Numbers 24
Lexham English Bible
Balaam Continues to Utter Oracles
24 And Balaam saw that it pleased[a] Yahweh to bless Israel, and he did not go as other times[b] to seek out[c] sorcery; instead, he set his face toward the desert. 2 Balaam lift up his eyes, and he saw Israel dwelling according to its tribes, and the spirit of God was upon it.[d] 3 He uttered[e] his oracle and said,
“The declaration of Balaam son Beor,
the declaration of the man whose eyes are closed,
4 the declaration of the hearer of God’s words,[f]
who sees the revelation of Shaddai,[g]
falling down but whose eyes are uncovered.
5 How good are your tents, O Jacob,
your dwellings, O Israel!
6 They are spread out like valleys,
like gardens on a river,
like aloes planted by Yahweh,
like cedars at the waters.
7 He will pour water from his buckets,
and his offspring will be like many waters;
his king will be higher than Agag,
and his kingdom will be exalted.
8 God, who brings him out from Egypt,
is like the strength[h] of a wild ox for him.
He will devour the nations who are his enemies;
he will break their bones;
he will pierce them with his arrows.
9 He crouches, he lies down like a lion,
and like a lioness, who will rouse him?
They who bless you will be blessed,
and they who curse you will be cursed.”
10 Then Balak became angry with[i] Balaam, and he clapped his hands and said to Balaam, “I called you to curse my enemies, but look, you have surely blessed them these three times. 11 Flee[j] to your place now. I said I would richly honor you, but look, Yahweh has withheld honor from you.” 12 Balaam said to Balak, “Did I not speak to your messengers whom you sent to me, saying, 13 ‘If Balak gave to me the fullness of his house full of silver and gold, I am not able to go beyond the command of Yahweh[k] to do good or evil, from my heart; what Yahweh speaks, I will speak’?[l] 14 And now, look, I am about to go to my people; I will advise you what this people will do to your people in the following days.”[m]
15 And he uttered[n] his oracle and said,
“The declaration of Balaam son of Beor,
and the declaration of the man whose eye is closed,
16 the declaration of the hearer of God’s words,[o]
and the knower of the knowledge of the Most High,
who sees the vision of Shaddai,[p]
who is falling, and his eyes are revealed.
17 I see him, but not now;
I behold him, but not near;
a star will go out from Jacob,
and a scepter will rise from Israel;
it will crush the foreheads of Moab
and destroy all the children of Seth.
18 Edom will be a captive;
Seir, its enemies, will be a captive,
and Israel will be acting courageously.[q]
19 Someone[r] from Jacob will rule
and will destroy a remnant[s] from the city.”
20 And he looked at Amalek, uttered[t] his oracle, and said,
“Amalek is first[u] of the nations,
but his future will be forever ruin.”
21 And he looked at the Kenites,[v] uttered[w] his oracle, and said,
“Steady is your dwelling place;
in the rock is your nest.
22 Nevertheless, the Kenite will be burned;
how long will Asshur keep[x] you captive?”
23 Again he uttered[y] his oracle and said,
“Woe, who will live when God establishes this?[z]
24 The ships will come from the hand of the Kittim,
and they will afflict Asshur and will afflict Eber;
also he will be forever ruin.”
25 Then Balaam got up and went and returned to his place, and Balak also went on his way.
Footnotes
- Numbers 24:1 Literally “it was good in the eyes of Yahweh”
- Numbers 24:1 Literally “as time on time”
- Numbers 24:1 Literally “to meet”
- Numbers 24:2 That is, Israel
- Numbers 24:3 Literally “lifted up”
- Numbers 24:4 Or “God’s sayings”
- Numbers 24:4 Often translated “the Almighty”
- Numbers 24:8 Or “the horns”
- Numbers 24:10 Literally “the nose of Balak became hot against”
- Numbers 24:11 Literally “Flee for yourself”
- Numbers 24:13 Literally “the mouth of Yahweh”
- Numbers 24:13 Hebrew “I will speak it”
- Numbers 24:14 Literally “in the last of the days”
- Numbers 24:15 Literally “lifted up”
- Numbers 24:16 Or “God’s sayings”
- Numbers 24:16 Often translated “the Almighty”
- Numbers 24:18 Literally “with physical strength”
- Numbers 24:19 Hebrew “He”
- Numbers 24:19 Or “survivor”
- Numbers 24:20 Literally “lifted up”
- Numbers 24:20 Or “among”
- Numbers 24:21 Hebrew “Kenite”
- Numbers 24:21 Literally “lifted up”
- Numbers 24:22 Hebrew “take”
- Numbers 24:23 Literally “lifted up”
- Numbers 24:23 Hebrew “it”
民數記 24
Chinese Contemporary Bible (Traditional)
巴蘭第三次預言
24 巴蘭見耶和華樂意賜福給以色列人，就不再像先前兩次那樣去求兆頭，而是面向曠野， 2 舉目四望，看見以色列人按支派紮營。上帝的靈降在他身上， 3 他便吟詩預言說：
「比珥之子巴蘭的預言，
是眼睛明亮者的話，
4 他得聽上帝之言，
俯伏在地，
得見全能者的異象。
5 雅各啊，
你的帳篷何等華美！
以色列啊，
你的居所何等佳美！
6 像連綿的山谷，
河畔的園子；
又如耶和華栽種的沉香，
水邊的香柏樹。
7 他們沐浴充沛的甘霖，
撒種於濕潤的沃土。
他們的君王高過亞甲，
國度名震四方。
8 上帝把他們帶出埃及，
祂[a]的力量如野牛之角。
他們要吞滅敵國，
打碎敵人的骨頭，
用利箭射穿仇敵。
9 他們蹲伏如雄獅，
躺臥如母獅，誰敢招惹？
祝福他們的人有福了！
咒詛他們的人有禍了！」
10 巴勒聽了大怒，用力擊掌，對巴蘭說：「我請你來咒詛我的仇敵，你竟三次祝福他們。 11 現在快回家去吧！我說過要給你重賞，但耶和華不讓你得到。」 12 巴蘭說：「我不是對你派來的使臣說過嗎？ 13 就是你把滿屋的金銀都給我，我也不能違背耶和華的命令、憑自己的意思行事——無論好事壞事。我只能說耶和華讓我說的話。 14 現在我要回本族去了。但我要告訴你日後以色列人會怎樣對待你的人民。」
巴蘭第四次預言
15 巴蘭吟詩預言說：
「比珥之子巴蘭的預言，
是眼睛明亮者的話，
16 他得聽上帝之言，
明白至高者的旨意，
俯伏在地，
得見全能者的異象。
17 我所見的尚未發生，
我目睹的關乎將來。
一顆星要從雅各家升起，
一位君王要從以色列興起。
他要打爛摩押的前額，
擊碎舍特人的頭顱。
18 他必征服以東，
佔領敵疆西珥，
以色列必勇往直前。
19 雅各的後裔必掌權，
消滅城中的餘民。」
巴蘭最後的預言
20 巴蘭觀看亞瑪力人，並以詩歌預言說：
「亞瑪力原是列國之首，
但他的結局卻是滅亡。」
21 巴蘭又觀看基尼人，並以詩歌預言說：
「雖然你的居所堅固，
你的巢築在峭壁，
22 但你必遭滅頂，
被亞述擄去。」
23 巴蘭又以詩歌預言說：
「唉！若非上帝許可，
誰能存活呢？
24 船隻從基提駛來，
征服亞述和希伯，
但他也要滅亡。」
25 說完，巴蘭動身返回家鄉，巴勒也回去了。
Footnotes
- 24·8 「祂」有古卷作「他們」。
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