Online Bible

Yahweh Speaks Through Balaam

Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 2 So Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill.

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.” 5 Then Yahweh ^aput a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus.” 6 So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. 7 Then he took up his ¹discourse and said,“From ^aAram Balak has brought me,Moab’s king from the mountains of the East,‘^bCome curse Jacob for me,And come, denounce Israel!’

8 “^aHow shall I curse whom God has not cursed?And how can I denounce whom Yahweh has not denounced?9 “For I see him from the top of the rocks,And I look at him from the hills;^aBehold, a people who dwells alone,And will not be reckoned among the nations.10 “^aWho can number the dust of Jacob,Or count the fourth part of Israel?^bLet ¹me die the death of the upright,^cAnd let my end be like his!”

11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? ^aI took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have blessed them repeatedly!” 12 And he replied, “Must I not be careful to speak ^awhat Yahweh puts in my mouth?”

Balaam’s Discourse

13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, but you will only see the end of them and will not see all of them; and 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. 15 And he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet Yahweh over there.” 16 Then Yahweh met Balaam and ^aput a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 17 So 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 Yahweh spoken?” 18 Then he took up his ¹discourse and said,“Arise, O Balak, and hear;Give ear to me, O son of Zippor!

19 “^aGod is not a man, that He should lie,Nor a son of man, that He should repent;^bHas He said, and will He not do it?Or has He spoken, and will He not establish it?20 “Behold, I have received a command to bless;^aWhen He has blessed, then ^bI cannot revoke it.21 “^aHe has not observed ¹misfortune in Jacob;^bNor has He seen trouble in Israel;^cYahweh his God is with him,^dAnd the shout of a king is among them.22 “^aGod brings them out of Egypt,He is for them like the ^bhorns of the wild ox.23 “^aFor there is no omen against Jacob,Nor is there any divination against Israel;At the proper time it shall be said to JacobAnd to Israel, what God has done!24 “^aBehold, 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.”

25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!” 26 But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘^aWhatever Yahweh speaks, that I must do’?”

27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be right in the eyes of God that you curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the ¹wasteland. 29 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 30 And Balak did just as Balaam had said and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.

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.” 2 Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up 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.

4 Now God met with 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.” 5 Then the LORD ^aput a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what 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. 7 And he took up his discourse and said,“From ^aAram Balak has brought me,Moab’s king from the mountains of the East, saying,‘^bCome, declare Jacob cursed for me,And come, curse Israel!’

8 “^aHow am I to put a curse on him upon whom God has not put a curse?And how am I to curse him whom the LORD has not cursed?9 “For I see him from the top of the rocks,And I look at him from the hills;^aBehold, a people that lives in isolation,And does not consider itself to be among the nations.10 “^aWho has counted the dust of Jacob,Or the number of the fourth part of Israel?^bMay ¹I die the death of the upright,^cAnd may my end be like his!”

11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? ^aI took you to put a curse on my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them!” 12 He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak ^awhat the LORD puts 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 put a curse on them for me from there.” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, and he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Then he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet the LORD over there.” 16 Then the LORD met Balaam and ^aput a word in his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.” 17 So 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?” 18 Then he took up his discourse and said,“Arise, Balak, and hear;Listen to me, son of Zippor!

19 “^aGod is not a man, that He would lie,Nor a son of man, that He would change His mind;^bHas 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;^aWhen He has blessed, ^bI cannot revoke it.21 “^aHe has not looked at misfortune in Jacob;^bNor has He seen trouble in Israel;^cThe LORD his God is with him,^dAnd the joyful shout of a king is among them.22 “^aGod brings them out of Egypt,He is for them like the ^bhorns of the wild ox.23 “^aFor there is no magic curse against Jacob,Nor is there any divination against Israel;At the proper time it shall be said to JacobAnd to Israel, what God has done!24 “^aBehold, a people rises like a lioness,And like a lion it raises itself;It will not lie down until it devours the prey,And drinks the blood of those slain.”

25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!” 26 But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, ‘¹^aWhatever the LORD speaks, I must do’?”

27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be ¹agreeable with God that you curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the ¹desert. 29 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 30 Balak did just as Balaam had said, and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.