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

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

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 spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bull and a ram.

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.

Balaam said to Balak, “Stand by your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me. Whatever he shows me I will tell you.” He went to a bare height.

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, and he said to him, “I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.”

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

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

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

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

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!’

He took up his parable, and said, “From Aram has Balak brought me, the king of Moab from the mountains of the East. Come, curse Jacob for me. Come, defy Israel.

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

How shall I curse whom God has not cursed? How shall I defy whom Yahweh has not defied?

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.

For from the top of the rocks I see him. From the hills I see him. Behold, it is a people that dwells alone, and shall not be listed 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!”

Who can count the dust of Jacob, or number the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous! Let my last end be like his!”

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 my enemies, and behold, you have blessed them altogether.”

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

He answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak that which Yahweh puts in my mouth?”

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, “Please come with me to another place, where you may see them. You shall see just part of them, and shall not see them all. Curse them from there for me.”

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.

He took him into the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.

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

He said to Balak, “Stand here by your burnt offering, while I meet 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.”

Yahweh met Balaam, and put a word in his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and say this.”

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?”

He came to him, and behold, he was standing by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?”

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

He took up his parable, and said, “Rise up, Balak, and hear! Listen to me, you 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, nor the 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?

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

Behold, I have received a command to bless. He has blessed, and I can’t 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.

He has not seen iniquity in Jacob. Neither has he seen perverseness in Israel. Yahweh his God is with him. 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.

God brings them out of Egypt. He has as it were the strength of the 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!

Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob; Neither is there any divination with Israel. Now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, ‘What has God 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.”

Behold, the people rises up as a lioness. As a lion he lifts himself up. He shall not lie down until he eats of the prey, and drinks the blood of the slain.”

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

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

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

But Balaam answered Balak, “Didn’t I tell you, saying, ‘All that Yahweh speaks, that I must do?’”

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.”

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

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

Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, that looks down on 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 prepare 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 as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on every altar.