Numbers 23:18-24
New Revised Standard Version Updated Edition
18 Then Balaam[a] uttered his oracle, saying,
“Rise, Balak, and hear;
listen to me, O son of Zippor:
19 God is not a human being, that he should lie,
or a mortal, that he should change his mind.
Has he promised, and will he not do it?
Has he spoken, and will he not fulfill it?(A)
20 See, I received a command to bless;
he has blessed, and I cannot revoke it.(B)
21 He has not beheld misfortune in Jacob,
nor has he seen trouble in Israel.
The Lord their God is with them,
acclaimed as a king among them.(C)
22 God, who brings them out of Egypt,
is like the horns of a wild ox for them.(D)
23 Surely there is no enchantment against Jacob,
no divination against Israel;
now it shall be said of Jacob and Israel,
‘See what God has done!’
24 Look, a people rising up like a lioness
and rousing itself like a lion!
It does not lie down until it has eaten the prey
and drunk the blood of the slain.”(E)
Footnotes
- 23.18 Heb he
Numbers 23:18-24
Christian Standard Bible
18 Balaam proclaimed his poem:
Balak, get up and listen;
son of Zippor, pay attention to what I say!
19 God is not a man, that he might lie,
or a son of man, that he might change his mind.(A)
Does he speak and not act,
or promise and not fulfill?(B)
20 I have indeed received a command to bless;
since he has blessed,[a] I cannot change it.
21 He considers no disaster for Jacob;
he sees no trouble for Israel.[b]
The Lord their God is with them,(C)
and there is rejoicing over the King among them.
22 God brought them out of Egypt;
he is like the horns of a wild ox for them.[c](D)
23 There is no magic curse against Jacob
and no divination against Israel.
It will now be said about Jacob and Israel,
“What great things God has done!”
24 A people rise up like a lioness;
they rouse themselves like a lion.(E)
They will not lie down until they devour the prey
and drink the blood of the slain.
New Revised Standard Version, Updated Edition. Copyright © 2021 National Council of Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
The Christian Standard Bible. Copyright © 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible®, and CSB® are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers, all rights reserved.