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18 He took up his parable, and said,

“Rise up, Balak, and hear!
    Listen to me, you 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 he won’t do it?
    Or has he spoken, and he won’t make it good?
20 Behold, I have received a command to bless.
    He has blessed, and I can’t reverse it.
21 He has not seen iniquity in Jacob.
    Neither has he seen perverseness in Israel.
Yahweh his God is with him.
    The shout of a king is among them.
22 God brings them out of Egypt.
    He has as it were the strength of the wild ox.
23 Surely there is no enchantment with Jacob;
    Neither is there any divination with Israel.
Now it shall be said of Jacob and of Israel,
    ‘What has God done!’
24 Behold, a people rises up as a lioness.
    As a lion he lifts himself up.
He shall not lie down until he eats of the prey,
    and drinks the blood of the slain.”

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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)

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Footnotes

  1. 23.18 Heb he