Numbers 23

New International Version

Balaam’s First Message

23 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams^(A) for me.” ²Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.^(B)

³Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me.^(C) Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren height.

⁴God met with him,^(D) and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”

⁵The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth^(E) and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”^(F)

⁶So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials.^(G) ⁷Then Balaam^(H) spoke his message:^(I)

“Balak brought me from Aram,^(J)
    the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.^(K)
‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me;
    come, denounce Israel.’^(L)
⁸How can I curse
    those whom God has not cursed?^(M)
How can I denounce
    those whom the Lord has not denounced?^(N)
⁹From the rocky peaks I see them,
    from the heights I view them.^(O)
I see a people who live apart
    and do not consider themselves one of the nations.^(P)
¹⁰Who can count the dust of Jacob^(Q)
    or number even a fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,^(R)
    and may my final end be like theirs!^(S)”

¹¹Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies,^(T) but you have done nothing but bless them!”^(U)

¹²He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”^(V)

Balaam’s Second Message

¹³Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place^(W) where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp.^(X) And from there, curse them for me.^(Y)” ¹⁴So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah,^(Z) and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.^(AA)

¹⁵Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”

¹⁶The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth^(AB) and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”

¹⁷So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials.^(AC) Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”

¹⁸Then he spoke his message:^(AD)

“Arise, Balak, and listen;
    hear me, son of Zippor.^(AE)
¹⁹God is not human,^(AF) that he should lie,^(AG)
    not a human being, that he should change his mind.^(AH)
Does he speak and then not act?
    Does he promise^(AI) and not fulfill?
²⁰I have received a command to bless;^(AJ)
    he has blessed,^(AK) and I cannot change it.^(AL)

²¹“No misfortune is seen in Jacob,^(AM)
    no misery observed^[a] in Israel.^(AN)
The Lord their God is with them;^(AO)
    the shout of the King^(AP) is among them.
²²God brought them out of Egypt;^(AQ)
    they have the strength of a wild ox.^(AR)
²³There is no divination against^[b] Jacob,
    no evil omens^(AS) against^[c] Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
    and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
²⁴The people rise like a lioness;^(AT)
    they rouse themselves like a lion^(AU)
that does not rest till it devours its prey
    and drinks the blood^(AV) of its victims.”

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

²⁶Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”^(AW)

Balaam’s Third Message

²⁷Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place.^(AX) Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me^(AY) from there.” ²⁸And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor,^(AZ) overlooking the wasteland.

²⁹Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” ³⁰Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.^(BA)

Footnotes

Numbers 23:21 Or He has not looked on Jacob’s offenses / or on the wrongs found
Numbers 23:23 Or in
Numbers 23:23 Or in

Numbers 24

New International Version

24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel,^(A) he did not resort to divination^(B) as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness.^(C) ²When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him^(D) ³and he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
    the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,^(E)
⁴the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,^(F)
    who sees a vision from the Almighty,^[a]^(G)
    who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

⁵“How beautiful are your tents,^(H) Jacob,
your dwelling places, Israel!

⁶“Like valleys they spread out,
    like gardens beside a river,^(I)
like aloes^(J) planted by the Lord,
    like cedars beside the waters.^(K)
⁷Water will flow from their buckets;
    their seed will have abundant water.

“Their king will be greater than Agag;^(L)
their kingdom will be exalted.^(M)

⁸“God brought them out of Egypt;
    they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
    and break their bones in pieces;^(N)
    with their arrows they pierce them.^(O)
⁹Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
    like a lioness^(P)—who dares to rouse them?

“May those who bless you be blessed^(Q)
and those who curse you be cursed!”^(R)

¹⁰Then Balak’s anger burned^(S) against Balaam. He struck his hands together^(T) and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies,^(U) but you have blessed them^(V) these three times.^(W) ¹¹Now leave at once and go home!^(X) I said I would reward you handsomely,^(Y) but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”

¹²Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me,^(Z) ¹³‘Even if Balak gave me all the silver and gold in his palace, I could not do anything of my own accord, good or bad, to go beyond the command of the Lord^(AA)—and I must say only what the Lord says’?^(AB) ¹⁴Now I am going back to my people, but come, let me warn you of what this people will do to your people in days to come.”^(AC)

Balaam’s Fourth Message

¹⁵Then he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
    the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
¹⁶the prophecy of one who hears the words^(AD) of God,
    who has knowledge from the Most High,^(AE)
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
    who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:

¹⁷“I see him, but not now;
    I behold him, but not near.^(AF)
A star will come out of Jacob;^(AG)
    a scepter will rise out of Israel.^(AH)
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,^(AI)
    the skulls^[b]^(AJ) of^[c] all the people of Sheth.^[d]
¹⁸Edom^(AK) will be conquered;
    Seir,^(AL) his enemy, will be conquered,^(AM)
    but Israel^(AN) will grow strong.
¹⁹A ruler will come out of Jacob^(AO)
    and destroy the survivors of the city.”

Balaam’s Fifth Message

²⁰Then Balaam saw Amalek^(AP) and spoke his message:

“Amalek was first among the nations,
but their end will be utter destruction.”^(AQ)

Balaam’s Sixth Message

²¹Then he saw the Kenites^(AR) and spoke his message:

“Your dwelling place is secure,^(AS)
your nest is set in a rock;
²²yet you Kenites will be destroyed
when Ashur^(AT) takes you captive.”

Balaam’s Seventh Message

²³Then he spoke his message:

“Alas! Who can live when God does this?^[e]
²⁴ Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus;^(AU)
they will subdue Ashur^(AV) and Eber,^(AW)
but they too will come to ruin.^(AX)”

²⁵Then Balaam^(AY) got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.

Footnotes

Numbers 24:4 Hebrew Shaddai; also in verse 16
Numbers 24:17 Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Jer. 48:45); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
Numbers 24:17 Or possibly Moab, / batter
Numbers 24:17 Or all the noisy boasters
Numbers 24:23 Masoretic Text; with a different word division of the Hebrew The people from the islands will gather from the north.