Numbers 23-24
Christian Standard Bible
Balaam’s Oracles
23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”(A) 2 So Balak did as Balaam directed, and they offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I am gone. Maybe the Lord will meet with me. I will tell you whatever he reveals to me.” So he went to a barren hill.
4 God met with him and Balaam said to him, “I have arranged seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5 Then the Lord put a message in Balaam’s mouth and said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”
6 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with all the officials of Moab.
Balaam’s First Oracle
7 Balaam proclaimed his poem:
Balak brought me from Aram;(B)
the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:
“Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel!” (C)
8 How can I curse someone God has not cursed?
How can I denounce someone the Lord has not denounced?
9 I see them from the top of rocky cliffs,
and I watch them from the hills.
There is a people living alone;(D)
it does not consider itself among the nations.
10 Who has counted the dust of Jacob(E)
or numbered even one-fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the upright;
let the end of my life be like theirs.
11 “What have you done to me?” Balak asked Balaam. “I brought you to curse my enemies, but look, you have only blessed them!”
12 He answered, “Shouldn’t I say exactly what the Lord puts in my mouth?” (F)
Balaam’s Second Oracle
13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place(G) where you can see them. You will only see the outskirts of their camp; you won’t see all of them. From there, put a curse on them for me.” 14 So Balak took him to Lookout Field[a] on top of Pisgah,(H) built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here by your burnt offering while I seek the Lord over there.”
16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a message in his mouth. Then he said, “Return to Balak and say what I tell you.”
17 So he returned to Balak, who was standing there by his burnt offering with the officials of Moab. Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Balaam proclaimed his poem:
Balak, get up and listen;
son of Zippor, pay attention to what I say!
19 God is not a man, that he might lie,
or a son of man, that he might change his mind.(I)
Does he speak and not act,
or promise and not fulfill?(J)
20 I have indeed received a command to bless;
since he has blessed,[b] I cannot change it.
21 He considers no disaster for Jacob;
he sees no trouble for Israel.[c]
The Lord their God is with them,(K)
and there is rejoicing over the King among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
he is like the horns of a wild ox for them.[d](L)
23 There is no magic curse against Jacob
and no divination against Israel.
It will now be said about Jacob and Israel,
“What great things God has done!”
24 A people rise up like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion.(M)
They will not lie down until they devour the prey
and drink the blood of the slain.
25 Then Balak told Balaam, “Don’t curse them and don’t bless them!”
26 But Balaam answered him, “Didn’t I tell you: Whatever the Lord says, I must do?” (N)
Balaam’s Third Oracle
27 Again Balak said to Balaam, “Please come. I will take you to another place. Maybe it will be agreeable to God that you can put a curse on them for me there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor, which overlooks the wasteland.[e](O)
29 Balaam told Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”(P) 30 So Balak did as Balaam said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
24 Since Balaam saw that it pleased the Lord to bless Israel, he did not go to seek omens as on previous occasions, but turned[f] toward the wilderness. 2 When Balaam looked up and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God(Q) came on him, 3 and he proclaimed his poem:
The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened,
4 the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,(R)
who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:
5 How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,
your dwellings, Israel.
6 They stretch out like river valleys,[g]
like gardens beside a stream,
like aloes the Lord has planted,
like cedars beside the water.
7 Water will flow from his buckets,
and his seed will be by abundant water.
His king will be greater than Agag,(S)
and his kingdom will be exalted.
8 God brought him out of Egypt;
he is like[h] the horns of a wild ox for them.(T)
He will feed on enemy nations
and gnaw their bones;
he will strike them with his arrows.
9 He crouches, he lies down like a lion
or a lioness—who dares to rouse him?(U)
Those who bless you will be blessed,
and those who curse you will be cursed.(V)
10 Then Balak became furious with Balaam, struck his hands together, and said to him, “I summoned you to put a curse on my enemies, but instead, you have blessed them these three times. 11 Now go to your home! I said I would reward you richly,(W) but look, the Lord has denied you a reward.”
12 Balaam answered Balak, “Didn’t I previously tell the messengers you sent me: 13 If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go against the Lord’s command, to do anything good or bad of my own will? I will say whatever the Lord says.(X) 14 Now I am going back to my people, but first, let me warn you what these people will do to your people in the future.”
Balaam’s Fourth Oracle
15 Then he proclaimed his poem:
The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened;
16 the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God
and has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:(Y)
17 I see him, but not now;
I perceive him, but not near.
A star will come from Jacob,
and a scepter will arise from Israel.(Z)
He will smash the forehead[i] of Moab
and strike down[j] all the Shethites.[k]
18 Edom will become a possession;
Seir(AA) will become a possession of its enemies,
but Israel will be triumphant.
19 One who comes from Jacob will rule;
he will destroy the city’s survivors.
