Numbers 23
Amplified Bible
The Prophecies of Balaam
23 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams here.” 2 Balak did just as Balaam had said, and Balak and Balaam offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 3 Then Balaam said to Balak, “Stand beside your burnt offering and I will go. Perhaps the Lord will come to meet me; and whatever He shows me I will tell you.” So he went to a desolate hill.
4 Now God met Balaam, who said to Him, “I have prepared seven altars, and I have offered a bull and a ram on each altar.” 5 Then the Lord put a speech in Balaam’s mouth, and said, “Return to Balak, and you shall speak thus.” 6 Balaam returned to Balak, and behold, he was standing by his burnt sacrifice, he and all the leaders of Moab. 7 Balaam took up his [first] discourse (oracle) and said:
“Balak, the king of Moab, has brought me from Aram (Syria),
from the mountains of the east, [saying,]
‘Come, curse [the descendants of] Jacob for me;
And come, [violently] denounce Israel.’
8
“How shall I curse those whom God has not cursed?
Or how can I [violently] denounce those the Lord has not denounced?
9
“For from the top of the rocks I see Israel,
And from the hills I look at him.
Behold, the people [of Israel] shall dwell alone
And will not be reckoned among the nations.
10
“Who can count the dust (the descendants) of Jacob
And the number of even the fourth part of Israel?
Let me die the death of the righteous [those who are upright and in right standing with God],
And let my end be like his!”(A)
11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but here you have [thoroughly] blessed them instead!” 12 Balaam answered, “Must I not be obedient and careful to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”
13 Balak said to him, “Come with me, I implore you, to another place from where you can see them, although you will see only the nearest and not all of them; and curse them for me from there.” 14 So he took Balaam to the field of Zophim to the top of [Mount] Pisgah, and built seven altars, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 Balaam said to Balak, “Stand here beside your burnt offering while I go to meet the Lord over there.” 16 Then the Lord met Balaam and put a speech in his mouth, and said, “Go back to Balak and you shall speak thus.” 17 When Balaam returned to Balak, he was standing beside his burnt offering, and the leaders of Moab were with him. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?” 18 Balaam took up his [second] discourse (oracle) and said:
“Rise up, O Balak, and hear;
Listen [closely] to me, son of Zippor.
19
“God is not a man, that He should lie,
Nor a son of man, that He should repent.
Has He said, and will He not do it?
Or has He spoken and will He not make it good and fulfill it?
20
“Behold, I have received His command to bless [Israel].
He has blessed, and I cannot reverse it.
21
“God has not observed wickedness in Jacob [for he is forgiven],
Nor has He seen trouble in Israel.
The Lord their God is with Israel,
And the shout of their King is among the people.(B)
22
“God brought them out of Egypt;
They have the strength of a wild ox.
23
“For there is no enchantment or omen against Jacob,
Nor is there any divination against Israel.
At the proper time it shall be said to Jacob
And to Israel, what has God done!
24
“Behold, a people rises up like a lioness
And lifts itself up like a lion;
He will not lie down until he devours the prey
And drinks the blood of the slain.”
25 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Neither curse them at all nor bless them at all!” 26 But Balaam answered Balak, “Did I not say to you, ‘All that the Lord speaks, that I must do?’”
27 Then Balak said to Balaam, “Please come; I will take you to another place. Perhaps it will please God to let you curse them for me from there.” 28 So Balak brought Balaam to the top of [Mount] Peor, that overlooks the wasteland. 29 And Balaam said to Balak, “Build seven altars for me here, and prepare for me seven bulls and seven rams here.” 30 Balak did just as Balaam had said, and offered a bull and a ram on each altar.
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
Dios Habla Hoy
23 1 Entonces Balaam le dijo:
—Constrúyeme aquí siete altares, y prepárame siete becerros y siete carneros.
2 Balac hizo lo que Balaam le dijo, y entre los dos sacrificaron un becerro y un carnero en cada altar.
3 Luego Balaam le dijo a Balac:
—Quédate junto al sacrificio, mientras voy a ver si el Señor viene a encontrarse conmigo. Luego te comunicaré lo que él me dé a conocer.
