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 oxen 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 the LORD will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell thee. And thus he went alone.

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 seven altars, and I have offered upon each altar a bullock and a ram.

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

And the LORD 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, behold, he stood by his burnt sacrifice, 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, Balak, the king of Moab, has brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse me Jacob and come, denounce Israel.

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

Why should I curse one whom God has not cursed? And why should I denounce one whom the LORD has not denounced?

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 have seen him, and from the hills I beheld him; behold, a people that shall dwell in confidence and shall not be counted among the Gentiles.

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 shall 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 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!”

Then Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse my 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 the LORD has put 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 which thou may see them; thou hast seen but the utmost part of them and hast not seen them all; and from there thou shalt curse them for me.

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 brought him into the field of Zophim to the top of Pisgah and built seven altars and offered 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.”

Then he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, while I meet the LORD 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 the LORD met Balaam and put a word in his mouth and said unto him, Go again unto Balak and say thus.

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 unto him, and behold, he stood by his burnt offering and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said unto him, What has the LORD spoken?

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

Then 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; he said and shall he not do it? He spoke and shall he not execute it?

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

Behold, I have received blessing; and he has 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 has not beheld iniquity in Jacob, neither has he seen rebellion in Israel; the LORD his God is with him, and the battle-cry of a king is in him.

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

God brought them out of Egypt; he has, as it were the strength of a unicorn.

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!’

Because there is no enchantment in Jacob, neither is there any divination in Israel. According to this time, it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What God has made!

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, who shall rise up as a great lion and lift up himself as a young lion; 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, “Neither curse them at all, nor bless them at all!”

Then Balak said unto Balaam, Now that you do not curse them, do not bless them either.

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

Then Balaam said unto Balak, Did I not tell thee that all that the LORD says unto me, 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, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another place; peradventure it will please God that thou may curse them for me from there.

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

And Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looks toward Jeshimon.

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 a bullock and a ram on every altar.