Mga Bilang 23
Magandang Balita Biblia (with Deuterocanon)
23 Sinabi ni Balaam kay Balac, “Magpagawa ka rito ng pitong altar at magdala ka rito ng pitong toro at pitong tupa.” 2 Ganoon nga ang ginawa ni Balac. At silang dalawa ay naghandog ng isang toro at isang lalaking tupa sa bawat altar. 3 Sinabi ni Balaam kay Balac, “Bantayan mo ang mga handog na ito. Aalis muna ako at baka sakaling makipagkita na sa akin si Yahweh. Anumang sabihin niya sa akin ay sasabihin ko sa iyo.” At nagpunta siyang mag-isa sa tuktok ng isang burol.
Pinagpala ni Balaam ang Israel
4 Nakipagkita nga kay Balaam ang Diyos. Sinabi ni Balaam, “Nagpagawa po ako ng pitong altar at bawat isa'y pinaghandugan ko ng isang toro at isang lalaking tupa.” 5 May sinabi kay Balaam si Yahweh. Pagkatapos, pinabalik ito kay Balac. 6 Nadatnan niya si Balac at ang mga pinuno sa paligid ng handog na sinusunog. 7 Sinabi ni Balaam,
“Mula sa Aram, sa bulubundukin sa silangan,
ipinatawag ako ni Balac na hari ng Moab.
Ang sabi niya sa akin, ‘Halika't ang bansa ni Jacob ay iyong sumpain.
Halika't itakwil mo ang bansang Israel!’
8 Ang pinagpala ng Diyos ay paano ko susumpain?
Ang binasbasan ni Yahweh, paano ko nga itatakwil?
9 Mula sa tuktok ng mga bundok sila'y aking natatanaw,
nakikita ko silang lahat mula sa kaburulan.
Sila'y isang bansang namumuhay na mag-isa,
alam nilang sila'y mapalad kaysa mga iba!
10 Ang lahi ni Jacob, alabok ang kagaya;
kung ang Israel ay bilangin, ito ba'y makakaya?
Mamatay nawa akong gaya ng anak ng Diyos;
sa kapayapaan ng matuwid, buhay ko nawa'y matapos!”
11 Itinanong ni Balac kay Balaam, “Bakit ganyan ang ginagawa mo? Di ba't tinawag kita para sumpain ang aking mga kaaway? Ngunit sa halip ay binabasbasan mo pa sila!”
12 Sumagot siya, “Hindi maaaring di ko sabihin ang ipinapasabi ni Yahweh.”
13 Sinabi sa kanya ni Balac, “Pumunta tayo sa ibang lugar, sa lugar na hindi mo makikita ang lahat ng mga Israelita. Doon mo sila sumpain.” 14 At nagpunta sila sa bukirin ni Zofim, sa taluktok ng Pisga. Nagpagawa sila roon ng pitong altar at bawat isa'y hinandugan ng tig-iisang toro at tig-iisang tupa.
15 Sinabi ni Balaam kay Balac, “Dito ka lang sa may mga handog na sinusunog at pupunta ako sa dako roon para makipagkita kay Yahweh.”
16 Pagkalayo niya nang kaunti, nagpakita si Yahweh sa kanya at sinabi kung ano ang dapat niyang sabihin kay Balac. 17 Pagbalik niya, nakita niya si Balac at ang mga pinunong kasama nito na nakatayo sa paligid ng handog. Tinanong siya ni Balac, “Ano ang sabi ni Yahweh?”
18 Sinabi ni Balaam,
“Makinig ka, Balac, dinggin mo ako,
anak ni Zippor, may sasabihin ako sa iyo:
19 Ang Diyos ay di sinungaling na tulad ng tao.
Anumang sabihin niya'y kanyang gagawin,
kung mangako man siya, ito'y kanyang tutuparin.
20 Ang utos sa akin, sila'y pagpalain;
ang pagpapala ng Diyos, di ko kayang bawiin.
21 Sa Israel ay wala akong makitang kasawian,
sa kanila ay wala ring kapahamakan.
