Numbers 24:10-16

24:10 Then Balak became very angry at Balaam, and he struck his hands together. ¹  Balak said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, and look, you have done nothing but bless ²  them these three times! 24:11 So now, go back where you came from! ³  I said that I would greatly honor you; but now the Lord has stood in the way of your honor.”

24:12 Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not also tell your messengers whom you sent to me, 24:13 ‘If Balak would give me his palace full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond ⁴  the commandment ⁵  of the Lord to do either good or evil of my own will, ⁶  but whatever the Lord tells me I must speak’? 24:14 And now, I am about to go ⁷  back to my own people. Come now, and I will advise you as to what this people will do to your people in the future.” ⁸ 

Balaam Prophesies a Fourth Time

24:15 Then he uttered this oracle: ⁹ 

“The oracle of Balaam son of Beor;

the oracle of the man whose eyes are open;

24:16 the oracle of the one who hears the words of God,

and who knows the knowledge of the Most High,

who sees a vision from the Almighty,

although falling flat on the ground with eyes open:

[24:10]  ¹ sn This is apparently a sign of contempt or derision (see Job 27:23; and Lam 2:15).

[24:10]  ² tn The construction is emphatic, using the infinitive absolute with the perfect tense for “bless.”

[24:11]  ³ tn Heb “flee to your place.”

[24:13]  ⁵ tn Heb “I am not able to go beyond.”

[24:13]  ⁶ tn Heb “mouth.”

[24:13]  ⁷ tn Heb “from my heart.”

[24:14]  ⁷ tn The construction is the particle הִנֵּה (hinneh) suffixed followed by the active participle. This is the futur instans use of the participle, to express something that is about to happen: “I am about to go.”

[24:14]  ⁸ tn Heb “in the latter days.” For more on this expression, see E. Lipinski, “באחרית הימים dans les textes préexiliques,” VT 20 (1970): 445-50.

[24:15]  ⁹ tn Heb “and he took up his oracle and said.”