Numbers 22:39-23:12

New American Standard Bible

³⁹And Balaam went with Balak, and they came to Kiriath-huzoth. ⁴⁰Balak sacrificed oxen and sheep, and sent some to Balaam and the leaders who were with him.

⁴¹Then it came about in the morning that Balak took Balaam and brought him up to ^[a]^(A)the high places of Baal, and he saw from there ^[b]a ^(B)portion of the people.

The Prophecies of Balaam

23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” ²Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. ³Then 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.

⁴Now 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.” ⁵Then the Lord ^(C)put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall speak.” ⁶So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. ⁷And he took up his discourse and said,

“From ^(D)Aram Balak has brought me,
Moab’s king from the mountains of the East, saying,
‘^(E)Come, declare Jacob cursed for me,
And come, curse Israel!’
⁸^(F)How 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?
⁹For I see him from the top of the rocks,
And I look at him from the hills;
^(G)Behold, a people that lives in isolation,
And does not consider itself to be among the nations.
¹⁰^(H)Who has counted the dust of Jacob,
Or the number of the fourth part of Israel?
^(I)May ^[c]I die the death of the upright,
^(J)And may my end be like his!”

¹¹Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? ^(K)I took you to put a curse on my enemies, but behold, you have actually blessed them!” ¹²He replied, “Must I not be careful to speak ^(L)what the Lord puts in my mouth?”