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

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

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

And Balak did as Balaam had spoken; and Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.

3 T hen 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.

And Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt-offering, and I will go: peradventure Jehovah will come to meet me; and whatsoever he showeth me I will tell thee. And he went to a bare height.

4 A nd 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.”

And God met Balaam: and he said unto him, I have prepared the seven altars, and I have offered up a bullock and a ram on every altar.

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

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

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

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

7 A nd he took up his 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!’

And he took up his parable, and said, From Aram hath Balak brought me, The king of Moab from the mountains of the East: Come, curse me Jacob, And come, defy Israel.

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

How shall I curse, whom God hath not cursed? And how shall I defy, whom Jehovah hath not defied?

9 F or 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.

For from the top of the rocks I see him, And from the hills I behold him: lo, it is a people that dwelleth alone, And shall not be reckoned among the nations.

10 “ Who can count the dust of Jacob, Or number one-fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous, 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, And 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, and look, you have blessed them bountifully!”

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

12 S o he answered and said, “Must I not take heed to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?” Balaam’s Second Prophecy

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

13 T hen 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.”

And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, from whence thou mayest see them; thou shalt see but the utmost part of them, and shalt not see them all: and curse me them from thence.

14 S o 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.

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

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

And he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt-offering, while I meet Jehovah yonder.

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

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

17 S o 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?”

And he came to him, and, lo, he was standing by his burnt-offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What hath Jehovah spoken?

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

And he took up his parable, and said, Rise up, Balak, and hear; Hearken unto me, thou 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? Or has He spoken, and will He not make it good?

God is not a man, that he should lie, Neither the son of man, that he should repent: Hath he said, and will he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and will he not make it good?

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

Behold, I have received commandment to bless: And he hath blessed, and I cannot reverse it.

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

He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob; Neither hath he seen perverseness in Israel: Jehovah his God is with him, And the shout of a king is among them.

22 G od brings them out of Egypt; He has strength like a wild ox.

God bringeth them forth out of Egypt; He hath as it were the strength of the wild-ox.

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

Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob; Neither is there any divination with Israel: Now shalt it be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought!

24 L ook, 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.”

Behold, the people riseth up as a lioness, And as a lion doth he lift himself up: He shall not lie down until he eat of the prey, And drink the blood of the slain.

25 T hen Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!”

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

26 S o Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘All that the Lord speaks, that I must do’?” Balaam’s Third Prophecy

But Balaam answered and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that Jehovah speaketh, that I must do?

27 T hen 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.”

And Balak said unto Balaam, Come now, I will take thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou mayest curse me them from thence.

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

And Balak took Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh down upon the desert.

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

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

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

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