Balaam’s First Oracle 1 CPDV And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.” BSB BSB: Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”
2 CPDV And when he had acted according to the words of Balaam, they placed a calf and a ram together on each altar. BSB BSB: So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
3 CPDV And Balaam said to Balak: “Stand for a little while next to your holocaust, until I go, to see if perhaps the Lord will meet with me. And whatever he will command, I shall speak to you.” BSB BSB: “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone,” Balaam said to Balak. “Perhaps the LORD will meet with me. And whatever He reveals to me, I will tell you.” So Balaam went off to a barren height,
4 CPDV And after he had quickly departed, God met with him. And Balaam, speaking to him, said: “I have set up seven altars, and I have placed a calf and a ram on each.” BSB BSB: and God met with him. “I have set up seven altars,” Balaam said, “and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
5 CPDV Then the Lord placed the word in his mouth, and he said: “Return to Balak, and you shall say this.” BSB BSB: Then the LORD put a message in Balaam’s mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and give him this message.”
6 CPDV Returning, he found Balak standing next to his holocaust, with all the leaders of the Moabites. BSB BSB: So he returned to Balak, who was standing there beside his burnt offering, with all the princes of Moab.
7 CPDV And taking up his parable, he said: “Balak, king of the Moabites, has led me from Aram, from the mountains of the east. ‘Come forth,’ he said, ‘and curse Jacob. Hurry and condemn Israel.’ BSB BSB: And Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Balak brought me from Aram, the king of Moab from the mountains of the east. ‘Come,’ he said, ‘put a curse on Jacob for me; come and denounce Israel!’
8 CPDV How shall I curse him, whom God has not cursed? For what reason would I condemn him, whom the Lord does not condemn? BSB BSB: How can I curse those whom God has not cursed? How can I denounce those whom the LORD has not denounced?
9 CPDV I will look upon him from the tops of the stones, and I will consider him from the hills. This people shall dwell alone, and they shall not be counted among the nations. BSB BSB: For I see them from atop the rocky cliffs, and I watch them from the hills. Behold, a people dwelling apart, not reckoning themselves among the nations.
10 CPDV Who can number the dust that is Jacob, and who can know the number of the stock of Israel? May my soul die a just death, and may my end be like theirs.” BSB BSB: Who can count the dust of Jacob or number even a fourth of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous; let my end be like theirs!”
11 CPDV And Balak said to Balaam: “What is this that you are doing? I called for you, in order to curse my enemies, and to the contrary, you bless them.” BSB BSB: Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, and behold, you have only blessed them!”
12 CPDV He answered him, “How can I say anything other than what the Lord orders?” BSB BSB: But Balaam replied, “Should I not speak exactly what the LORD puts in my mouth?”
Balaam’s Second Oracle 13 CPDV Therefore, Balak said: “Come with me to another place, from where you may see a portion of Israel, though you cannot see them all. Curse them from there.” BSB BSB: Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp—not all of them. And from there, curse them for me.”
14 CPDV And when he had led him to a lofty place, on the top of mount Pisgah, Balaam built seven altars, and placing upon each a calf and a ram, BSB BSB: So Balak took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, where he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 CPDV he said to Balak, “Stand here next to your holocaust, while I continue on to meet him.” BSB BSB: Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering while I meet the LORD over there.”
16 CPDV And when the Lord had met him, and had put the word in his mouth, he said, “Return to Balak, and you shall say this to him.” BSB BSB: And the LORD met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth, saying, “Return to Balak and speak what I tell you.”
17 CPDV Returning, he found him standing next to his holocaust, and the leaders of the Moabites were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?” BSB BSB: So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the princes of Moab. “What did the LORD say?” Balak asked.
18 CPDV But, taking up his parable, he said: “Stand, Balak, and pay attention. Listen, you son of Zippor. BSB BSB: Then Balaam lifted up an oracle, saying: “Arise, O Balak, and listen; give ear to me, O son of Zippor.
19 CPDV God is not like a man, so that he would lie, nor is he like a son of man, so that he would be changed. Therefore, having spoken, will he not act? Has he ever spoken, and not fulfilled? BSB BSB: God is not a man, that He should lie, or a son of man, that He should change His mind. Does He speak and not act? Does He promise and not fulfill?
20 CPDV I was led here to bless, and I have no strength to hinder the blessing. BSB BSB: I have indeed received a command to bless; He has blessed, and I cannot change it.
21 CPDV There is no idol in Jacob; neither is there a false image to be seen in Israel. The Lord his God is with him, and the resound of royal victory is in him. BSB BSB: He considers no disaster for Jacob; He sees no trouble for Israel. The LORD their God is with them, and the shout of the King is among them.
22 CPDV God has led him away from Egypt; his strength is like that of the rhinoceros. BSB BSB: God brought them out of Egypt with strength like a wild ox.
23 CPDV There is no soothsaying in Jacob, nor any divination in Israel. In their times, it shall be told to Jacob and to Israel what God has wrought. BSB BSB: For there is no spell against Jacob and no divination against Israel. It will now be said of Jacob and Israel, ‘What great things God has done!’
24 CPDV Behold, the people will rise up like a lioness, and lie down like a lion. But they will not lie down until they devour the prey and drink the blood of the slain.” BSB BSB: Behold, the people rise like a lioness; they rouse themselves like a lion, not resting until they devour their prey and drink the blood of the slain.”
25 CPDV And Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse him, nor bless him.” BSB BSB: Now Balak said to Balaam, “Then neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26 CPDV And he said, “Have I not told you that whatever God would command of me, I would do?” BSB BSB: But Balaam replied, “Did I not tell you that whatever the LORD says, I must do?”
27 CPDV And Balak said to him: “Come and I will lead you to another place. If perhaps it may please God, then you may curse them from there.” BSB BSB: “Please come,” said Balak, “I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you curse them for me from there.”
28 CPDV And when he had led him on to the top of mount Peor, which looks out toward the wilderness, BSB BSB: And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.
29 CPDV Balaam said to him, “Build seven altars here for me, and prepare as many calves, and the same number of rams.” BSB BSB: Then Balaam said, “Build for me seven altars here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams.”
30 CPDV Balak did as Balaam had said, and he placed on each altar a calf and a ram. BSB BSB: So Balak did as Balaam had instructed, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.