²⁷ And they came again to Jerusalem. And when Jesus was walking about in the [^[a]courts and porches of the] temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him,

²⁸ And they kept saying to Him, By what [sort of] authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do them?

²⁹ Jesus told them, I will ask you a question. Answer Me, and then I will tell you by what [sort of] authority I do these things.

³⁰ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men? Answer Me.

³¹ And they reasoned and argued with one another, If we say, From heaven, He will say, Why then did you not believe him?

³² But [on the other hand] can we say, From men? For they were afraid of the people, because everybody considered and held John actually to be a prophet.

³³ So they replied to Jesus, We do not know. And Jesus said to them, Neither am I going to tell you what [sort of] authority I have for doing these things.

23 And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven oxen and seven rams.

² And Balak did as Balaam had spoken, and Balak and Balaam offered on each altar a bull and a ram.

³ And Balaam said to Balak, Stand by your burnt offering and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me; and whatever He shows me I will tell you. And he went to a bare height.

⁴ God met Balaam, who said to Him, I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.

⁵ And the Lord put a speech in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Return to Balak and thus shall you speak.

⁶ Balaam returned to Balak, who was standing by his burnt sacrifice, he and all the princes of Moab.

⁷ Balaam took up his [figurative] speech and said: Balak, the king of Moab, has brought me from Aram, out of the mountains of the east, saying, Come, curse Jacob for me; and come, violently denounce Israel.

⁸ How can I curse those God has not cursed? Or how can I [violently] denounce those the Lord has not denounced?

⁹ For from the top of the rocks I see Israel, and from the hills I behold him. Behold, the people [of Israel] shall ^[a]dwell alone and shall not be reckoned and esteemed among the nations.

¹⁰ Who can count the dust (the descendants) of Jacob and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me die the death of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God], and let my last end be like theirs!^(A)

¹¹ And Balak said to Balaam, What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, and here you have [thoroughly] blessed them instead!

¹² And Balaam answered, Must I not be obedient and speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?

¹³ Balak said to him, Come with me, I implore you, to another place from which you can see them, though you will see only the nearest and not all of them; and curse them for me from there.

¹⁴ So he took Balaam into the field of Zophim to the top of [Mount] Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.

¹⁵ Balaam said to Balak, Stand here by your burnt offering while I go to meet the Lord yonder.

¹⁶ And the Lord met Balaam and put a speech in his mouth, and said, Go again to Balak and speak thus.

¹⁷ And when he returned to Balak, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, What has the Lord said?

¹⁸ Balaam took up his [figurative] discourse and said: Rise up, Balak, and hear; listen [closely] to me, son of Zippor.

¹⁹ God is not a man, that He should tell or act a lie, neither the son of man, that He should feel repentance or compunction [for what He has promised]. Has He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?

²⁰ You see, I have received His command to bless Israel. He has blessed, and I cannot reverse or qualify it.

²¹ [God] has not beheld iniquity in Jacob [for he is forgiven], neither has He seen mischief or perverseness in Israel [for the same reason]. The Lord their God is with Israel, and the shout of praise to their King is among the people.^(B)

²² God brought them forth out of Egypt; they have as it were the strength of a wild ox.

²³ Surely there is no enchantment with or against Jacob, neither is there any divination with or against Israel. [In due season and even] now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What has God wrought!

²⁴ Behold, a people! They rise up as a lioness and lift themselves up as a lion; he shall not lie down until he devours the prey and drinks the blood of the slain.

²⁵ And Balak said to Balaam, Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all.

²⁶ But Balaam answered Balak, Did I not say to you, All the Lord speaks, that I must do?

²⁷ And Balak said to Balaam, Come, I implore you; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.

²⁸ So Balak brought Balaam to the top of [Mount] Peor, that overlooks [the wilderness or desert] Jeshimon.

²⁹ And Balaam said to Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bulls and seven rams.

³⁰ And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.