Darby Bible Translation

New King James Version

Balaam's First Oracle

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

1

The Prophecies of Balaam

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

2

And Balak did as Balaam had said; and Balak and Balaam offered up a bullock and a ram on [each] altar.

2

And Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

3

And Balaam said to Balak, Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go; perhaps Jehovah will come to meet me; and whatever he shews me I will tell thee. And he went to a hill.

3

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps the Lord will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a desolate height.

4

And God met Balaam; and [Balaam] said to him, I have disposed seven altars, and have offered up a bullock and a ram upon [each] altar.

4

And God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.”

5

And Jehovah put a word in Balaam's mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.

5

Then the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”

6

And he returned to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt-offering, he, and all the princes of Moab.

6

So he returned to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, he and all the princes of Moab.

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!

7

And he took up his [a]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 hath not cursed? or how shall I denounce whom Jehovah doth not denounce?

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: Lo, [it is] a people that shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned among the nations.

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, 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!

10

“Who can count the [b]dust of Jacob,
Or number one-fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,
And let my end be like his!”

11

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

11

Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!”

12

And he answered and said, Must I not take heed to speak that which Jehovah puts in my mouth?

12

So he answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”

13

Balaam's Second Oracle

And Balak said to him, Come, I pray thee, with me to another place, from whence thou wilt see them; thou shalt see only the extremity of them and shalt not see them all, and curse me them from thence.

13

Balaam’s Second Prophecy

Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only the outer part of them, and shall not see them all; curse them for me from there.”

14

And he took him to the watchmen's field, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bullock and a ram on [each] altar.

14

So he brought him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

15

And [Balaam] said to Balak, Stand here by thy burnt-offering, and I will go to meet yonder.

15

And he said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I [c]meet the Lord over there.”

16

And Jehovah met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, Return to Balak, and thus shalt thou speak.

16

Then the Lord met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”

17

And he came to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him; and Balak said to him, What has Jehovah spoken?

17

So he came to him, and there he was, standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”

18

Then he took up his parable and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear! hearken unto me, son of Zippor!

18

Then he took up his oracle and said:
“Rise up, Balak, and hear!
Listen to me, son of Zippor!

19

God is not a man, that he should lie; neither a son of man, that he should repent. Shall he say and not do? and shall he speak and not make it good?

19

“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do?
Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

20

Behold, I have received [mission] to bless; and he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

20

Behold, I have received a command to bless;
He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

21

He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither hath he seen wrong in Israel; Jehovah his God is with him, and the shout of a king is in his midst.

21

“He has not observed iniquity in Jacob,
Nor has He seen [d]wickedness in Israel.
The Lord his God is with him,
And the shout of a King is among them.

22

God brought him out of Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of a buffalo.

22

God brings them out of Egypt;
He has strength like a wild ox.

23

For there is no enchantment against Jacob, neither is there any divination against Israel. At this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

23

“For there is no [e]sorcery against Jacob,
Nor any [f]divination against Israel.
It now must be said of Jacob
And of Israel, ‘Oh, what God has done!’

24

Lo, the people will rise up as a lioness, and lift himself up as a lion. He shall not lie down until he have eaten the prey and drunk the blood of the slain.

24

Look, a people rises like a lioness,
And lifts itself up like a lion;
It shall not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks the blood of the slain.”

25

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

25

Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!”

26

And Balaam answered and said to Balak, Did I not tell thee, saying, All that Jehovah shall speak, that will I do?

26

So Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the Lord speaks, that I must do’?”

27

And Balak said to Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee to another place; perhaps it will be right in the sight of God that thou curse me them from thence.

27

Balaam’s Third Prophecy

Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.”

28

And Balak brought Balaam to the top of Peor, which looks over the surface of the waste.

28

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that overlooks the [g]wasteland.

29

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

29

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

30

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

30

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

Parallel

Darby Bible Translation

New King James Version

Numbers 23

Numbers 23