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Numbers 23-25
New Century Version
Numbers 23-25
New Century Version
Balaam’s First Message
23 Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven male sheep for me.” 2 Balak did what Balaam asked, and they offered a bull and a male sheep on each of the altars.
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your burnt offering and I will go. If the Lord comes to me, I will tell you whatever he shows me.” Then Balaam went to a higher place.
4 God came to Balaam there, and Balaam said to him, “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.”
5 The Lord told Balaam what he should say. Then the Lord said, “Go back to Balak and give him this message.”
6 So Balaam went back to Balak. Balak and all the leaders of Moab were still standing beside his burnt offering 7 when Balaam gave them this message:
“Balak brought me here from Aram;
the king of Moab brought me from the eastern mountains.
Balak said, ‘Come, put a curse on the people of Jacob for me.
Come, call down evil on the people of Israel.’
8 But God has not cursed them,
so I cannot curse them.
The Lord has not called down evil on them,
so I cannot call down evil on them.
9 I see them from the top of the mountains;
I see them from the hills.
I see a people who live alone,
who think they are different from other nations.
10 No one can number the many people of Jacob,
and no one can count a fourth of Israel.
Let me die like good men,
and let me end up like them!”
11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you here to curse my enemies, but you have only blessed them!”
12 But Balaam answered, “I must say what the Lord tells me to say.”
Balaam’s Second Message
13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place, where you can also see the people. But you can only see part of them, not all of them. Curse them for me from there.” 14 So Balak took Balaam to the field of Zophim, on top of Mount Pisgah. There Balak built seven altars and offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.
15 So Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering, and I will meet with God over there.”
16 So the Lord came to Balaam and told him what to say. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and say such and such.”
17 So Balaam went to Balak, where he and the leaders of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Then Balaam gave this message:
“Stand up, Balak, and listen.
Hear me, son of Zippor.
19 God is not a human being, and he will not lie.
He is not a human, and he does not change his mind.
What he says he will do, he does.
What he promises, he makes come true.
20 He told me to bless them,
so I cannot change the blessing.
21 He has found no wrong in the people of Jacob;
he saw no fault in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them,
and they praise their King.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
they are as strong as a wild ox.
23 No tricks will work on the people of Jacob,
and no magic will work against Israel.
People now say about them,
‘Look what God has done for Israel!’
24 The people rise up like a lioness;
they get up like a lion.
Lions don’t rest until they have eaten,
until they have drunk their enemies’ blood.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “You haven’t cursed these people, so at least don’t bless them!”
26 Balaam answered Balak, “I told you before that I can only do what the Lord tells me.”
Balaam’s Third Message
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, I will take you to another place. Maybe God will be pleased to let you curse them from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, the mountain that looks over the desert.
29 Balaam told Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare for me seven bulls and seven male sheep.” 30 Balak did what Balaam asked, and he offered a bull and a male sheep on each altar.
24 Balaam saw that the Lord wanted to bless Israel, so he did not try to use any magic but looked toward the desert. 2 When Balaam saw the Israelites camped in their tribes, the Spirit of God took control of him, 3 and he gave this message:
“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor,
the message of a man who sees clearly;
4 this is the message of a man who hears the words of God.
I see a vision from the Almighty,
and my eyes are open as I fall before him.
5 Your tents are beautiful, people of Jacob!
So are your homes, Israel!
6 Your tents spread out like valleys,
like gardens beside a river.
They are like spices planted by the Lord,
like cedar trees growing by the water.
7 Israel’s water buckets will always be full,
and their crops will have plenty of water.
Their king will be greater than Agag;
their kingdom will be very great.
8 God brought them out of Egypt;
they are as strong as a wild ox.
They will defeat their enemies
and break their enemies’ bones;
they will shoot them with arrows.
9 Like a lion, they lie waiting to attack;
like a lioness, no one would be brave enough to wake them.
Anyone who blesses you will be blessed,
and anyone who curses you will be cursed.”
10 Then Balak was angry with Balaam, and he pounded his fist. He said to Balaam, “I called you here to curse my enemies, but you have continued to bless them three times. 11 Now go home! I said I would pay you well, but the Lord has made you lose your reward.”
