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18 Then he took up his [a]discourse and said,

“Arise, O Balak, and hear;
Give ear to me, O son of Zippor!
19 (A)God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent;
(B)Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken, and will He not establish it?
20 Behold, I have received a command to bless;
(C)When He has blessed, then (D)I cannot revoke it.
21 (E)He has not observed [b]misfortune in Jacob;
(F)Nor has He seen trouble in Israel;
(G)Yahweh his God is with him,
(H)And the shout of a king is among them.
22 (I)God brings them out of Egypt,
He is for them like the (J)horns of the wild ox.
23 (K)For there is no omen against Jacob,
Nor is there any divination against Israel;
At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob
And to Israel, what God has done!
24 (L)Behold, a people rises like a lioness,
And as a lion it lifts itself;
It will not lie down until it devours the prey,
And drinks the blood of the slain.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 23:18 Lit parable
  2. Numbers 23:21 Or wickedness

18 Then he spoke his message:(A)

“Arise, Balak, and listen;
    hear me, son of Zippor.(B)
19 God is not human,(C) that he should lie,(D)
    not a human being, that he should change his mind.(E)
Does he speak and then not act?
    Does he promise(F) and not fulfill?
20 I have received a command to bless;(G)
    he has blessed,(H) and I cannot change it.(I)

21 “No misfortune is seen in Jacob,(J)
    no misery observed[a] in Israel.(K)
The Lord their God is with them;(L)
    the shout of the King(M) is among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;(N)
    they have the strength of a wild ox.(O)
23 There is no divination against[b] Jacob,
    no evil omens(P) against[c] Israel.
It will now be said of Jacob
    and of Israel, ‘See what God has done!’
24 The people rise like a lioness;(Q)
    they rouse themselves like a lion(R)
that does not rest till it devours its prey
    and drinks the blood(S) of its victims.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 23:21 Or He has not looked on Jacob’s offenses / or on the wrongs found
  2. Numbers 23:23 Or in
  3. Numbers 23:23 Or in