Numbers 23
23
Balaam’s Oracles
1Then Balaam said to Balak, ‘Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.’ # 23:1 1Ch 15:26; 2Ch 29:21; Jb 42:8; Ezk 45:23 2So Balak did as Balaam directed, and they offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3Balaam said to Balak, ‘Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone. Maybe the Lord will meet with me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.’ So he went to a barren hill.
4God met with him and Balaam said to him, ‘I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.’ 5Then the Lord put a message in Balaam’s mouth and said, ‘Return to Balak and say what I tell you.’
6So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with all the officials of Moab.
Balaam’s First Oracle
7Balaam proclaimed his poem:
Balak brought me from Aram; # 23:7 Dt 23:4
the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:
‘Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel! ’ # 23:7 Nm 22:6,17
8How can I curse someone God has not cursed?
How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?
9I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.
There is a people living alone; # 23:9 Dt 33:28
it does not consider itself among the nations.
10Who has counted the dust of Jacob # 23:10 Gn 13:16
or numbered even quarter of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright;
let the end of my life be like theirs.
11‘What have you done to me? ’ Balak asked Balaam. ‘I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have only blessed them! ’
12He answered, ‘Shouldn’t I say exactly what the Lord puts in my mouth? ’ # 23:12 Nm 22:38
Balaam’s Second Oracle
13Then Balak said to him, ‘Please come with me to another place # 23:13 Nm 23:27 where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp; you won’t see all of them. From there, put a curse on them for me.’ 14So Balak took him to Lookout Field # 23:14 Or to the field of Zophim on top of Pisgah, # 23:14 Nm 21:20; Dt 3:17,27; 4:49; 34:1; Jos 12:3; 13:20 built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15Balaam said to Balak, ‘Stay here by your burnt offering while I seek the Lord over there.’
16The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. Then he said, ‘Return to Balak and say what I tell you.’
17So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the officials of Moab. Balak asked him, ‘What did the Lord say? ’
18Balaam proclaimed his poem:
Balak, get up and listen;
son of Zippor, pay attention to what I say!
19God is not a man, that he might lie,
or a son of man, that he might change his mind. # 23:19 1Sm 15:29; Mal 3:6; Ti 1:2; Heb 6:17–18
Does he speak and not act,
or promise and not fulfil? # 23:19 Ps 33:10–11; Pr 19:21; Is 14:24; 31:2; 45:23; 46:9–11; 48:3; 55:11; Rm 11:29; Eph 1:11; 2Tm 2:13
20I have indeed received a command to bless;
since he has blessed, # 23:20 Sam, LXX read since I will bless I cannot change it.
21He considers no disaster for Jacob;
he sees no trouble for Israel. # 23:21 Or He does not observe sin in Jacob; he does not see wrongdoing in Israel
The Lord their God is with them, # 23:21 Gn 28:15; Nm 14:9; Dt 2:7; 20:1; Jos 1:17; Jdg 6:13; 2Ch 20:17; Ps 46:11; Is 8:10; 41:10; Jr 1:19; 15:20; Zph 3:17; Hg 2:4; Rv 21:3
and there is rejoicing over the King among them.
22God brought them out of Egypt;
he is like the horns of a wild ox for them. # 23:22 Or Egypt; they have the horns of a wild ox,# 23:22 Nm 24:8
23There is no magic curse against Jacob
and no divination against Israel.
It will now be said about Jacob and Israel,
‘What great things God has done! ’
24A people rise up like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion. # 23:24 Nm 24:9
They will not lie down until they devour the prey
and drink the blood of the slain.
25Then Balak told Balaam, ‘Don’t curse them and don’t bless them! ’
26But Balaam answered him, ‘Didn’t I tell you: Whatever the Lord says, I must do? ’ # 23:26 Nm 22:38
Balaam’s Third Oracle
27Again Balak said to Balaam, ‘Please come. I will take you to another place. Maybe it will be agreeable to God that you can put a curse on them for me there.’ 28So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland. # 23:28 Or overlooks Jeshimon,# 23:28 Nm 21:20
29Balaam told Balak, ‘Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.’ # 23:29 Nm 23:1–2 30So Balak did as Balaam said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
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Numbers 23
23
Balaam’s Oracles
1Then Balaam said to Balak, ‘Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.’ # 23:1 1Ch 15:26; 2Ch 29:21; Jb 42:8; Ezk 45:23 2So Balak did as Balaam directed, and they offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3Balaam said to Balak, ‘Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone. Maybe the Lord will meet with me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.’ So he went to a barren hill.
