“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor,
    the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,

“Balak summoned me to come from Aram;
    the king of Moab brought me from the eastern hills.
‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me!
    Come and announce Israel’s doom.’

⁷ A proverb in the mouth of a fool
    is as useless as a paralyzed leg.

²     for I will speak to you in a parable.
I will teach you hidden lessons from our past—

⁴ I listen carefully to many proverbs
    and solve riddles with inspiration from a harp.

“This is the message of Balaam son of Beor,
    the message of the man whose eyes see clearly,