Balaam’s Fourth Oracle

15 Then he proclaimed his poem:

The oracle of Balaam son of Beor,
the oracle of the man whose eyes are opened;
16 the oracle of one who hears the sayings of God
and has knowledge from the Most High,
who sees a vision from the Almighty,
who falls into a trance with his eyes uncovered:(A)
17 I see him, but not now;
I perceive him, but not near.
A star will come from Jacob,
and a scepter will arise from Israel.(B)
He will smash the forehead[a] of Moab
and strike down[b] all the Shethites.[c]
18 Edom will become a possession;
Seir(C) will become a possession of its enemies,
but Israel will be triumphant.
19 One who comes from Jacob will rule;
he will destroy the city’s survivors.

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Footnotes

  1. 24:17 Or frontiers
  2. 24:17 Sam reads and the skulls of; Jr 48:45
  3. 24:17 Or Sethites

Balaam’s Final Prophecies

15 Then Balaam[a] uttered this prophetic statement:

“The declaration by Beor’s son Balaam,
    a declaration by the strong, blind man.
16 A declaration from one who hears what God has to say,
    who knows what the Most High knows,
who saw the vision that the Almighty revealed,
    who keeps stumbling with open eyes.

17 I can see him,
    but not right now.
I observe him,
    but from a distance.[b]

A star streams forth from Jacob;
    a scepter arises from Israel.
He will crush Moab’s forehead,
    along with all of Seth’s descendants.
18 Edom will be a conquered nation
    and Seir will be Israel’s[c] defeated foe,
        while Israel performs valiantly.
19 He will rule over Jacob,
    annihilating those who survive in the city.”

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Footnotes

  1. Numbers 24:15 Lit. he
  2. Numbers 24:17 Lit. but not nearby
  3. Numbers 24:18 Lit. his