Numbers 23
Lexham English Bible
Balaam’s Oracles
23 Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me this: seven altars. And prepare for me this: seven bulls and seven rams.” 2 And Balak did just as Balaam spoke, and Balak offered Balaam a bull and a ram on the altar. 3 And Balaam said to Balak, “Station yourself at your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell to you.” So he went to a barren height.
4 And God met with Balaam, and he said to him, “I have arranged seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a ram on the altar.” 5 Yahweh put a word in the mouth of Balaam and said, “Return to Balak, and you must speak thus.” 6 So he returned to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, he and all the leaders of Moab. 7 And he lifted up his oracle and said,
“From Aram Balak lead me,
from the mountains of the east the king of Moab,
‘Go for me, curse Jacob,
and go, denounce Israel.’
8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed,
and how can I denounce whom Yahweh has not denounced?
9 Because from the top of the rocks I see him,
from hilltops I watch him.
Behold, a people who dwell alone,
they do not consider themselves among the nations.
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob,
or as a number the fourth part of Israel?
Let my life die the death of an upright person,
and let my end be like his!”
11 And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I took you to curse my enemies, and look, you have surely blessed them!” 12 He answered and said, “Should I not speak[a] what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”
13 Then Balak said, “Please walk with me to another place where you will see them, but you will only see part of them and will not see all of them; and curse them for me from there.” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim to the top of Pisgah, and he built seven altars, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Balaam[b] said to Balak, “Station yourself here at the burnt offering while I myself meet with Yahweh there.” 16 Then Yahweh met with Balaam, and he put a word in his mouth, and he said, “Return to Balak, and you must speak thus.” 17 He came to him, and behold, he was standing at his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?” 18 Then he uttered[c] his oracle, and said,
“Stand up, Balak, and hear;
listen to me, son of Zippor!
19 God is not a man, that he should lie,
nor a son of humankind,
that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
And has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
20 Behold, I have received a command to bless;
when he has blessed, I cannot cause it to return.
21 He has no regard for evil in Jacob,
and he does not see trouble in Israel;
Yahweh his God is with him,
and a shout[d] of a king is among them.[e]
22 God, who brings them out from Egypt,
is like the strength[f] of a wild ox for them.[g]
23 Because there is no sorcery against Jacob,
and there is no divination against Israel.
Now[h] it will be said to Jacob and Israel,
what God has done!
24 Look! the people will rise like the lion;
he raises himself and will not lie down
until he eats the prey
and drinks the blood of the slain.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them[i] at all, nor bless them[j] at all!” 26 But Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not speak to you, saying, ‘Whatever Yahweh speaks I will do’?”
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please, come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be acceptable to[k] God, and you will curse for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which looks down on the face of the Jeshimon.[l] 29 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build for me these seven altars, and prepare for me these seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 Balak did just as Balaam said, and he offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Footnotes
- Numbers 23:12 Literally “Should I not observe to speak”
- Numbers 23:15 Hebrew “He”
- Numbers 23:18 Literally “he lifted up”
- Numbers 23:21 Or “a blast”
- Numbers 23:21 Hebrew “him”
- Numbers 23:22 Or “like the horns”
- Numbers 23:22 Hebrew “him”
- Numbers 23:23 Or “At the right time”
- Numbers 23:25 Hebrew “him”
- Numbers 23:25 Hebrew “him”
- Numbers 23:27 Literally “it will be right in the eyes of”
- Numbers 23:28 Or “the wasteland”
民數記 23
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
巴蘭的預言
23 巴蘭對巴勒說：「你在這裡為我築七座祭壇，預備七頭公牛和七隻公綿羊。」 2 巴勒就照巴蘭的話做了。他們二人在每座壇上獻上一頭公牛和一隻公綿羊， 3 巴蘭對巴勒說：「你留在燔祭旁邊，我到前面去，也許耶和華會來見我。無論祂有什麼指示，我必告訴你。」 4 上帝果然向巴蘭顯現。巴蘭對上帝說：「我已經預備了七座祭壇，每座祭壇上獻了一頭公牛和一隻公綿羊。」 5 耶和華告訴他當說的話，命他回去轉告巴勒。 6 巴蘭就回到巴勒那裡，看見他和摩押的臣僕們都站在燔祭旁邊。 7 巴蘭吟詩預言說：
「巴勒引我出亞蘭，
摩押王請我出東山，
說，『來為我咒詛雅各，
來斥責以色列！』
8 上帝沒有咒詛的，
我怎能咒詛？
耶和華沒有斥責的，
我怎能斥責？
9 我從峰頂觀看他們，
從高崗眺望他們，
這獨居一方之民，
不與萬國同列。
10 雅各的子孫多如塵土，
誰能數得清？
誰能數清以色列人的四分之一？
我願像義人一樣死去，
如義人般終此一生。」
11 巴勒對巴蘭說：「你這是做什麽？我請你來咒詛我的仇敵，你竟祝福他們！」 12 巴蘭說：「耶和華讓我說的話，我豈能不說？」
巴蘭第二次預言
13 巴勒說：「請你跟我去另一個地方，那裡看不見全部以色列人，只能看見一部分，你要在那裡為我咒詛他們。」 14 他領巴蘭上到毗斯迦山頂的瑣腓田，在那裡築了七座祭壇，每座壇上都獻了一頭公牛和一隻公綿羊。 15 巴蘭對巴勒說：「你留在這些燔祭旁邊，我到那邊去見耶和華。」 16 耶和華向巴蘭顯現，告訴他當說的話，讓他轉告巴勒。 17 巴蘭回到巴勒那裡，看見他和摩押的臣僕們都站在燔祭旁邊。巴勒問道：「耶和華說了什麼？」 18 巴蘭吟詩預言說：
「巴勒啊，要留心聽！
西撥的兒子啊，請聽我言。
19 上帝並非世人，祂不撒謊；
上帝不是凡人，祂不反悔。
祂言出必行，信守承諾。
20 我奉命祝福，祂已賜福，
我不能改變。
21 雅各的子孫中未見有罪惡，
以色列人中看不見有禍患。
他們的上帝耶和華與他們同在，
他們向自己的君王歡呼。
22 上帝把他們帶出埃及，
祂[a]的力量如野牛之角。
23 沒有邪術能害雅各，
沒有咒語可傷以色列。
時候一到，人們必談論雅各，
談論以色列，說，『看啊，
上帝的作為何等偉大！』
24 看啊，這民族挺身如母獅，
又像雄獅一躍而起，
不吞掉獵物不甘休，
不喝飽獵物的血不躺臥。」
25 巴勒對巴蘭說：「你可以不咒詛他們，但也不該為他們祝福啊！」 26 巴蘭回答說：「我不是說過，我必須按耶和華的指示做嗎？」
27 巴勒說：「來吧，我帶你去另一個地方，也許上帝會同意你在那裡為我咒詛他們。」 28 他領著巴蘭登上俯瞰曠野的毗珥山頂。 29 巴蘭對巴勒說：「你在這裡為我築七座祭壇，預備七頭公牛和七隻公綿羊。」 30 巴勒就照巴蘭的話在每座祭壇上獻了一頭公牛和一隻公綿羊。
Footnotes
- 23·22 「祂」或譯「他們」。
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