New Living Translation

King James Bible

Balaam Blesses Israel

Then Balaam said to King Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.”

1

Balaam's First Oracle

And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams.

2

Balak followed his instructions, and the two of them sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar.

2

And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.

3

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offerings, and I will go to see if the LORD will respond to me. Then I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” So Balaam went alone to the top of a bare hill,

3

And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go: peradventure the LORD will come to meet me: and whatsoever he sheweth me I will tell thee. And he went to an high place.

4

and God met him there. Balaam said to him, “I have prepared seven altars and have sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each altar.”

4

And 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

The LORD gave Balaam a message for King Balak. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and give him my message.”

5

And the LORD put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return unto Balak, and thus thou shalt speak.

6

So Balaam returned and found the king standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab.

6

And he returned unto him, and, lo, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, he, and all the princes of Moab.

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.’

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

But how can I curse those
whom God has not cursed?
How can I condemn those
whom the LORD has not condemned?

8

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the LORD hath not defied?

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.

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 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.”

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!

11

Then King Balak demanded of Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies. Instead, you have blessed them!”

11

And Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and, behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.

12

But Balaam replied, “I will speak only the message that the LORD puts in my mouth.”

12

And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which the LORD hath put in my mouth?

13

Balaam’s Second Message

Then King Balak told him, “Come with me to another place. There you will see another part of the nation of Israel, but not all of them. Curse at least that many!”

13

Balaam's Second Oracle

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

So Balak took Balaam to the plateau of Zophim on Pisgah Peak. He built seven altars there and offered a young bull and a ram on each altar.

14

And he brought him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

15

Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here by your burnt offerings while I go over there to meet the LORD.”

15

And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD yonder.

16

And the LORD met Balaam and gave him a message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and give him my message.”

16

And the LORD met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.

17

So Balaam returned and found the king standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab. “What did the LORD say?” Balak asked eagerly.

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

This was the message Balaam delivered:
“Rise up, Balak, and listen!
Hear me, son of Zippor.

18

And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor:

19

God is not a man, so he does not lie.
He is not human, so he does not change his mind.
Has he ever spoken and failed to act?
Has he ever promised and not carried it through?

19

God 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

Listen, I received a command to bless;
God has blessed, and I cannot reverse it!

20

Behold, I have received commandment to bless: and he hath blessed; and I cannot reverse it.

21

No misfortune is in his plan for Jacob;
no trouble is in store for Israel.
For the LORD their God is with them;
he has been proclaimed their king.

21

He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: the LORD his God is with him, and the shout of a king is among them.

22

God brought them out of Egypt;
for them he is as strong as a wild ox.

22

God brought them out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn.

23

No curse can touch Jacob;
no magic has any power against Israel.
For now it will be said of Jacob,
‘What wonders God has done for Israel!’

23

Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel: according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

24

These people rise up like a lioness,
like a majestic lion rousing itself.
They refuse to rest
until they have feasted on prey,
drinking the blood of the slaughtered!”

24

Behold, the people shall rise up as a great lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, and drink the blood of the slain.

25

Then Balak said to Balaam, “Fine, but if you won’t curse them, at least don’t bless them!”

25

And Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all.

26

But Balaam replied to Balak, “Didn’t I tell you that I can do only what the LORD tells me?”

26

But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the LORD speaketh, that I must do?

27

Balaam’s Third Message

Then King Balak said to Balaam, “Come, I will take you to one more place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them from there.”

27

And Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.

28

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, overlooking the wasteland.a

28

And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.

29

Balaam again told Balak, “Build me seven altars, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for me to sacrifice.”

29

And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks and seven rams.

30

So Balak did as Balaam ordered and offered a young bull and a ram on each altar.

30

And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.

Parallel

New Living Translation

King James Bible

Numbers 23

Numbers 23