23:4 Then God met Balaam, who 6 said to him, “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” 23:5 Then the Lord put a message 7 in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.” 8
23:6 So he returned to him, and he was still 9 standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab. 23:7 Then Balaam 10 uttered 11 his oracle, saying,
“Balak, the king of Moab, brought me 12 from Aram,
out of the mountains of the east, saying,
‘Come, pronounce a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel.’ 13
23:8 How 14 can I curse 15 one whom God has not cursed,
or how can I denounce one whom the Lord has not denounced?
23:9 For from the top of the rocks I see them; 16
from the hills I watch them. 17
Indeed, a nation that lives alone,
and it will not be reckoned 18 among the nations.
23:10 Who 19 can count 20 the dust 21 of Jacob,
Or number 22 the fourth part of Israel?
Let me 23 die the death of the upright, 24
and let the end of my life 25 be like theirs.” 26
23:11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary 27 you have only blessed them!” 28 23:12 Balaam replied, 29 “Must I not be careful 30 to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?” 31 23:13 Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you can observe them. You will see only a part of them, but you will not see all of them. Curse them for me from there.”
23:14 So Balak brought Balaam 32 to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, 33 where 34 he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 23:15 And Balaam 35 said to Balak, “Station yourself here 36 by your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord there. 23:16 Then the Lord met Balaam and put a message 37 in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.” 23:17 When Balaam 38 came to him, he was still standing by his burnt offering, along with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”
23:18 Balaam 39 uttered 40 his oracle, and said,
“Rise up, 41 Balak, and hear;
Listen to me, son of Zippor:
23:19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a human being, 42 that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not make it happen? 43
23:20 Indeed, I have received a command 44 to bless;
he has blessed, 45 and I cannot reverse it. 46
23:21 He 47 has not looked on iniquity in Jacob, 48
nor has he seen trouble 49 in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them;
his acclamation 50 as king is among them.
23:22 God brought them 51 out of Egypt.
They have, as it were, the strength of a wild bull. 52
23:23 For there is no spell against 53 Jacob,
nor is there any divination against Israel.
At this time 54 it must be said 55 of Jacob
and of Israel, ‘Look at 56 what God has done!’
23:24 Indeed, the people will rise up like a lioness,
and like a lion raises himself up;
they will not lie down until they eat their 57 prey,
and drink the blood of the slain.” 58
23:25 Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all 59 nor bless them at all!” 60 23:26 But Balaam replied 61 to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘All that the Lord speaks, 62 I must do’?”
23:27 Balak said to Balaam, “Come, please; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God 63 to let you curse them for me from there.” 64 23:28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks toward the wilderness. 65 23:29 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams.” 23:30 So Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.