12 Balaam said to Balak, “When you sent messengers to me, I told them, 13 ‘Balak could give me his palace filled with silver and gold, but I still cannot go against the Lord’s commands. I could not do anything, good or bad, on my own, but I must say what the Lord says.’ 14 Now I am going back to my own people, but I will tell you what these people will do to your people in the future.”
Balaam’s Final Message
15 Then Balaam gave this message:
“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor,
the message of a man who sees clearly;
16 this is the message of a man who hears the words of God.
I know well the Most High God.
I see a vision from the Almighty,
and my eyes are open as I fall before him.
17 I see someone who will come someday,
someone who will come, but not soon.
A star will come from Jacob;
a ruler will rise from Israel.
He will crush the heads of the Moabites
and smash the skulls of the sons of Sheth.
18 Edom will be conquered;
his enemy Edom will be conquered,
but Israel will grow wealthy.
19 A ruler will come from the descendants of Jacob
and will destroy those left in the city.”
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and gave this message:
“Amalek was the most important nation,
but Amalek will be destroyed at last.”
21 Then Balaam saw the Kenites and gave this message:
“Your home is safe,
like a nest on a cliff.
22 But you Kenites will be burned up;
Assyria will keep you captive.”
23 Then Balaam gave this message:
“No one can live when God does this.
24 Ships will sail from the shores of Cyprus
and defeat Assyria and Eber,
but they will also be destroyed.”
25 Then Balaam got up and returned home, and Balak also went on his way.
Israel Worships Baal at Peor
25 While the people of Israel were still camped at Acacia, the men began sinning sexually with Moabite women. 2 The women invited them to their sacrifices to their gods, and the Israelites ate food there and worshiped these gods. 3 So the Israelites began to worship Baal of Peor, and the Lord was very angry with them.
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Get all the leaders of the people and kill them in open daylight in the presence of the Lord. Then the Lord will not be angry with the people of Israel.”
5 So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death your people who have become worshipers of Baal of Peor.”
6 Moses and the Israelites were gathered at the entrance to the Meeting Tent, crying there. Then an Israelite man brought a Midianite woman to his brothers in plain sight of Moses and all the people. 7 Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, so he left the meeting and got his spear. 8 He followed the Israelite into his tent and drove his spear through both the Israelite man and the Midianite woman. Then the terrible sickness among the Israelites stopped.
9 This sickness had killed twenty-four thousand people.
10 The Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has saved the Israelites from my anger. He hates sin as much as I do. Since he tried to save my honor among them, I will not kill them. 12 So tell Phinehas that I am making my peace agreement with him. 13 He and his descendants will always be priests, because he had great concern for the honor of his God. He removed the sins of the Israelites so they would belong to God.”
14 The Israelite man who was killed with the Midianite woman was named Zimri son of Salu. He was the leader of a family in the tribe of Simeon. 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Cozbi daughter of Zur, who was the chief of a Midianite family.
16 The Lord said to Moses, 17 “The Midianites are your enemies, and you should kill them. 18 They have already made you their enemies, because they tricked you at Peor and because of their sister Cozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader. She was the woman who was killed when the sickness came because the people sinned at Peor.”
Numbers 23-25
New International Version
Numbers 23-25
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.” 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)
“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)
8 How can I curse
those whom God has not cursed?(M)
How can I denounce
those whom the Lord has not denounced?(N)
9 From 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)
10 Who 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)”
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.”
17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials.(AC) Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Then he spoke his message:(AD)
“Arise, Balak, and listen;
hear me, son of Zippor.(AE)
19 God 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?
20 I 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.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;(AQ)
they have the strength of a wild ox.(AR)
23 There 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!’
24 The 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.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26 Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”(AW)
Balaam’s Third Message
27 Then 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.” 28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor,(AZ) overlooking the wasteland.
29 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.(BA)
24 Now when Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel,(BB) he did not resort to divination(BC) as at other times, but turned his face toward the wilderness.(BD) 2 When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him(BE) 3 and he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,(BF)
4 the prophecy of one who hears the words of God,(BG)
who sees a vision from the Almighty,[d](BH)
who falls prostrate, and whose eyes are opened:
5 “How beautiful are your tents,(BI) Jacob,
your dwelling places, Israel!
6 “Like valleys they spread out,
like gardens beside a river,(BJ)
like aloes(BK) planted by the Lord,
like cedars beside the waters.(BL)
7 Water will flow from their buckets;
their seed will have abundant water.
