7 Then Balaam spoke his message:

“Balak brought me from Aram,

the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.

‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me;

come, denounce Israel.’

8 How can I curse

those whom God has not cursed?

How can I denounce

those whom the Lord has not denounced?

9 From the rocky peaks I see them,

from the heights I view them.

I see a people who live apart

and do not consider themselves one of the nations.

10 Who can count the dust of Jacob

or number even a fourth of Israel?

Let me die the death of the righteous,

and may my final end be like theirs!”

7 And Balaam took up his discourse and said,

“From Aram Balak has brought me,

the king of Moab from the eastern mountains:

‘Come, curse Jacob for me,

and come, denounce Israel!’

8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed?

How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

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

from the hills I behold him;

behold, a people dwelling alone,

and not counting itself among the nations!

10 Who can count the dust of Jacob

or number the fourth part of Israel?

Let me die the death of the upright,

and let my end be like his!”

7 And he took up his parable, and said,

Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram,

Out of the mountains of the east, saying,

Come, curse me Jacob,

And come, defy Israel.

8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?

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, the people shall dwell alone,

And shall not be reckoned among the nations.

10 Who can count the dust of Jacob,

And the number of the fourth part of Israel?

Let me die the death of the righteous,

And let my last end be like his!

7 This was the message Balaam delivered:

“Balak summoned me to come from Aram;

the king of Moab brought me from the eastern hills.

‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me!

Come and announce Israel’s doom.’

8 But how can I curse those

whom God has not cursed?

How can I condemn those

whom the Lord has not condemned?

9 I see them from the cliff tops;

I watch them from the hills.

I see a people who live by themselves,

set apart from other nations.

10 Who can count Jacob’s descendants, as numerous as dust?

Who can count even a fourth of Israel’s people?

Let me die like the righteous;

let my life end like theirs.”

7 And he took up his oracle and said:

“Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram,

From the mountains of the east.

‘Come, curse Jacob for me,

And come, denounce Israel!’

8 “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?

And how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

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

And from the hills I behold him;

There! A people dwelling alone,

Not reckoning itself among the nations.

10 “Who can count the dust of Jacob,

Or number one-fourth of Israel?

Let me die the death of the righteous,

And let my end be like his!”

7 when Balaam gave them this message:

“Balak brought me here from Aram;

the king of Moab brought me from the eastern mountains.

Balak said, ‘Come, put a curse on the people of Jacob for me.

Come, call down evil on the people of Israel.’

8 But God has not cursed them,

so I cannot curse them.

The Lord has not called down evil on them,

so I cannot call down evil on them.

9 I see them from the top of the mountains;

I see them from the hills.

I see a people who live alone,

who think they are different from other nations.

10 No one can number the many people of Jacob,

and no one can count a fourth of Israel.

Let me die like good men,

and let me end up like them!”

7 And he took up his parable, and said,

From Aram hath Balak brought me,

The king of Moab from the mountains of the East:

Come, curse me Jacob,

And come, defy Israel.

8 How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed?

And how shall I defy, whom Jehovah hath not defied?

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

And from the hills I behold him:

Lo, it is a people that dwelleth alone,

And shall not be reckoned among the nations.

10 Who can count the dust of Jacob,

Or number the fourth part of Israel?

Let me die the death of the righteous,

And let my last end be like his!

7 And he took up his parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east: Come, curse me Jacob, and come, denounce Israel! 8 How shall I curse whom •God hath not cursed? or how shall I denounce whom Jehovah doth not denounce? 9 For from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: Lo, it is a people that shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations. 10 Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let my soul die the death of the righteous, and let my end be like his!

7 Then Balaam delivered this message: 

“Balak brought me from Aram. 

The king of Moab summoned me from the eastern mountains. 

‘Come, curse Jacob for me,’ he said. 

‘Come, condemn Israel.’ 

8 How can I curse those whom God hasn’t cursed? 

How can I condemn those whom the Lord hasn’t condemned? 

9 I see them from the top of rocky cliffs, 

I look at them from the hills. 

I see a nation that lives by itself, 

people who do not consider themselves 

to be like other nations. 

10 The descendants of Jacob are like specks of dust. 

Who can count them 

or number even one-fourth of the people of Israel? 

Let me die the death of innocent people. 

Let my end be like theirs.” 

7 Balaam proclaimed his poem:

Balak brought me from Aram;

the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:

“Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;

come, denounce Israel!”

8 How can I curse someone God has not cursed?

How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?

9 I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,

and I watch them from the hills.

There is a people living alone;

it does not consider itself among the nations.

10 Who has counted the dust of Jacob

or numbered the dust clouds of Israel?

Let me die the death of the upright;

let the end of my life be like theirs.

7 Then Balaam uttered his oracle, saying:

“Balak has brought me from Aram,

the king of Moab from the eastern mountains:

‘Come, curse Jacob for me;

Come, denounce Israel!’

8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed?

How can I denounce those whom the Lord has not denounced?

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

from the hills I behold him;

Here is a people living alone,

and not reckoning itself among the nations!

10 Who can count the dust of Jacob,

or number the dust-cloud of Israel?

Let me die the death of the upright,

and let my end be like his!”

7 Then Balaam spoke the message he had received from God. He said,

“Balak brought me from the land of Aram.

The king of Moab sent for me from the mountains in the east.

‘Come,’ he said. ‘Put a curse on Jacob’s people for me.

Come. Speak against Israel.’

8 But how can I put a curse on

people God hasn’t cursed?

How can I speak against

people the Lord hasn’t spoken against?

9 I see them from the rocky peaks.

I view them from the hills.

I see a group of people who live by themselves.

They don’t consider themselves to be one of the nations.

10 Jacob’s people are like the dust of the earth.

Can dust be counted?

Who can count even a fourth of the people of Israel?

Let me die as godly people die.

Let my death be like theirs!”

7 He took up his discourse and said,

“From Aram Balak has brought me,

Moab’s king from the mountains of the East,

‘Come curse Jacob for me,

And come, denounce Israel!’

8 “How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?

And how can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

9 “As I see him from the top of the rocks,

And I look at him from the hills;

Behold, a people who dwells apart,

And will not be reckoned among the nations.

10 “Who can count the dust of Jacob,

Or number the fourth part of Israel?

Let me die the death of the upright,

And let my end be like his!”