Numbers 23:11-17
New English Translation
Balaam Relocates
11 Then Balak said to Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies, but on the contrary[a] you have only blessed them!”[b] 12 Balaam replied,[c] “Must I not be careful[d] to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth?”[e] 13 Balak said to him, “Please come with me to another place from which you can observe them. You will see only a part of them, but you will not see all of them. Curse them for me from there.”
14 So Balak brought Balaam[f] to the field of Zophim, to the top of Pisgah,[g] where[h] he built seven altars and offered a bull and a ram on each altar. 15 And Balaam[i] said to Balak, “Station yourself here[j] by your burnt offering, while I meet the Lord there.” 16 Then the Lord met Balaam and put a message[k] in his mouth and said, “Return to Balak, and speak what I tell you.” 17 When Balaam[l] came to him, he was still standing by his burnt offering, along with the princes of Moab. And Balak said to him, “What has the Lord spoken?”
Read full chapterFootnotes
- Numbers 23:11 tn The Hebrew text uses הִנֵּה (hinneh) here to stress the contrast.
- Numbers 23:11 tn The construction is emphatic, using the perfect tense and the infinitive absolute to give it the emphasis. It would have the force of “you have done nothing but bless,” or “you have indeed blessed.” The construction is reminiscent of the call of Abram and the promise of the blessing in such elaborate terms.
- Numbers 23:12 tn Heb “he answered and said.” The referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 23:12 tn The verb שָׁמַר (shamar) means “to guard, watch, observe” and so here with a sense of “be careful” or even “take heed” (so KJV, ASV). The nuance of the imperfect tense would be obligatory: “I must be careful”—to do what? to speak what the Lord has put in my mouth. The infinitive construct “to speak” is therefore serving as the direct object of שָׁמַר.
- Numbers 23:12 tn The clause is a noun clause serving as the direct object of “to speak.” It begins with the sign of the accusative, and then the relative pronoun that indicates the whole clause is the accusative.
- Numbers 23:14 tn Heb “he brought him”; the referents (Balak and Balaam) have been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 23:14 tn Some scholars do not translate this word as “Pisgah,” but rather as a “lookout post” or an “elevated place.”
- Numbers 23:14 tn Heb “and he built.”
- Numbers 23:15 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
- Numbers 23:15 tn The verse uses כֹּה (koh) twice: “Station yourself here…I will meet [the Lord] there.”
- Numbers 23:16 tn Heb “word.”
- Numbers 23:17 tn Heb “he”; the referent (Balaam) has been specified in the translation for clarity.
Numbers 23:11-17
New Living Translation
11 Then King Balak demanded of Balaam, “What have you done to me? I brought you to curse my enemies. Instead, you have blessed them!”
12 But Balaam replied, “I will speak only the message that the Lord puts in my mouth.”
Balaam’s Second Message
13 Then King Balak told him, “Come with me to another place. There you will see another part of the nation of Israel, but not all of them. Curse at least that many!” 14 So Balak took Balaam to the plateau of Zophim on Pisgah Peak. He built seven altars there and offered a young bull and a ram on each altar.
15 Then Balaam said to the king, “Stand here by your burnt offerings while I go over there to meet the Lord.”
16 And the Lord met Balaam and gave him a message. Then he said, “Go back to Balak and give him my message.”
17 So Balaam returned and found the king standing beside his burnt offerings with all the officials of Moab. “What did the Lord say?” Balak asked eagerly.
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