“Balak brought me from Aram,^(J)
    the king of Moab from the eastern mountains.^(K)
‘Come,’ he said, ‘curse Jacob for me;
    come, denounce Israel.’^(L)
8 How can I curse
    those whom God has not cursed?^(M)
How can I denounce
    those whom the Lord has not denounced?^(N)
9 From the rocky peaks I see them,
    from the heights I view them.^(O)
I see a people who live apart
    and do not consider themselves one of the nations.^(P)
10 Who can count the dust of Jacob^(Q)
    or number even a fourth of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous,^(R)
    and may my final end be like theirs!^(S)”

“Arise, Balak, and listen;
    hear me, son of Zippor.^(AE)
19 God is not human,^(AF) that he should lie,^(AG)
    not a human being, that he should change his mind.^(AH)
Does he speak and then not act?
    Does he promise^(AI) and not fulfill?
²⁰ I have received a command to bless;^(AJ)
    he has blessed,^(AK) and I cannot change it.^(AL)

²¹ “No misfortune is seen in Jacob,^(AM)
    no misery observed^[a] in Israel.^(AN)
The Lord their God is with them;^(AO)
    the shout of the King^(AP) is among them.
²² God brought them out of Egypt;^(AQ)
    they have the strength of a wild ox.^(AR)
23 There is no divination against^[b] Jacob,
    no evil omens^(AS) 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;^(AT)
    they rouse themselves like a lion^(AU)
that does not rest till it devours its prey
    and drinks the blood^(AV) of its victims.”

² Hide me from the conspiracy^(C) of the wicked,^(D)
    from the plots of evildoers.
³ They sharpen their tongues like swords^(E)
    and aim cruel words like deadly arrows.^(F)
4 They shoot from ambush at the innocent;^(G)
    they shoot suddenly, without fear.^(H)

⁵ They encourage each other in evil plans,
    they talk about hiding their snares;^(I)
    they say, “Who will see it^[b]?”^(J)
6 They plot injustice and say,
    “We have devised a perfect plan!”
    Surely the human mind and heart are cunning.

⁷ But God will shoot them with his arrows;
    they will suddenly be struck down.
⁸ He will turn their own tongues against them^(K)
    and bring them to ruin;
    all who see them will shake their heads^(L) in scorn.^(M)
9 All people will fear;^(N)
    they will proclaim the works of God
    and ponder what he has done.^(O)

¹⁰ The righteous will rejoice in the Lord^(P)
    and take refuge in him;^(Q)
    all the upright in heart will glory in him!^(R)

⁵ You answer us with awesome and righteous deeds,^(AA)
    God our Savior,^(AB)
the hope of all the ends of the earth^(AC)
    and of the farthest seas,^(AD)
6 who formed the mountains^(AE) by your power,
    having armed yourself with strength,^(AF)
7 who stilled the roaring of the seas,^(AG)
    the roaring of their waves,
    and the turmoil of the nations.^(AH)
8 The whole earth is filled with awe at your wonders;
    where morning dawns, where evening fades,
    you call forth songs of joy.^(AI)

⁹ You care for the land and water it;^(AJ)
    you enrich it abundantly.^(AK)
The streams of God are filled with water
    to provide the people with grain,^(AL)
    for so you have ordained it.^[f]
10 You drench its furrows and level its ridges;
    you soften it with showers^(AM) and bless its crops.
¹¹ You crown the year with your bounty,^(AN)
    and your carts overflow with abundance.^(AO)
12 The grasslands of the wilderness overflow;^(AP)
    the hills are clothed with gladness.^(AQ)
13 The meadows are covered with flocks^(AR)
    and the valleys are mantled with grain;^(AS)
    they shout for joy and sing.^(AT)

² Raise a banner^(E) on a bare hilltop,
    shout to them;
beckon to them
    to enter the gates^(F) of the nobles.
³ I have commanded those I prepared for battle;
    I have summoned my warriors^(G) to carry out my wrath^(H)—
    those who rejoice^(I) in my triumph.

⁴ Listen, a noise on the mountains,
    like that of a great multitude!^(J)
Listen, an uproar^(K) among the kingdoms,
    like nations massing together!
The Lord Almighty^(L) is mustering^(M)
    an army for war.
⁵ They come from faraway lands,
    from the ends of the heavens^(N)—
the Lord and the weapons^(O) of his wrath^(P)—
    to destroy^(Q) the whole country.

⁶ Wail,^(R) for the day^(S) of the Lord is near;
    it will come like destruction^(T) from the Almighty.^[a](U)
7 Because of this, all hands will go limp,^(V)
    every heart will melt with fear.^(W)
8 Terror^(X) will seize them,
    pain and anguish will grip^(Y) them;
    they will writhe like a woman in labor.^(Z)
They will look aghast at each other,
    their faces aflame.^(AA)

⁹ See, the day^(AB) of the Lord is coming
    —a cruel^(AC) day, with wrath^(AD) and fierce anger^(AE)—
to make the land desolate
    and destroy the sinners within it.
¹⁰ The stars of heaven and their constellations
    will not show their light.^(AF)
The rising sun^(AG) will be darkened^(AH)
    and the moon will not give its light.^(AI)
11 I will punish^(AJ) the world for its evil,
    the wicked^(AK) for their sins.
I will put an end to the arrogance of the haughty^(AL)
    and will humble^(AM) the pride of the ruthless.^(AN)
12 I will make people^(AO) scarcer than pure gold,
    more rare than the gold of Ophir.^(AP)
13 Therefore I will make the heavens tremble;^(AQ)
    and the earth will shake^(AR) from its place
at the wrath^(AS) of the Lord Almighty,
    in the day of his burning anger.^(AT)

¹⁴ Like a hunted^(AU) gazelle,
    like sheep without a shepherd,^(AV)
they will all return to their own people,
    they will flee^(AW) to their native land.^(AX)
15 Whoever is captured will be thrust through;
    all who are caught will fall^(AY) by the sword.^(AZ)
16 Their infants^(BA) will be dashed to pieces before their eyes;
    their houses will be looted and their wives violated.^(BB)

¹⁷ See, I will stir up^(BC) against them the Medes,^(BD)
    who do not care for silver
    and have no delight in gold.^(BE)
18 Their bows^(BF) will strike down the young men;^(BG)
    they will have no mercy^(BH) on infants,
    nor will they look with compassion on children.^(BI)
19 Babylon,^(BJ) the jewel of kingdoms,^(BK)
    the pride and glory^(BL) of the Babylonians,^[b]
will be overthrown^(BM) by God
    like Sodom and Gomorrah.^(BN)
20 She will never be inhabited^(BO)
    or lived in through all generations;
there no nomads^(BP) will pitch their tents,
    there no shepherds will rest their flocks.
²¹ But desert creatures^(BQ) will lie there,
    jackals^(BR) will fill her houses;
there the owls^(BS) will dwell,
    and there the wild goats^(BT) will leap about.
²² Hyenas^(BU) will inhabit her strongholds,^(BV)
    jackals^(BW) her luxurious palaces.
Her time is at hand,^(BX)
    and her days will not be prolonged.^(BY)

“All people are like grass,
    and all their glory is like the flowers of the field;
the grass withers and the flowers fall,
²⁵     but the word of the Lord endures forever.”^[c](BT)