Numbers 23
Legacy Standard Bible
Yahweh Speaks Through Balaam
23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 2 So Balak did just as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered up a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go; perhaps Yahweh will come to meet me, and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a bare hill.
4 Now God met 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.” 5 Then Yahweh (A)put a word in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and you shall 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 Then he took up his [a]discourse and said,
“From (B)Aram Balak has brought me,
Moab’s king from the mountains of the East,
‘(C)Come curse Jacob for me,
And come, denounce Israel!’
8 (D)How shall I curse whom God has not cursed?
And how can I denounce whom Yahweh has not denounced?
9 For I see him from the top of the rocks,
And I look at him from the hills;
(E)Behold, a people who dwells alone,
And will not be reckoned among the nations.
10 (F)Who can number the dust of Jacob,
Or count the fourth part of Israel?
(G)Let [b]me die the death of the upright,
(H)And let my end be like his!”
11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? (I)I took you to curse my enemies, but behold, you have blessed them repeatedly!” 12 And he replied, “Must I not be careful to speak (J)what Yahweh puts in my mouth?”
Balaam’s Discourse
13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from where you may see them, but you will only see the end 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 built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 And he said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I myself meet Yahweh over there.” 16 Then Yahweh met Balaam and (K)put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 17 So he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has Yahweh spoken?” 18 Then he took up his [c]discourse and said,
“Arise, O Balak, and hear;
Give ear to me, O son of Zippor!
19 (L)God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
(M)Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not establish it?
20 Behold, I have received a command to bless;
(N)When He has blessed, then (O)I cannot revoke it.
21 (P)He has not observed [d]misfortune in Jacob;
(Q)Nor has He seen trouble in Israel;
(R)Yahweh his God is with him,
(S)And the shout of a king is among them.
22 (T)God brings them out of Egypt,
He is for them like the (U)horns of the wild ox.
23 (V)For there is no omen against Jacob,
Nor is there any divination against Israel;
At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob
And to Israel, what God has done!
24 (W)Behold, a people rises like a lioness,
And as a lion it lifts itself;
It will not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks the blood of the slain.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all nor bless them at all!” 26 But Balaam replied to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ‘(X)Whatever Yahweh speaks, that I must do’?”
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come, I will take you to another place; perhaps it will be right in the eyes of God that you curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor which overlooks the [e]wasteland. 29 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me here.” 30 And Balak did just as Balaam had said and offered up a bull and a ram on each altar.
Footnotes
- Numbers 23:7 Lit parable
- Numbers 23:10 Lit my soul
- Numbers 23:18 Lit parable
- Numbers 23:21 Or wickedness
- Numbers 23:28 Or Jeshimon
民数记 23
Chinese New Version (Simplified)
巴勒和巴兰献祭
23 巴兰对巴勒说：“你要在这里给我筑七座祭坛，给我预备七头公牛，七只公绵羊。” 2 巴勒照着巴兰吩咐的行了；巴勒和巴兰在每座祭坛上献一头公牛和一只公绵羊。 3 巴兰对巴勒说：“你要站在你的燔祭旁边，我要往前去，或者耶和华会来迎见我；他指示我甚么，我必告诉你。”于是巴兰上了一块高地。 4 神迎见巴兰；巴兰对 神说：“我已经预备了七座祭坛，在各座祭坛上献了一头公牛和一只公绵羊。” 5 耶和华把话传给巴兰，又说：“你要回到巴勒那里去，要这样这样说。” 6 他就回到巴勒那里，见他和摩押所有的领袖都站在燔祭旁边。
巴兰第一次预言
7 巴兰就作歌，说：
“巴勒把我从亚兰领出来，
摩押王引我出东山，说：
‘来吧，为我咒骂雅各，
来啊，咒骂以色列。’
8 神没有咒诅的，我怎能咒诅呢？
耶和华没有咒骂的，我怎能咒骂呢？
9 我从高峰观看他们，
从山上眺望他们；
这是独居的民族，
不列在万国之中。
10 谁能数算雅各的灰尘？
谁能计算以色列的四分之一呢？
愿我的死像正直人的死，
愿我之终如正直人之终。”
11 巴勒对巴兰说：“你向我作的是甚么事呢？我领你来咒诅我的仇敌，你反倒给他们祝福。” 12 巴兰回答，说：“耶和华传给我的话，我怎能不谨慎说呢？”
13 巴勒对巴兰说：“请你与我到另一个地方去，从那里你可以看见他们；不过你不能看见他们全部，只能看见他们边界的一部分；在那里你要为我咒诅他们。” 14 于是巴勒带巴兰到了琐腓田，上了毘斯迦山顶，筑了七座祭坛，在每座祭坛上献了一头公牛和一只公绵羊。 15 巴兰对巴勒说：“你要在这里站在你的燔祭旁边，等我到那边去迎见耶和华。” 16 耶和华见了巴兰，把话传给他，说：“你回到巴勒那里去，要这样这样说。” 17 巴兰回到巴勒那里，见他站在自己的燔祭旁边，摩押的领袖也与他在那里。巴勒问巴兰：“耶和华说了甚么话呢？”
巴兰第二次预言
18 巴兰作歌，说：
“巴勒啊，要起来听；
西拨的儿子啊，侧耳听我。
19 神不是人，必不致说谎，
也不是人子，必不致后悔。
他说话，怎能不作？
他发言，怎能不作成？
20 我奉命来祝福；
神要赐福，我不能改变。
21 在雅各中不见罪孽，
在以色列中也不见患难；
耶和华他们的 神与他们同在，
有君王欢呼的声音在他们中间。
22 领他们出埃及的 神，
对他们有如野牛的角。
23 在雅各中没有观兆的，
在以色列中也没有占卜；
到了适当的时候，必有话对雅各和以色列说：
‘ 神为他们行了何等的大事！’
24 这民族起来有如母狮，
挺身好象公狮；
不吃下猎物，不喝被杀的人的血，
决不卧下。”
25 巴勒对巴兰说：“你一点不要咒诅他们，也不要祝福他们。” 26 巴兰回答巴勒说：“我不是告诉过你说：‘耶和华吩咐我的，我都必要遵行’吗？”
27 巴勒对巴兰说：“你来，我领你到另一个地方去，或者 神喜欢你，你就可以在那里为我咒诅他们。” 28 于是，巴勒领巴兰到了俯视旷野的毘珥山顶去。 29 巴兰对巴勒说：“你要在这里给我筑七座祭坛，也要为我预备七头公牛和七只公绵羊。” 30 巴勒就照着巴兰所说的行了，在每座祭坛上，献上一头公牛和一只公绵羊。
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