Font Size
Numbers 23
Living Bible
Numbers 23
Living Bible
23 Balaam said to the king, “Build seven altars here, and prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for sacrifice.”
2 Balak followed his instructions, and a young bull and a ram were sacrificed on each altar.
3-4 Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here by your burnt offerings and I will see if the Lord will meet me; and I will tell you what he says to me.” So he went up to a barren height, and God met him there. Balaam told the Lord, “I have prepared seven altars and have sacrificed a young bull and a ram on each.” 5 Then the Lord gave Balaam a message for King Balak.
6 When Balaam returned, the king was standing beside the burnt offerings with all the princes of Moab. 7-10 This was Balaam’s message:
“King Balak, king of Moab, has brought me
From the land of Aram,
From the eastern mountains.
‘Come,’ he told me, ‘curse Jacob for me!
Let your anger rise on Israel.’
But how can I curse
What God has not cursed?
How can I denounce
A people God has not denounced?
I see them from the cliff tops,
I watch them from the hills.
They live alone,
And prefer to remain distinct
From every other nation.
They are as numerous as dust!
They are beyond numbering.
If only I could die as happy as an Israelite!
Oh, that my end might be like theirs!”
11 “What have you done to me?” demanded King Balak. “I told you to curse my enemies, and now you have blessed them!”
12 But Balaam replied, “Can I say anything except what Jehovah tells me to?”
13 Then Balak told him, “Come with me to another place; there you will see only a portion of the nation of Israel. Curse at least that many!”
14 So King Balak took Balaam into the fields of Zophim at the top of Mount Pisgah, and built seven altars there; and he offered up a young bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here by your burnt offering while I go to meet the Lord.” 16 And the Lord met Balaam and told him what to say. 17 So he returned to where the king and the princes of Moab were standing beside their burnt offerings.
“What has Jehovah said?” the king eagerly inquired.
18-24 And he replied,
“Rise up, Balak, and hear:
Listen to me, you son of Zippor.
God is not a man, that he should lie;
He doesn’t change his mind like humans do.
Has he ever promised,
Without doing what he said?
Look! I have received a command to bless them,
For God has blessed them,
And I cannot reverse it!
He has not seen sin in Jacob.
He will not trouble Israel!
Jehovah their God is with them.
He is their king!
God has brought them out of Egypt.
Israel has the strength of a wild ox.
No curse can be placed on Jacob,
And no magic shall be done against him.
For now it shall be said of Israel,
‘What wonders God has done for them!’
These people rise up as a lion;
They shall not lie down
Until they have eaten what they capture
And have drunk the blood of the slain!”
25 “If you aren’t going to curse them, at least don’t bless them!” the king exclaimed to Balaam.
26 But Balaam replied, “Didn’t I tell you that I must say whatever Jehovah tells me to?”
27 Then the king said to Balaam, “I will take you to yet another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them from there.”
28 So King Balak took Balaam to the top of Mount Peor, overlooking the desert. 29 Balaam again told the king to build seven altars, and to prepare seven young bulls and seven rams for the sacrifice. 30 The king did as Balaam said, and offered a young bull and ram on every altar.
Numbers 23
English Standard Version
Numbers 23
English Standard Version
Balaam's First Oracle
23 And Balaam said to Balak, (A)“Build for me here seven altars, and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 2 Balak did as Balaam had said. And Balak and Balaam (B)offered on each altar a bull and a ram. 3 And Balaam said to Balak, (C)“Stand beside your burnt offering, and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come (D)to meet me, and whatever he shows me I will tell you.” And he went to a bare height, 4 (E)and God met Balaam. And Balaam said to him, “I have arranged the seven altars and I have offered on each altar a bull and a ram.” 5 And the Lord (F)put a word in Balaam's mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus you shall speak.” 6 And he returned to him, and behold, he and all the princes of Moab were standing beside his burnt offering. 7 And Balaam (G)took up his discourse and said,
“From (H)Aram Balak has brought me,
the king of Moab (I)from the eastern mountains:
‘Come, (J)curse Jacob for me,
and come, denounce Israel!’
8 How can I curse whom God has not cursed?
How can I denounce whom the Lord has not denounced?
9 For from the top of the crags (K)I see him,
from the hills I behold him;
behold, (L)a people dwelling alone,
and (M)not counting itself among the nations!
10 (N)Who can count the dust of Jacob
or number the fourth part[a] of Israel?
Let me die (O)the death of the upright,
and let my end be like his!”
