^20 (A)And God came to Balaam at night and said to him, “If the men come to call you, rise and go with them; but ^(B)only the word which I speak to you—that you shall do.”

¹³ ‘If Balak were to give me his house full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond the word of the Lord, to do good or bad of my own will. What the Lord says, that I must speak’?

²⁶ So Balaam answered and said to Balak, “Did I not tell you, saying, ^(A)‘All that the Lord speaks, that I must do’?”

¹² So he answered and said, ^(A)“Must I not take heed to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”

³⁵ Then the Angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, ^(A)but only the word that I speak to you, that you shall speak.” So Balaam went with the princes of Balak.

⁹ The coming of the lawless one is ^(A)according to the working of Satan, with all power, ^(B)signs, and lying wonders, ¹⁰ and with all unrighteous deception among ^(C)those who perish, because they did not receive ^(D)the love of the truth, that they might be saved. ¹¹ And ^(E)for this reason God will send them strong delusion, ^(F)that they should believe the lie, ¹² that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth but ^(G)had pleasure in unrighteousness.

² And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, ³ “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them ^(A)that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. ^(B)Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?

⁴ “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, ⁵ that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’