Ang Diyos nilang si Yahweh ang kanilang kasama,
ipinapahayag nilang siya ang hari nila.
22 Ang Diyos ang naglabas sa kanila sa Egipto,
sila'y ipinaglaban niya nang tulad sa mailap na toro.
23 Si Jacob ay hindi makakayang kulamin,
ang Israel ay hindi maaaring sumpain.
Tungkol sa Israel, ito ang sasabihin ng mga tao:
‘Ito ang gawa ng Diyos at pagmasdan ninyo!’
24 Ang Israel ay kasinlakas ng isang leon,
hindi tumitigil hanggang kaaway ay di nalalamon
at hanggang ang dugo nito ay di niya naiinom.”
25 Sinabi ni Balac kay Balaam, “Kung ayaw mo silang sumpain, huwag mo naman sanang pagpalain.”
26 Ngunit ang sagot ni Balaam, “Hindi ba't sinabi ko na sa iyong gagawin ko lamang ang lahat ng sinabi sa akin ni Yahweh?”
27 Sinabi ni Balac, “Halika. Lumipat tayo ng lugar at baka ipahintulot na ng Diyos na sumpain mo roon ang mga Israelita.” 28 At magkasama silang nagpunta sa tuktok ng Peor, kung saan natatanaw nila ang ilang.
29 Sinabi ni Balaam kay Balac, “Magpagawa ka rito ng pitong altar at magpakuha ng pitong toro at pitong tupa.” 30 Gayon nga ang ginawa ni Balac. Bawat altar ay hinandugan niya ng tig-iisang toro at tig-iisang lalaking tupa.
Numbers 23
Holman 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.” 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[a] will meet with me. I will tell you whatever He reveals to me.” So he went to a barren hill.
4 God[b] 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;(A)
the king of Moab, from the eastern mountains:
“Come, put a curse on Jacob for me;
come, denounce Israel!”(B)
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;(C)
it does not consider itself among the nations.
10 Who has counted the dust of Jacob
or numbered the dust clouds[c] 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?”(D)
Balaam’s Second Oracle
13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place 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[d] on top of Pisgah, 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 who lies,
or a son of man who changes His mind.
Does He speak and not act,
or promise and not fulfill?(E)
20 I have indeed received a command to bless;
since He has blessed,[e] I cannot change it.
21 He considers no disaster for Jacob;
He sees no trouble for Israel.[f]
The Lord their God is with them,(F)
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.[g](G)
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.(H)
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?”(I)
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.[h](J)
29 Balaam told Balak, “Build me seven altars here and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.”(K) 30 So Balak did as Balaam said and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Footnotes
- Numbers 23:3 DSS, LXX, Sam read Maybe God
- Numbers 23:4 DSS, Sam read The Angel of God
- Numbers 23:10 Or numbered a fourth
- Numbers 23:14 Or to the field of Zophim
- Numbers 23:20 Sam, LXX read since I will bless
- Numbers 23:21 Or not observe sin in Jacob; not see wrongdoing
- Numbers 23:22 Or Egypt; they have the horns of a wild ox
- Numbers 23:28 Or overlooks Jeshimon
Numbers 23
1599 Geneva Bible
23 1 Balaam causeth seven altars to be built. 5 God teacheth him what to answer. 8 Instead of cursing he blesseth Israel. 19 God is not like man.
1 And Balaam said unto Balak, Build me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks, and seven rams.
2 And Balak did as Balaam said, and [a]Balak and Balaam offered on every altar a bullock and a ram.
3 Then Balaam said unto Balak, Stand by thy burnt offering, and I will go, if so be that the Lord will come and meet me: and whatsoever he showeth me, I will tell thee: so he [b]went forth alone.
4 And God [c]met Balaam, and Balaam said unto him, I have prepared seven altars, and have offered upon every altar a bullock and a ram.
