New American Standard Bible

New King James Version

The Prophecies of Balaam

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

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

Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull 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

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside 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 bare 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

Now God met Balaam, and he said to Him, “I have set up the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on 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

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

5

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

6

So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders 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

He took up his discourse and said,
“From Aram Balak has brought me,
Moab’s king from the mountains of the East,
‘Come curse Jacob for me,
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 has not cursed?
And how can I denounce whom the LORD has not denounced?

8

“How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
And how shall I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?

9

“As I see him from the top of the rocks,
And I look at him from the hills;
Behold, a people who dwells apart,
And will 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,
Or number the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright,
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

Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them!”

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

He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak what the LORD 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

Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, although you will only see the extreme end of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.”

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

So he took 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.

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 he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet the LORD over there.”

15

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

16

Then the LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall 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

He came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the LORD 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 discourse and said,
“Arise, O Balak, and hear;
Give ear to me, O 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,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He 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 a command to bless;
When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.

20

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

21

“He has not observed misfortune in Jacob;
Nor has He seen trouble in Israel;
The LORD his God is with him,
And the shout of a king is among them.

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 brings them out of Egypt,
He is for them like the horns of the wild ox.

22

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

23

“For there is no omen against Jacob,
Nor is there any divination against Israel;
At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob
And to Israel, what God has done!

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

“Behold, a people rises like a lioness,
And as a lion it lifts itself;
It will not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks 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

Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not 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

But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘Whatever the LORD speaks, that I must 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

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

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

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the wasteland.

28

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

29

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

29

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

30

Balak did just as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull 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

New American Standard Bible

New King James Version

Numbers 23

Numbers 23