And Balaam raised his eyes, and saw Israel (A)encamped according to their tribes; and (B)the Spirit of God came upon him.

(C)Then he took up his oracle and said:

“The utterance of Balaam the son of Beor,
The utterance of the man whose eyes are opened,

Read full chapter

When Balaam looked out and saw Israel encamped tribe by tribe, the Spirit of God came on him(A) and he spoke his message:

“The prophecy of Balaam son of Beor,
    the prophecy of one whose eye sees clearly,(B)

Read full chapter

“How lovely are your tents, O Jacob!
Your dwellings, O Israel!
Like valleys that stretch out,
Like gardens by the riverside,
(A)Like aloes (B)planted by the Lord,
Like cedars beside the waters.
He shall pour water from his buckets,
And his seed shall be (C)in many waters.

“His king shall be higher than (D)Agag,
And his (E)kingdom shall be exalted.

“God(F) brings him out of Egypt;
He has strength like a wild ox;
He shall (G)consume the nations, his enemies;
He shall (H)break their bones
And (I)pierce them with his arrows.
‘He(J) bows down, he lies down as a lion;
And as a lion, who shall rouse him?’

(K)“Blessed is he who blesses you,
And cursed is he who curses you.”

Read full chapter

“How beautiful are your tents,(A) Jacob,
    your dwelling places, Israel!

“Like valleys they spread out,
    like gardens beside a river,(B)
like aloes(C) planted by the Lord,
    like cedars beside the waters.(D)
Water will flow from their buckets;
    their seed will have abundant water.

“Their king will be greater than Agag;(E)
    their kingdom will be exalted.(F)

“God brought them out of Egypt;
    they have the strength of a wild ox.
They devour hostile nations
    and break their bones in pieces;(G)
    with their arrows they pierce them.(H)
Like a lion they crouch and lie down,
    like a lioness(I)—who dares to rouse them?

“May those who bless you be blessed(J)
    and those who curse you be cursed!”(K)

Read full chapter

17 “I(A) see Him, but not now;
I behold Him, but not near;
(B)A Star shall come out of Jacob;
(C)A Scepter shall rise out of Israel,
And [a]batter the brow of Moab,
And destroy all the sons of [b]tumult.

18 “And (D)Edom shall be a possession;
Seir also, his enemies, shall be a possession,
While Israel does [c]valiantly.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 24:17 shatter the forehead
  2. Numbers 24:17 Heb. Sheth, Jer. 48:45
  3. Numbers 24:18 mightily

17 “I see him, but not now;
    I behold him, but not near.(A)
A star will come out of Jacob;(B)
    a scepter will rise out of Israel.(C)
He will crush the foreheads of Moab,(D)
    the skulls[a](E) of[b] all the people of Sheth.[c]
18 Edom(F) will be conquered;
    Seir,(G) his enemy, will be conquered,(H)
    but Israel(I) will grow strong.

Read full chapter

Footnotes

  1. Numbers 24:17 Samaritan Pentateuch (see also Jer. 48:45); the meaning of the word in the Masoretic Text is uncertain.
  2. Numbers 24:17 Or possibly Moab, / batter
  3. Numbers 24:17 Or all the noisy boasters