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

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

2 B alak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

Balak did as Balaam had said. Balak and Balaam gave a bull and a ram on each altar in worship.

3 T hen 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.

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt gift, and I will go. It might be that the Lord will come to me. And whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went up to a hill without trees.

4 N ow 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.”

God met Balaam. Balaam said to Him, “I have made seven altars. And I have given a bull and a ram on each altar in worship.”

5 T hen the Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus.”

Then the Lord put words in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak. This is what you should say.”

6 S o he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab.

So Balaam returned to Balak, and saw him and all the leaders of Moab standing beside his burnt gift.

7 H e 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!’

Balaam began speaking and said, “Balak the king of Moab has brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. ‘Come, curse Jacob for me,’ he said. ‘Come, say that Israel should be punished!’

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

How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I say that those should be punished whom God has not said should be punished?

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.

I see Israel from the top of the rocks. I look at them from the hills. See, the people live apart. They will not be thought of as one of 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!”

Who can number the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of those who are right and good. Let my end be like theirs!”

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

Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse those who hate me. But see, you have asked that good would come to them!”

12 H e replied, “Must I not be careful to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”

Balaam answered, “Must I not be careful to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?” Balaam Tells What Will Happen the Second Time

13 T hen 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.”

Balak said to him, “I beg you, come with me to another place from where you will see them. But you will only see a part of them and not all of them. Curse them for me from there.”

14 S o 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.

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

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

Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt gift, while I meet the Lord over there.”

16 T hen the Lord met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.”

The Lord met Balaam and put words in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak. This is what you should say.”

17 H e 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?”

So he returned to Balak, and saw him and all the leaders of Moab standing beside his burnt gift. Balak said to him, “What has the Lord said?”

18 T hen he took up his discourse and said, “Arise, O Balak, and hear; Give ear to me, O son of Zippor!

Then Balaam began speaking and said, “Rise, O Balak, and hear! Listen to me, O 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?

God is not a man, that He should lie. He is not a son of man, that He should be sorry for what He has said. Has He said, and will He not do it? Has He spoken, and will He not keep His Word?

20 “ Behold, I have received a command to bless; When He has blessed, then I cannot revoke it.

See, I have been told to speak good of Israel. When He has spoken good of them, I cannot change 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.

No hard times are seen in Jacob. No trouble is seen in Israel. The Lord their God is with them. And the cry of a king is among them.

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

God brings them out of Egypt. He is for them like the horns of the wild bull.

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!

For there is no special thing that has been shown against Jacob. Nothing has told of a bad future for Israel. Now it will be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘Look 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.”

See, people rise like a female lion. It lifts itself like a lion. It will not lie down until it eats the food it has killed, and drinks the blood of the kill.”

25 T hen Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!”

Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all or pray that good would come to them!”

26 B ut Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘ Whatever the Lord speaks, that I must do’?”

But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you that I must do whatever the Lord says?” Balaam Tells What Will Happen the Third Time

27 T hen 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.”

Then Balak said to Balaam, “I beg you, come. I will take you to another place. It might be that God will be pleased to have you curse them for me from there.”

28 S o Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the wasteland.

So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which looks over the desert.

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

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

30 B alak did just as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

Balak did just as Balaam had said. He gave a bull and a ram on each altar in worship.