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?” (A)

Balaam’s Second Oracle

13 Then Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place(B) 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,(C) 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?”

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Footnotes

  1. 23:14 Or to the field of Zophim

11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but now you have done nothing but bless them.”(A) 12 He answered, “Must I not take care to say what the Lord puts into my mouth?”(B)

Balaam’s Second Oracle

13 So Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place from which you may see them; you shall see only part of them and shall not see them all; then curse them for me from there.” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah. He built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.(C) 15 Balaam[a] said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offerings, while I meet the Lord over there.” 16 The Lord met Balaam, put a word into his mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and this is what you shall say.”(D) 17 When he came to him, he was standing beside his burnt offerings with the officials of Moab. Balak said to him, “What has the Lord said?”

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Footnotes

  1. 23.15 Heb he

11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies,(A) but you have done nothing but bless them!”(B)

12 He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”(C)

Balaam’s Second Message

13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place(D) where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp.(E) And from there, curse them for me.(F) 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah,(G) and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.(H)

15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I meet with him over there.”

16 The Lord met with Balaam and put a word in his mouth(I) and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”

17 So he went to him and found him standing beside his offering, with the Moabite officials.(J) Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”

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