4God met with him and Balaam said to him, ‘I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.’ 5Then the Lord put a message in Balaam’s mouth and said, ‘Return to Balak and say what I tell you.’
6So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with all the officials of Moab.
Balaam’s First Oracle
7Balaam proclaimed his poem:
Balak brought me from Aram; # 23:7 Dt 23:4
the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:
‘Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel! ’ # 23:7 Nm 22:6,17
8How can I curse someone God has not cursed?
How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?
9I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.
There is a people living alone; # 23:9 Dt 33:28
it does not consider itself among the nations.
10Who has counted the dust of Jacob # 23:10 Gn 13:16
or numbered even quarter of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright;
let the end of my life be like theirs.
11‘What have you done to me? ’ Balak asked Balaam. ‘I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have only blessed them! ’
12He answered, ‘Shouldn’t I say exactly what the Lord puts in my mouth? ’ # 23:12 Nm 22:38
Balaam’s Second Oracle
13Then Balak said to him, ‘Please come with me to another place # 23:13 Nm 23:27 where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp; you won’t see all of them. From there, put a curse on them for me.’ 14So Balak took him to Lookout Field # 23:14 Or to the field of Zophim on top of Pisgah, # 23:14 Nm 21:20; Dt 3:17,27; 4:49; 34:1; Jos 12:3; 13:20 built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15Balaam said to Balak, ‘Stay here by your burnt offering while I seek the Lord over there.’
16The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. Then he said, ‘Return to Balak and say what I tell you.’
17So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the officials of Moab. Balak asked him, ‘What did the Lord say? ’
18Balaam proclaimed his poem:
Balak, get up and listen;
son of Zippor, pay attention to what I say!
19God is not a man, that he might lie,
or a son of man, that he might change his mind. # 23:19 1Sm 15:29; Mal 3:6; Ti 1:2; Heb 6:17–18
Does he speak and not act,
or promise and not fulfil? # 23:19 Ps 33:10–11; Pr 19:21; Is 14:24; 31:2; 45:23; 46:9–11; 48:3; 55:11; Rm 11:29; Eph 1:11; 2Tm 2:13
20I have indeed received a command to bless;
since he has blessed, # 23:20 Sam, LXX read since I will bless I cannot change it.
21He considers no disaster for Jacob;
he sees no trouble for Israel. # 23:21 Or He does not observe sin in Jacob; he does not see wrongdoing in Israel
The Lord their God is with them, # 23:21 Gn 28:15; Nm 14:9; Dt 2:7; 20:1; Jos 1:17; Jdg 6:13; 2Ch 20:17; Ps 46:11; Is 8:10; 41:10; Jr 1:19; 15:20; Zph 3:17; Hg 2:4; Rv 21:3
and there is rejoicing over the King among them.
22God brought them out of Egypt;
he is like the horns of a wild ox for them. # 23:22 Or Egypt; they have the horns of a wild ox,# 23:22 Nm 24:8
23There is no magic curse against Jacob
and no divination against Israel.
It will now be said about Jacob and Israel,
‘What great things God has done! ’
24A people rise up like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion. # 23:24 Nm 24:9
They will not lie down until they devour the prey
and drink the blood of the slain.
25Then Balak told Balaam, ‘Don’t curse them and don’t bless them! ’
26But Balaam answered him, ‘Didn’t I tell you: Whatever the Lord says, I must do? ’ # 23:26 Nm 22:38
Balaam’s Third Oracle
27Again Balak said to Balaam, ‘Please come. I will take you to another place. Maybe it will be agreeable to God that you can put a curse on them for me there.’ 28So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland. # 23:28 Or overlooks Jeshimon,# 23:28 Nm 21:20
29Balaam told Balak, ‘Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.’ # 23:29 Nm 23:1–2 30So Balak did as Balaam said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
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