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.

Isaiah 14

New International Version

14 The Lord will have compassion^(A) on Jacob;
    once again he will choose^(B) Israel
    and will settle them in their own land.^(C)
Foreigners^(D) will join them
    and unite with the descendants of Jacob.
²Nations will take them
    and bring^(E) them to their own place.
And Israel will take possession of the nations^(F)
    and make them male and female servants in the Lord’s land.
They will make captives^(G) of their captors
    and rule over their oppressors.^(H)

³On the day the Lord gives you relief^(I) from your suffering and turmoil^(J) and from the harsh labor forced on you,^(K) ⁴you will take up this taunt^(L) against the king of Babylon:^(M)

How the oppressor^(N) has come to an end!
    How his fury^[a] has ended!
⁵The Lord has broken the rod^(O) of the wicked,^(P)
    the scepter^(Q) of the rulers,
⁶which in anger struck down peoples^(R)
    with unceasing blows,
and in fury subdued^(S) nations
    with relentless aggression.^(T)
⁷All the lands are at rest and at peace;^(U)
    they break into singing.^(V)
⁸Even the junipers^(W) and the cedars of Lebanon
    gloat over you and say,
“Now that you have been laid low,
    no one comes to cut us down.”^(X)

⁹The realm of the dead^(Y) below is all astir
    to meet you at your coming;
it rouses the spirits of the departed^(Z) to greet you—
    all those who were leaders^(AA) in the world;
it makes them rise from their thrones—
    all those who were kings over the nations.^(AB)
¹⁰They will all respond,
    they will say to you,
“You also have become weak, as we are;
    you have become like us.”^(AC)
¹¹All your pomp has been brought down to the grave,^(AD)
    along with the noise of your harps;^(AE)
maggots are spread out beneath you
    and worms^(AF) cover you.^(AG)

¹²How you have fallen^(AH) from heaven,
    morning star,^(AI) son of the dawn!
You have been cast down to the earth,
    you who once laid low the nations!^(AJ)
¹³You said in your heart,
    “I will ascend^(AK) to the heavens;
I will raise my throne^(AL)
    above the stars of God;
I will sit enthroned on the mount of assembly,^(AM)
    on the utmost heights^(AN) of Mount Zaphon.^[b]
¹⁴I will ascend above the tops of the clouds;^(AO)
    I will make myself like the Most High.”^(AP)
¹⁵But you are brought down^(AQ) to the realm of the dead,^(AR)
    to the depths^(AS) of the pit.^(AT)

¹⁶Those who see you stare at you,
    they ponder your fate:^(AU)
“Is this the man who shook^(AV) the earth
    and made kingdoms tremble,
¹⁷the man who made the world a wilderness,^(AW)
    who overthrew^(AX) its cities
    and would not let his captives go home?”^(AY)

¹⁸All the kings of the nations lie in state,
    each in his own tomb.^(AZ)
¹⁹But you are cast out^(BA) of your tomb
    like a rejected branch;
you are covered with the slain,^(BB)
    with those pierced by the sword,^(BC)
    those who descend to the stones of the pit.^(BD)
Like a corpse trampled underfoot,
²⁰    you will not join them in burial,^(BE)
for you have destroyed your land
    and killed your people.

Let the offspring^(BF) of the wicked^(BG)
    never be mentioned^(BH) again.
²¹Prepare a place to slaughter his children^(BI)
    for the sins of their ancestors;^(BJ)
they are not to rise to inherit the land
    and cover the earth with their cities.

²²“I will rise up^(BK) against them,”
    declares the Lord Almighty.
“I will wipe out Babylon’s name^(BL) and survivors,
    her offspring and descendants,^(BM)”
declares the Lord.
²³“I will turn her into a place for owls^(BN)
    and into swampland;
I will sweep her with the broom of destruction,^(BO)”
    declares the Lord Almighty.^(BP)

²⁴The Lord Almighty has sworn,^(BQ)

“Surely, as I have planned,^(BR) so it will be,
    and as I have purposed, so it will happen.^(BS)
²⁵I will crush the Assyrian^(BT) in my land;
    on my mountains I will trample him down.
His yoke^(BU) will be taken from my people,
    and his burden removed from their shoulders.^(BV)”

²⁶This is the plan^(BW) determined for the whole world;
this is the hand^(BX) stretched out over all nations.
²⁷For the Lord Almighty has purposed,^(BY) and who can thwart him?
His hand^(BZ) is stretched out, and who can turn it back?^(CA)

A Prophecy Against the Philistines

²⁸This prophecy^(CB) came in the year^(CC) King Ahaz^(CD) died:

²⁹Do not rejoice, all you Philistines,^(CE)
    that the rod that struck you is broken;
from the root of that snake will spring up a viper,^(CF)
    its fruit will be a darting, venomous serpent.^(CG)
³⁰The poorest of the poor will find pasture,
    and the needy^(CH) will lie down in safety.^(CI)
But your root I will destroy by famine;^(CJ)
    it will slay^(CK) your survivors.^(CL)

³¹Wail,^(CM) you gate!^(CN) Howl, you city!
    Melt away, all you Philistines!^(CO)
A cloud of smoke comes from the north,^(CP)
    and there is not a straggler in its ranks.^(CQ)
³²What answer shall be given
    to the envoys^(CR) of that nation?
“The Lord has established Zion,^(CS)
    and in her his afflicted people will find refuge.^(CT)”

Footnotes

Isaiah 14:4 Dead Sea Scrolls, Septuagint and Syriac; the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
Isaiah 14:13 Or of the north; Zaphon was the most sacred mountain of the Canaanites.

Psalm 129

New International Version

Psalm 129

A song of ascents.

¹“They have greatly oppressed^(A) me from my youth,”^(B)
    let Israel say;^(C)
²“they have greatly oppressed me from my youth,
    but they have not gained the victory^(D) over me.
³Plowmen have plowed my back
    and made their furrows long.
⁴But the Lord is righteous;^(E)
    he has cut me free^(F) from the cords of the wicked.”^(G)

⁵May all who hate Zion^(H)
    be turned back in shame.^(I)
⁶May they be like grass on the roof,^(J)
    which withers^(K) before it can grow;
⁷a reaper cannot fill his hands with it,^(L)
    nor one who gathers fill his arms.
⁸May those who pass by not say to them,
    “The blessing of the Lord be on you;
    we bless you^(M) in the name of the Lord.”