept you from getting the reward.”

¹²Balaam answered, “I told the messengers you sent to me that ¹³even if you gave me all the silver and gold in your palace, I could not disobey the command of the Lord by doing anything of myself. I will say only what the Lord tells me to say.”

Balaam’s Final Prophecy

¹⁴Balaam said to Balak, “Now I am going back to my own people, but before I go, I am warning you what the people of Israel will do to your people in the future.” ¹⁵Then he uttered this prophecy:

“The message of Balaam son of Beor,

The words of the man who can see clearly,^b

¹⁶Who can hear what God is saying

And receive the knowledge that comes from the Most High.

With staring eyes I see in a trance

A vision from Almighty God.

¹⁷I look into the future,

And I see the nation of Israel.

A king, like a bright star, will arise in that nation.

Like a comet he will come from Israel.

He will strike the leaders of Moab

And beat down all the people of Seth.^c

¹⁸He will conquer his enemies in Edom

And make their land his property,

While Israel continues victorious.

¹⁹The nation of Israel will trample them down

And wipe out the last survivors.”

²⁰Then in his vision Balaam saw the Amalekites and uttered this prophecy:

“Amalek was the most powerful nation of all,

But at the end it will perish for ever.”

²¹In his vision he saw the Kenites, and uttered this prophecy:

“The place where you live is secure,

Safe as a nest set high on a cliff,

²²But you Kenites will be destroyed

When Assyria takes you captive.”^d

²³Balaam uttered this prophecy:

“Who are these people gathering in the north?^e

²⁴Invaders will sail from Cyprus;

They will conquer Assyria and Eber,

But they, in turn, will perish for ever.”

²⁵Then Balaam got ready and went back home, and Balak went on his way.