5 And the Lord [d]put an answer in Balaam’s mouth, and said, Go again to Balak, and say on this wise.
6 So when he turned unto him, lo, he stood by his burnt offering, he, and all the princes of Moab.
7 Then he uttered his [e]parable, and said, Balak the king of Moab hath brought me from [f]Aram out of the mountains of the East, saying, Come, curse Jacob for my sake: come, and [g]detest Israel.
8 How shall I curse, where God hath not cursed? or how shall I detest, where the Lord hath not detested?
9 For from the top of the rocks I did see him, and from the hills I did behold him: lo, the people shall dwell by themselves, and shall not be reckoned among the [h]nations.
10 Who can tell the [i]dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israel? Let me [j]die the death of the righteous, and let my last end be like his.
11 Then Balak said unto Balaam, What hast thou done unto me? I took thee to curse mine enemies, and behold, thou hast blessed them altogether.
12 And he answered, and said, Must I not take heed to speak that, which the Lord hath put in my mouth?
13 And Balak said unto him, Come, I pray thee, with me unto another place, whence thou mayest see them, and thou shalt see but the utmost part of them and shalt not see them all: therefore curse them out of that place for my sake.
14 ¶ And he brought him into [k]Zophim to the top of Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
15 After, he said unto Balak, Stand here by thy burnt offering, and I will meet the Lord yonder.
16 And the Lord met Balaam, and (A)put an answer in his mouth, and said, Go again unto Balak, and say thus.
17 And when he came to him, behold, he stood by his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him: so Balak said unto him, What hath the Lord said?
18 And he uttered his parable, and said, Rise up Balak, and hear: hearken unto me, thou son of Zippor.
19 [l]God is not as man, that he should lie, neither as the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? and hath he spoken, and shall he not accomplish it?
20 Behold, I have received commandment to bless: for he hath blessed, and I cannot alter it.
21 He seeth none iniquity in Jacob, nor seeth no transgression in Israel: the Lord his God is with him, and the [m]joyful shout of a King is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt: their strength is as an unicorn.
23 For there is no sorcery in Jacob, nor soothsaying in Israel, [n]according to this time it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel, What hath God wrought?
24 Behold, the people shall rise up as a lion, and lift up himself as a young lion: he shall not lie down, till he eat of the prey, and till he drink the blood of the slain.
25 Then Balak said unto Balaam, Neither curse, nor bless them at all.
26 But Balaam answered, and said unto Balak, Told not I thee, saying, All that the Lord speaketh, that must I do?
27 ¶ Again Balak said unto Balaam, Come, I pray thee, I will bring thee unto another [o]place, if so be it will please God, that thou mayest thence curse them for my sake.
28 So Balak brought Balaam unto the top of Peor, that looketh toward Jeshimon.
29 Then Balaam said unto Balak, Make me here seven altars, and prepare me here seven bullocks, and seven rams.
30 And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bullock and a ram on every altar.
Footnotes
- Numbers 23:2 For among the Gentiles the kings oft times used to sacrifice, as did the Priests.
- Numbers 23:3 Or, went up higher.
- Numbers 23:4 Appeared unto him.
- Numbers 23:5 Taught him what to say.
- Numbers 23:7 Or, prophecy.
- Numbers 23:7 Or, Syria.
- Numbers 23:7 Cause that all may hate and detest them.
- Numbers 23:9 But shall have religion and laws apart.
- Numbers 23:10 The infinite multitude, as the dust of the earth.
- Numbers 23:10 The fear of God’s judgment caused him to wish to be joined to the household of Abraham: thus the wicked have their consciences wounded when they consider God’s judgments.
- Numbers 23:14 Or, into the field of them that spied: to wit, lest the enemy should approach.
- Numbers 23:19 God’s enemies are compelled to confess that his government is just, constant, and without change or repentance.
- Numbers 23:21 They triumph as victorious kings over their enemies.
- Numbers 23:23 Considering what God shall work this time for the deliverance of his people, all the world shall wonder.
- Numbers 23:27 Thus the wicked imagine of God, that that which he will not grant in one place, he will do it in another.
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