11 And Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? (P)I took you to curse my enemies, and behold, you have done nothing but bless them.” 12 And he answered and said, (Q)“Must I not take care to speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”
Balaam's Second Oracle
13 And Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place, from which you may see them. You shall see only a fraction of them and shall not see them all. Then curse them for me from there.” 14 And he took him to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah, (R)and built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Balaam said to Balak, (S)“Stand here beside your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord over there.” 16 And the Lord met Balaam and (T)put a word in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and thus shall you speak.” 17 And he came to him, and behold, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the princes of Moab with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?” 18 And Balaam took up his discourse and said,
“Rise, Balak, and hear;
give ear to me, O son of Zippor:
19 (U)God is not man, that he should lie,
or a son of man, that he should change his mind.
Has he said, and will he not do it?
Or has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?
20 Behold, I received a command to bless:
(V)he has blessed, and (W)I cannot revoke it.
21 (X)He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob,
nor has he seen trouble in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them,
and the shout of a king is among them.
22 (Y)God brings them out of Egypt
and is for them like (Z)the horns of the wild ox.
23 For there is no enchantment against Jacob,
no (AA)divination against Israel;
now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,
(AB)‘What has God wrought!’
24 Behold, a people! (AC)As a lioness it rises up
and as a lion it lifts itself;
(AD)it does not lie down until it has devoured the prey
and drunk the blood of the slain.”
25 And Balak said to Balaam, “Do not curse them at all, and do not bless them at all.” 26 But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not tell you, (AE)‘All that the Lord says, that I must do’?” 27 And Balak said to Balaam, (AF)“Come now, I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God that you may curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak took Balaam to the top of (AG)Peor, which overlooks (AH)the desert.[b] 29 And Balaam said to Balak, (AI)“Build for me here seven altars and prepare for me here seven bulls and seven rams.” 30 (AJ)And Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
Footnotes
- Numbers 23:10 Or dust clouds
- Numbers 23:28 Or Jeshimon
Números 23
Portuguese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version
Números 23
Portuguese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version
A primeira mensagem de Balaão
23 Balaão disse a Balaque:
—Construa para mim sete altares neste lugar e me prepare sete bezerros e sete carneiros.
2 Balaque fez o que Balaão pediu e juntos ofereceram um bezerro e um carneiro em cada altar. 3 Depois Balaão disse a Balaque:
—Fique ao lado do seu sacrifício que deve ser queimado completamente, e eu vou ver se o SENHOR quer se encontrar comigo; depois direi a você tudo o que ele me revelar.
Então Balaão foi para o topo de um monte, 4 onde Deus se apresentou a ele e Balaão disse:
—Fiz sete altares e ofereci um bezerro e um carneiro em cada altar.
5 Então o SENHOR disse a Balaão o que devia dizer e depois ordenou a ele:
—Volte para onde está Balaque e diga a ele o que eu acabo de dizer a você.
6 Balaão voltou para onde estava Balaque, que estava de pé ao lado do seu sacrifício que deve ser queimado completamente, junto aos chefes de Moabe. 7 Então Balaão falou. Estas foram as suas palavras:
“Balaque me trouxe aqui desde Arã.
O rei de Moabe me fez vir desde as montanhas do leste.
Venha, me disse, amaldiçoe por mim a Jacó,
venha, deseje o mal a Israel.
8 Mas, como vou amaldiçoar àquele que Deus não amaldiçoa?
Como desejar o mal àquele que o SENHOR não deseja?
9 Posso vê-los desde o topo das montanhas
e desde as montanhas os observo.
É um povo que vive afastado
e não se considera uma nação entre as nações.
10 Quem pode contar a descendência de Jacó?
São tão numerosos como os grãos de pó.
Quem pode contar ao menos a quarta parte de Israel?
Me deixe morrer como morrem as pessoas boas,
e que o meu fim seja como o dos justos!”
11 Balaque disse a Balaão:
—O que é isto que você me fez? Trouxe-o para você amaldiçoar os meus inimigos, mas somente os tem abençoado.
12 Mas Balaão respondeu:
—Não percebe que tenho que dizer só o que o SENHOR me diga?
A segunda mensagem de Balaão
13 Balaque disse a Balaão:
—Venha comigo a outro lugar desde onde possa vê-los, embora não vai poder ver todo o acampamento mas só uma parte. Daí amaldiçoe o povo de Israel.
14 Então Balaque o levou ao campo de Zofim[a], no topo do monte Pisga. Balaque construiu sete altares e ofereceu um bezerro e um carneiro em cada altar. 15 Balaão disse a Balaque:
—Fique aqui junto ao seu sacrifício que deve ser queimado completamente enquanto vou me encontrar com Deus.
