Numbers 23

23And Balaam said unto Balak, ^aBuild me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams. ²And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam ^boffered on every altar a bullock and a ram. ³And 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. ^4eAnd 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. ⁵And the Lord ^fput a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak. ⁶And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab. ⁷And 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.

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

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

⁹For 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.

¹⁰ⁿWho 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!

¹¹And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee ^pto curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether. ¹²And he answered and said, ^qMust I not take heed to speak that which the Lord hath put in my mouth? ¹³And 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. ¹⁴And 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. ¹⁵And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet ^sthe Lord yonder. ¹⁶And the Lord met Balaam, and ^tput a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus. ¹⁷And 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? ¹⁸And he took up his parable, and said,

Rise up, Balak, and hear;

Hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

^19uGod 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?

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

And I cannot reverse it.

²¹He 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.

^22aGod brought them out of Egypt;

He hath as it were ^bthe strength ^cof an unicorn.

²³Surely 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!

²⁴Behold, 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.

²⁵And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all. ²⁶But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, ^hAll that the Lord speaketh, that I must do? ²⁷And 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. ²⁸And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of ^kPeor, that looketh ^ltoward Jeshimon. ²⁹And Balaam said unto Balak, ^mBuild me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams. ^30mAnd Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.