Balaam bendice a Israel
Y Balaam se fue a una colina desierta, 4 donde Dios se le apareció. Balaam le dijo:
—He preparado siete altares, y en cada uno he ofrecido un becerro y un carnero.
5 Entonces el Señor puso en labios de Balaam lo que tenía que decir, y le dijo:
—Regresa a donde está Balac y dile lo mismo que yo te he dicho.
6 Balaam regresó y encontró a Balac de pie, junto al sacrificio, en compañía de todos los jefes moabitas. 7 Entonces Balaam pronunció esta profecía:
«Desde las montañas del oriente, desde Aram,
me hizo venir Balac, rey de Moab.
“Ven —me dijo—, maldíceme a Israel,
deséale el mal al pueblo de Jacob.”
8 Pero, ¿cómo maldecir al que Dios no maldice?
¿Cómo desear el mal, si el Señor no lo hace?
9 Desde estas altas rocas puedo verlo,
desde estas colinas lo miro:
es un pueblo que vive apartado,
distinto de los otros pueblos.
10 Son como el polvo; ¿quién puede contarlos?
¿Quién puede saber su número?
¡Ojalá muera yo como esos hombres justos,
y sea mi fin como el de ellos!»
11 Entonces Balac le reclamó a Balaam:
—¿Qué estás haciendo? Yo te traje para que maldijeras a mis enemigos, y tú te has puesto a bendecirlos.
12 Y Balaam contestó:
—Habíamos quedado en que yo diría solamente lo que el Señor pusiera en mis labios.
13 Pero Balac insistió:
—Ven conmigo a otra parte, desde donde sólo podrás ver los alrededores del campamento, pero no el campamento completo. Maldícemelos desde allí.
14 Y Balac llevó a Balaam al campo de Sofim, en la cumbre del monte Pisgá, donde construyó siete altares y sacrificó en cada uno un becerro y un carnero. 15 Allí Balaam dijo a Balac:
—Quédate aquí, junto al sacrificio, mientras yo voy a encontrarme con Dios.
16 El Señor salió al encuentro de Balaam y puso en sus labios lo que tenía que decir. Además le dijo:
—Regresa a donde está Balac y dile lo mismo que yo te he dicho.
17 Balaam regresó y encontró a Balac de pie, junto al sacrificio, en compañía de los jefes moabitas. Y Balac le preguntó:
—¿Qué te dijo el Señor?
18 Entonces Balaam pronunció esta profecía:
«Balac, hijo de Sipor,
escúchame con atención.
19 Dios no es como los mortales:
no miente ni cambia de opinión.
Cuando él dice una cosa, la realiza.
Cuando hace una promesa, la cumple.
20 Yo tengo órdenes de bendecir;
si Dios bendice, yo no puedo contradecirlo.
21 Nadie ha visto engaño ni maldad
en Israel, el pueblo de Jacob.
El Señor su Dios está con ellos,
y ellos lo aclaman como rey.
22 Dios, que los sacó de Egipto, es para ellos
lo que son para el búfalo sus cuernos.
23 Contra Jacob no valen maleficios;
contra Israel no sirven brujerías.
Ahora es preciso decir a Israel:
“¡Cuántas maravillas ha hecho Dios contigo!”
24 Este pueblo se levanta
amenazante como un león,
y no descansará hasta devorar su presa
y beber la sangre de sus víctimas.»
25 Balac dijo entonces a Balaam:
—¡Ya que no puedes maldecir a este pueblo, por lo menos no lo bendigas!
26 A lo cual respondió Balaam:
—¿No te había dicho ya, que yo sólo puedo hacer lo que el Señor me ordene?
27 Entonces Balac le dijo:
—Ven, que te voy a llevar a otra parte. Puede ser que a Dios no le disguste que maldigas a Israel desde allí.
28 Y así Balac se llevó a Balaam a la cumbre del monte Peor, desde donde se ve todo el desierto. 29 Allí Balaam le dijo a Balac:
—Constrúyeme aquí siete altares y prepárame siete becerros y siete carneros.
30 Balac hizo lo que Balaam le dijo, y en cada altar sacrificó un becerro y un carnero.
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