20 Then Balaam saw Amalek and proclaimed his poem:
Amalek was first among the nations,(AB)
but his future is destruction.
21 Next he saw the Kenites and proclaimed his poem:
Your dwelling place is enduring;
your nest is set in the cliffs.
22 Kain will be destroyed
when Asshur takes you captive.
23 Once more he proclaimed his poem:
Ah, who can live when God does this?
24 Ships will come from the coast of Kittim;(AC)
they will carry out raids against Asshur and Eber,(AD)
but they too will come to destruction.
25 Balaam then arose and went back to his homeland, and Balak also went his way.
Footnotes
- 23:14 Or to the field of Zophim
- 23:20 Sam, LXX read since I will bless
- 23:21 Or He does not observe sin in Jacob; he does not see wrongdoing in Israel
- 23:22 Or Egypt; they have the horns of a wild ox
- 23:28 Or overlooks Jeshimon
- 24:1 Lit set his face
- 24:6 Or like date palms
- 24:8 Or he has
- 24:17 Or frontiers
- 24:17 Sam reads and the skulls of; Jr 48:45
- 24:17 Or Sethites
Mark 9:2-29
Christian Standard Bible
The Transfiguration
2 After(A) six days(B) Jesus took Peter, James, and John(C) and led them up a high mountain(D) by themselves to be alone. He was transfigured(E) in front of them, 3 and his clothes(F) became dazzling—extremely white(G) as no launderer on earth could whiten(H) them. 4 Elijah(I) appeared to them with Moses,(J) and they were talking with Jesus. 5 Peter said to Jesus, “Rabbi,(K) it’s good(L) for us to be here. Let’s set up three shelters:(M) one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”— 6 because he did not know what to say,(N) since they were terrified.(O)
7 A cloud(P) appeared, overshadowing(Q) them, and a voice(R) came from the cloud:(S) “This is my beloved(T) Son;(U) listen to him!” (V)
8 Suddenly, looking around, they no longer saw anyone with them except Jesus.
9 As(W) they were coming down the mountain,(X) he ordered them to tell no one what they had seen(Y) until the Son of Man(Z) had risen(AA) from the dead.(AB) 10 They kept this word(AC) to themselves, questioning what “rising from the dead” meant.
11 Then they asked him, “Why do the scribes(AD) say that Elijah must come first?” (AE)
12 “Elijah does come first and restores(AF) all things,”(AG) he replied. “Why then is it written(AH) that the Son of Man must suffer(AI) many things and be treated with contempt?(AJ) 13 But I tell you that Elijah has come, and they did whatever they pleased to him, just as it is written(AK) about him.”
The Power of Faith over a Demon
14 When(AL) they came to the disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and scribes disputing(AM) with them. 15 When the whole crowd saw him, they were amazed and ran to greet him. 16 He asked them, “What are you arguing with them about?”
17 Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher,(AN) I brought my son to you. He has a spirit(AO) that makes him unable to speak.(AP) 18 Whenever it seizes him, it throws him down, and he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they couldn’t.”
19 He replied to them, “You unbelieving(AQ) generation, how long will I be with you? How long must I put up with you? Bring him to me.” 20 So they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, it immediately threw the boy into convulsions. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth. 21 “How long has this been happening to him?” Jesus asked his father.
“From childhood,” he said. 22 “And many times it has thrown him into fire or water to destroy(AR) him. But if you can do anything, have compassion(AS) on us and help us.”
23 Jesus said to him, “‘If you can’?[a] Everything is possible(AT) for the one who believes.”(AU)
24 Immediately the father of the boy cried out, “I do believe; help my unbelief!”
25 When Jesus saw that a crowd was quickly gathering, he rebuked(AV) the unclean(AW) spirit, saying to it, “You mute and deaf(AX) spirit, I command you: Come out of him and never enter him again.”
26 Then it came out, shrieking and throwing him into terrible convulsions.(AY) The boy became like a corpse, so that many said, “He’s dead.” 27 But Jesus, taking him by the hand, raised him,(AZ) and he stood up.
28 After he had gone into the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”
29 And he told them, “This kind can come out by nothing but prayer.”[b](BA)
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Psalm 32:8-11
Christian Standard Bible
8 I will instruct you and show you the way to go;(A)
with my eye on you, I will give counsel.(B)
9 Do not be like a horse or mule,
without understanding,
that must be controlled with bit and bridle
or else it will not come near you.(C)
10 Many pains come to the wicked,(D)
but the one who trusts in the Lord
will have faithful love surrounding him.(E)
11 Be glad in the Lord and rejoice,
you righteous ones;
shout for joy,
all you upright in heart.(F)
Proverbs 8:5
Christian Standard Bible
5 Learn to be shrewd, you who are inexperienced;
develop common sense, you who are foolish.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.
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