Balaam’s First Message

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

³ Then 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.

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

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

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

¹¹ Balak 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)

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

Balaam’s Second Message

¹³ Then 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)” ¹⁴ So 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)

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

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

[The earliest manuscripts and some other ancient witnesses do not have verses 9–20.]

⁹ When Jesus rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene,^(A) out of whom he had driven seven demons. ¹⁰ She went and told those who had been with him and who were mourning and weeping. ¹¹ When they heard that Jesus was alive and that she had seen him, they did not believe it.^(B)

¹² Afterward Jesus appeared in a different form to two of them while they were walking in the country.^{(C) 13} These returned and reported it to the rest; but they did not believe them either.

¹⁴ Later Jesus appeared to the Eleven as they were eating; he rebuked them for their lack of faith and their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen.^(D)

¹⁵ He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.^{(E) 16} Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.^{(F) 17} And these signs^(G) will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons;^(H) they will speak in new tongues;^{(I) 18} they will pick up snakes^(J) with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on^(K) sick people, and they will get well.”

¹⁹ After the Lord Jesus had spoken to them, he was taken up into heaven^(L) and he sat at the right hand of God.^{(M) 20} Then the disciples went out and preached everywhere, and the Lord worked with them and confirmed his word by the signs^(N) that accompanied it.