16 O SENHOR foi se encontrar com Balaão e disse a ele o que tinha que dizer. Depois ordenou a ele:
—Volte para onde está Balaque e diga isso.
17 Então Balaão voltou para onde estava Balaque e o encontrou de pé ao lado do sacrifício que deve ser queimado completamente, junto com os chefes de Moabe. Balaque perguntou a ele:
—O que disse o SENHOR?
18 Então Balaão falou. Estas foram as suas palavras:
“Fique de pé, Balaque, e ouça,
me ouça, filho de Zipor.
19 Deus não é um ser humano
para que minta ou mude de opinião.
Por acaso ele não faz o que diz,
ou não cumpre o que promete?
20 Olhe, as minhas ordens são de abençoar.
Deus tem abençoado a Israel,
e isso eu não posso mudar.
21 Para os descendentes de Jacó não se prevê calamidade alguma;
nem mesmo se espera nenhuma desgraça para Israel.
Pois o SENHOR, seu Deus, está com eles;
eles o proclamam seu Rei.
22 Deus, que os tirou do Egito,
é para eles a sua força,
como os chifres para o touro selvagem.
23 Contra Jacó não servem os malefícios,
nem há bruxaria que sirva contra Israel.
De Jacó e de Israel se dirá como se diz agora:
‘Olhe o que Deus fez’.
24 Este povo se levanta como leoa
e se põe em pé como um leão.
Não descansará até devorar a sua presa
e beber o sangue das suas vítimas”.
25 Então Balaque disse a Balaão:
—Se não vai amaldiçoá-los, então pelo menos não os abençoe!
26 Depois Balaão disse a Balaque:
—Não disse a você que faria tudo o que o SENHOR me dissesse?
27 Porém, Balaque disse a Balaão:
—Venha, levarei você a um outro lugar, talvez Deus queira que você os amaldiçoe dali.
28 Balaque levou Balaão ao topo do monte Peor, que domina o deserto, 29 e Balaão disse a Balaque:
—Construa para mim sete altares aqui, e me prepare sete bois e sete carneiros.
30 Balaque fez o que Balaão disse e em cada altar sacrificou um bezerro e um carneiro.
Footnotes
- 23.14 campo de Zofim Ou “campo do vigia”.
Numbers 23
New International Version
Numbers 23
New International Version
Balaam’s First Message
23 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams(A) for me.” 2 Balak did as Balaam said, and the two of them offered a bull and a ram on each altar.(B)
3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stay here beside your offering while I go aside. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet with me.(C) Whatever he reveals to me I will tell you.” Then he went off to a barren height.
4 God met with him,(D) and Balaam said, “I have prepared seven altars, and on each altar I have offered a bull and a ram.”
5 The Lord put a word in Balaam’s mouth(E) and said, “Go back to Balak and give him this word.”(F)
6 So he went back to him and found him standing beside his offering, with all the Moabite officials.(G) 7 Then Balaam(H) spoke his message:(I)
“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)”
11 Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies,(T) but you have done nothing but bless them!”(U)
12 He answered, “Must I not speak what the Lord puts in my mouth?”(V)
Balaam’s Second Message
13 Then Balak said to him, “Come with me to another place(W) where you can see them; you will not see them all but only the outskirts of their camp.(X) And from there, curse them for me.(Y)” 14 So he took him to the field of Zophim on the top of Pisgah,(Z) and there he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.(AA)
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(AB) 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.(AC) Balak asked him, “What did the Lord say?”
18 Then he spoke his message:(AD)
“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.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!”
26 Balaam answered, “Did I not tell you I must do whatever the Lord says?”(AW)
Balaam’s Third Message
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Come, let me take you to another place.(AX) Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me(AY) from there.” 28 And Balak took Balaam to the top of Peor,(AZ) overlooking the wasteland.
29 Balaam said, “Build me seven altars here, and prepare seven bulls and seven rams for me.” 30 Balak did as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.(BA)
Footnotes
- Numbers 23:21 Or He has not looked on Jacob’s offenses / or on the wrongs found
- Numbers 23:23 Or in
- Numbers 23:23 Or in
Living Bible (TLB)
The Living Bible copyright © 1971 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
English Standard Version (ESV) 
The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. ESV Text Edition: 2025.
Portuguese New Testament: Easy-to-Read Version (VFL)
© 1999, 2014, 2017 Bible League International
New International Version (NIV) 
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
NIV Reverse Interlinear Bible: English to Hebrew and English to Greek. Copyright © 2019 by Zondervan.