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;(BO)
with their arrows they pierce them.(BP)
9 Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
like a lioness(BQ)—who dares to rouse them?
10 Then Balak’s anger burned(BT) against Balaam. He struck his hands together(BU) and said to him, “I summoned you to curse my enemies,(BV) but you have blessed them(BW) these three times.(BX) 11 Now leave at once and go home!(BY) I said I would reward you handsomely,(BZ) but the Lord has kept you from being rewarded.”
12 Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell the messengers you sent me,(CA) 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(CB)—and I must say only what the Lord says’?(CC) 14 Now 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.”(CD)
Balaam’s Fourth Message
15 Then he spoke his message:
“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,
16 the prophecy of one who hears the words(CE) of God,
who has knowledge from the Most High,(CF)
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.(CG)
A star will come out of Jacob;(CH)
a scepter will rise out of Israel.(CI)
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,(CJ)
the skulls[e](CK) of[f] all the people of Sheth.[g]
18 Edom(CL) will be conquered;
Seir,(CM) his enemy, will be conquered,(CN)
but Israel(CO) will grow strong.
19 A ruler will come out of Jacob(CP)
and destroy the survivors of the city.”
Balaam’s Fifth Message
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek(CQ) and spoke his message:
“Amalek was first among the nations,
but their end will be utter destruction.”(CR)
Balaam’s Sixth Message
21 Then he saw the Kenites(CS) and spoke his message:
“Your dwelling place is secure,(CT)
your nest is set in a rock;
22 yet you Kenites will be destroyed
when Ashur(CU) takes you captive.”
Balaam’s Seventh Message
23 Then he spoke his message:
“Alas! Who can live when God does this?[h]
24 Ships will come from the shores of Cyprus;(CV)
they will subdue Ashur(CW) and Eber,(CX)
but they too will come to ruin.(CY)”
25 Then Balaam(CZ) got up and returned home, and Balak went his own way.
Moab Seduces Israel
25 While Israel was staying in Shittim,(DA) the men began to indulge in sexual immorality(DB) with Moabite(DC) women,(DD) 2 who invited them to the sacrifices(DE) to their gods.(DF) The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. 3 So Israel yoked themselves to(DG) the Baal of Peor.(DH) And the Lord’s anger burned against them.
4 The Lord said to Moses, “Take all the leaders(DI) of these people, kill them and expose(DJ) them in broad daylight before the Lord,(DK) so that the Lord’s fierce anger(DL) may turn away from Israel.”
5 So Moses said to Israel’s judges, “Each of you must put to death(DM) those of your people who have yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor.”(DN)
6 Then an Israelite man brought into the camp a Midianite(DO) woman right before the eyes of Moses and the whole assembly of Israel while they were weeping(DP) at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 7 When Phinehas(DQ) son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, saw this, he left the assembly, took a spear(DR) in his hand 8 and followed the Israelite into the tent. He drove the spear into both of them, right through the Israelite man and into the woman’s stomach. Then the plague against the Israelites was stopped;(DS) 9 but those who died in the plague(DT) numbered 24,000.(DU)
10 The Lord said to Moses, 11 “Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away from the Israelites.(DV) Since he was as zealous for my honor(DW) among them as I am, I did not put an end to them in my zeal. 12 Therefore tell him I am making my covenant of peace(DX) with him. 13 He and his descendants will have a covenant of a lasting priesthood,(DY) because he was zealous(DZ) for the honor(EA) of his God and made atonement(EB) for the Israelites.”(EC)
14 The name of the Israelite who was killed with the Midianite woman(ED) was Zimri son of Salu, the leader of a Simeonite family.(EE) 15 And the name of the Midianite woman who was put to death was Kozbi(EF) daughter of Zur, a tribal chief of a Midianite family.(EG)
16 The Lord said to Moses,(EH) 17 “Treat the Midianites(EI) as enemies(EJ) and kill them.(EK) 18 They treated you as enemies when they deceived you in the Peor incident(EL) involving their sister Kozbi, the daughter of a Midianite leader, the woman who was killed when the plague came as a result of that incident.”
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 24:4 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.
New Century Version (NCV) 
The Holy Bible, New Century Version®. Copyright © 2005 by Thomas Nelson, Inc.
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.